Women... and being a dad

So there is an old joke that goes something like this… “Women, can’t live with ‘em… pass me a beer”. I’ve heard it a number of ways, but that way is my favorite.

I went to a luncheon today held by the Charleston Regional Business Journal to honor local women in business. A good friend of mine, Dr. Warachal Faison was the highest vote getter in the Volunteer category for the work she does in the community raising awareness for Alzheimer’s research. It was a great luncheon with a lot of great ladies who do a lot of good work in this area. It made me daydream about being there years from now to see Mary Ruth and/or Susie receive an award.

Just to set the record straight… I’ve never wanted a boy or a girl. All I’ve ever wanted was a healthy baby. You see, I made the mistake before Mary Ruth was born of learning about all of the things that could go wrong. All of the things that could happen to the baby before, during, or after birth. Plus don’t forget it wasn’t easy either time for The Wife to get pregnant (which was hard for her… not so much me, since it meant more ‘trying’… but still). So in all honesty, all I have ever hoped and prayed for is a healthy baby. So we had Mary Ruth (who has been better than I could have ever imagined) and people said maybe the next one will be a boy. I did my best to ignore it. Then The Wife got pregnant with baby number two. We found out we were having another girl and the people at the doctor’s office said, “Oh… I’m sorry”. What the hell are they sorry for? And these were women saying that. Who says that? I just left. I’m sure they thought I was mad that we were having another girl, but really I was pissed at them. So now we have Mary Ruth and Susie. It’s still early and The Wife doesn’t really want to think about it right now… but we’ve always talked about having three children. I’ve always wanted three. I’m no expert, but I think it’s probably because I’m the youngest of three kids. Let me go ahead and say right now that we are not trying for a boy or a girl. We’ll just want a healthy baby. Hey, I know that there are some people out there who want to have a boy. I know there are some (like The Wife the first time around) who want to have a girl. That’s cool. I don’t think they are bad people for wanting to have a girl or a boy. Just don’t assume that I feel the same way. And don’t act like I should be disappointed that I don’t have a boy. Do people do this when boys are born? Do people say, “Oh… I’m sorry.”? Do they say, “Don’t worry… maybe the next one will be a girl.”? I’ve never thought to say that to someone.

Speaking of little girls, I spent most of the afternoon watching Transformers with Mary Ruth (the cartoon from my childhood). I have the complete series on DVD. She has trouble keeping up with who the good guys are and who the bad guys are… but she’s starting to get it. She wanted to watch GI Joe, but we ran out of time (The Wife had to watch her TV shows). I also don’t mind sitting here and watching Dora, Veggie Tales, or any of the number of Disney Princess movies we have. I don’t mind it because it’s what she wants. Sometimes we rough-house, sometimes we play a game where she’s the princess and I’m the prince that has to save her. Guess what? I love it. Know why? Because she loves it. I can’t imagine how much I’d miss out on without Mary Ruth. How could I be disappointed that she’s not a boy? I have no idea how Susie will be, but I know I’m not going to miss out on anything just because she’s not a boy.

You know what’s great about being a dad? All you have to do is be there to be good at it. My Dad is great. You know what I remember my Dad doing while I was growing up that was so great? He was there. I could probably count on one hand how many baseball games of mine he missed in all of the years that I played. And don’t think it was always easy for him. A lot of times when I was in high school, that meant him waking up and leaving the house before 6:00am to drive to Columbia for meetings all day and then drive down to Beaufort or Hilton Head to watch my game and then drive home and wait up until I got home so we could talk about the game. I remember when I was younger, Dad would work all day and then come home and play catch with me. I’m sure he taught me other things… but he wouldn’t have been able to if he wasn’t there. I’m pretty sure he was there for my brother, too. I think he was even there for my sister… and she’s just a girl. :-)

The Cleveland Cavs fact of the day: The Cavs are the picked by many to win the Central Division. I agree with this.

The Winthrop Eagles fact of the day: The Eagles are picked by the coaches and media of the Big South to come in 3rd place this year. I understand why the Eagles were picked 3rd... but I think they'll end the season at #1.