On being a Father: Guest Post by the Husband himself.

The boys and I celebrated Father's Day yesterday, giving thanks to the Lord for blessing us with a man who has been the pillars holding up our warm home. I could go on and on talking about the wonderful man that he is, or the fun times we have together but then I decided to let the man himself do the talking.. Let's give a warm welcome to my guest blogger today, the husband himself to speak about what being a father really means to him. 

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It has been a while. A pretty long while I must say, since I last pen a proper blog post. The invitation from the dear missus to contribute as a guest post came as a surprise yet one that I very much welcome. Finally a chance to deviate from my regular Facebook updates on football,current affairs, politics and did I mention football?

This was meant to be a belated post on the amazing yesterday that was dedicated to all the fathers out there. I had originally intended to write this yesterday but perhaps the overwhelming love and attention I received gave me a welcoming hangover that I had to postpone the blog post.

Having been a father since 2010, celebrating a day dedicated to these wonderful band of amazing men is still new to me. To have people fuss over me for being the best father to my kids, showering me with praises and gifts was something that I am still coming to terms with. Being someone that gets uncomfortable with accolades I often find myself left to blush whenever the day comes. Therefore I always thought it's just fair that I always share the credit of being a good father with my other half.

You know they always say behind every successful man is a woman. In this case, behind every awesome father is an even awesome wife. You see, to me being a father is not as natural as to how a woman takes to being a mother. Having carried the lil' one in their womb for the whole pregnancy, more often than not, the motherly instincts usually kicks in even before the baby is born. Let's not even mention the birth, the breastfeeding, the countless hours spent together, a child's bond with a mother is second to none. The father on the other hand usually take the role of a passenger, looking on through all the action, although always ready to jump in when needed. 

When we first welcome our first child, the missus and I, we were clueless about how to go about doing things. Yet while she confidently took on her duties, I always needed that reassurance that I am doing things right. Little chores like nappy changing, preparing a warm bottle of milk, selecting the right clothes - not a single thing could have been done without the nod of approval from the only one person, between us, who seemed like she knows what she was doing.  And so we moved on from me getting better at nappy changing to picking up nursery rhymes, to learn about the importance of indoor and outdoor play and everything else that makes me look good as a parent. At least that's what I thought.

Therefore if and when, anyone thinks that I have been an awesome father to kids, I reserved my heartiest thanks to my dear wife, without whom, being that wonderful dad is not possible. She may not realize it but who I am as a father to my kids (and a pretty awesome one some will say) is probably all thanks to her being a good mother and me playing catch up. As we go along the journey of attempting to good parents, I am a but a shadow of my dear wife, imitating her every step in attempts to be the male version of the awesome mother that she is.

So here's a belated Happy Fathers'day again to all you awesome dads and of course not forgetting the women who made it all possible. They say the trouble with being a parent is that by the time you are experienced, you are unemployed. So may the learning journey continue and may we all be as good parents to our kids and enjoy every moment of it.

Sure, beauty lies in the eyes of the beholder.

While we were walking along the old and very rustic Changi Beach, my husband chanced across his dream bicycle. Which he bought on a whim. On the drive home, he confessed that he bought the bicycle because it was too pretty to resist. Set on very thin wheels and a slim body and in a coat of vintage baby blue, the Harris fixie really is a beauty if you are a vintage sucker like us.

And while we were on our way home, he went on to justify his impulsiveness to buy and use pretty things even if they were not needed, not exactly usable or even if it is pricey to begin with.

Previous history of Himbo traits:

(1) Bought a pair of leather boots which is still killing his heels to date, and he insists on wearing them because they made him look good. 

(2) He owns a couple of Marc Ecko watches because he is crazy for the blings that shine like there's no tomorrow.

(3) He buys shoes in every color, and every design possible. Because he likes matching them to the color of his tees. (My mom calls him the male version of Imelda Marcos) There was once we went to town, and he went on a shoe shopping impulse just because he saw a couple that caught his eye. From Pedro to Nike and Adidas, in we went and out we came with three big bags of new shoes.

(4) He chooses mobile phones not for the specifications but how it actually looks. Scratch that, he chooses his gadgets (laptops, television sets, home entertainment) based on the slimness, and design but hardly for it's specifications. Hardly a man characteristic, I know.

Perhaps, that is why he is in the design field. He appreciates beauty ahead of function. But then comes my next question to him:

"Gee, Was that how you chose your wife too?"