Super Daddy Pancakes

 "I often just say to God, "Hi. Help me feel You in this with me." Anne Lamott

Peanut loves to watch The Middle with me - parenting tip #341, choose a favorite show that is family appropriate and then you can spend a rainy day snuggled on the couch rewatching your favorites.

This week we watched the episode titled "The College Tour." In that episode, Mike (dad) takes Sue (daughter) on a road trip to see colleges. On the tour there is a "Super Daddy Pancakes" dad - one who is obviously super dad. He makes the super daddy pancakes on Saturday mornings, has all these special daddy/daughter bonding stories and over shares his obvious love for his daughter at every college stop.

As many of us do, by the end of the college tours, Mike begins to wonder if maybe his kids would have rather had a "Super Daddy Pancakes" dad instead of him. The ending always makes me cry.

I woke yesterday with some odd gastro pain issues and ended up spending the whole day in bed.

Well, after I got up and let the dog out. And gave instructions for how to feed the dog.

And then, from bed, I answered all the questions all day. How the dog seat belt in the car works. What the dog and Peanut need for an outing. What there is for lunch. Yes, the dishwasher needs to be run. And so on.

The dishwasher got run, but not unloaded or re-loaded. Peanut played a lot of video games. No one did any laundry. Or picking up.

Basically no one did the day as I would have done.

Often I think my way is the "Super Daddy Pancakes" way.

While, in truth, it's simple just MY way.

By focusing on what did not get done, I often lose sight of what DID happen.

SD made his own super daddy pancakes, complete with chocolate chips. Peanut's favorites.

He took Mo and Peanut to the park for a long walk - which is no easy feat.

He checked on me many times - making sure I didn't need anything.

He got up with the dog and sent me back to bed.

Mama Warriors, sometimes I think it's hard to let others help us because we know it won't be done as we would do it.

We have to embrace that different is not just okay, it's good.

Surrendering control of all the things, even just for a day, lets others shine in a new way.

Peanut would never know that SD makes incredible pancakes had I not been sick.

Perhaps there are many different Super Daddy Pancakes kinds of parenting.