So I've found myself wondering something lately.
Specifically, I'm wondering if there's a difference in how fathers relate to
their daughter versus how they would relate to their sons. Now obviously, both
genders are different. At least that's what my seventh grade science teacher
taught me. And I'm relatively certain she wouldn't lie. My question is at what
point do fathers begin to treat their daughters like daughters and their sons
like sons. I'm asking because I'm beginning to wonder if I need to change how I
interact and play with Ellie based upon how she responds in kind.
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| Too bad Ron Burgundy didn't teach me seventh grade science... |
For example, my favorite way to play with Ellie is
roughhousing. Make certain that you're not taking that the wrong way. I am NOT
punching or kicking the baby so don't call child services. If you did, Bethany
would be extremely unhappy. No, I'm more just treating her as one would a
little boy. At least I'm guessing that's the case. I'm tossing her up in the
air. I'm rolling her around on the floor when she's trying to crawl. I'm making
her into a small package. I've even been known to tickle her until the laughs
come. From the abundance of people I meet when out and about with Ellie, I get
the impression that I'm instead supposed to treat her as a fragile china doll.
Put her up on a tall shelf, dust her occasionally, but otherwise just sit and
look at her.
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| Not all china dolls belong on a shelf. Some instead belong in a box buried in the corner of the basement. Meet Stephen. |
Honestly, a part of me is curious on if I'm ruining my
daughter with rough play. I say this because she's kind of turning into a
bully. A daily experience for me is having Ellie crawl over to pull, grab hold
of my shirt collar and pull herself to a stand. Then the punishment begins!
First, she'll open up her little right hand and begin to slap my face. It's
probably supposed to be more of an affectionate pat but it certainly doesn't
feel like it; she's stronger than you think.
Once she loses interest in that, next on the list is to go
for my nose. Her favorite nose pulling method actually reminds me of a bull
with a ring in its nose being pulled by a rope. She will fishhook her index and
middle fingers into my nostrils and tug with all of her might. I can't be
certain, but I think she's actually poked my brain on more than one occasion
when doing this. When we're past nose pulling, then she goes for the most
tender area of my face; the eyes. I don't know if it's the natural squishiness
or what but she just likes trying to blind me as much as possible. Joke's on
her though as she'll have a daddy with deeply diminished vision to take care of
in his old age someday.
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| Approximately the same amount of glee Ellie shows after each slap. |
While I'm a glutton for punishment and don't really care if
Ellie's attacking me, I worry slightly about people her own age. If she treats
other babies in this manner then it's only a matter of time until she become
Baby Enemy Number One. I figure I don't need to make a decision for a while on
whether to change how I play with Ellie. She's only a baby right now and is
still developing into who she's going to be.
Now please excuse me while I ice my face, try to mold my
nose back into the appropriate shape, and clean my safety glasses in
anticipation of another day of child rearing. #DaddyWrite
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