Dec 16 2008
I want Daddy!
Can I ask a question? When your kids fall down and get hurt, do they ask for Mommy or Daddy? Mommy, right? Yeah, that’s what Bug used to do. Frankly, I enjoyed it. It made me feel special, wanted, needed, loved. It made me feel like I was doing a great job as a mom, nurturing my child so he would come running to me when he got a boo-boo.
Last week, Bug hurt himself by whacking his head on the wall. (I’m serious, I think there is some kind of wall magnet in this kid’s head because he is constantly running into them.) He doesn’t cry over getting hurt often, so when he does, I know he’s really hurting. From the other room I heard, Whack! followed by a sharp intake of air that I knew would erupt into a blood curdling scream. Sure enough, Bug comes into the room holding his head. His face red, tears streaming down his cheeks, I predicted the words that he was about to sputter, “Mommy! Owie!”
You’d never guess my surprise when he bellowed, “I want Daddy!” while I hugged him and kissed his owie.
It bruised my mommy-ego slightly, but I let it slide. I thought it was a freak thing, something that wouldn’t happen again. Oh no.
Three times in the past week he has injured himself and responded by screaming, “I want Daddy!”
What the heck?! I mean, Turk is an amazing Daddy, I will not deny him that, and that man can kiss my boo-boos (or boobies) any time he wants. But seriously. I’m the Mommy. I’m the nurturer. I’m the one who carried Bug for 42 freaking weeks. I’m the one who breastfed him for a year, got up with him most nights, deals with his temper tantrums the entire day. The least I should get is some props when he’s injured, right?
What a sham.
My mom warned me when Bug was just a wee little chunk that he would go through fazes of wanting Daddy or Mommy more, so this wasn’t entirely a shock to me. Even still, it was hard not to overthink the situation. Am I that awful to Bug that he doesn’t even want me when he gets hurt? Is Turk that much better of a parent than I am? Man!
That’s okay. I think it’s wonderful that Bug wants his Daddy, needs his Daddy. It just shows that Turk is the wonderful father that I always thought he was. Dang, we are lucky to have him. Really, I can’t blame Bug. When I get hurt, I want his Daddy too.
We’re going through this too. Through the fever and sickies yesterday, I finally had to call daddy home from work. Wouldn’t you know, M perked right up. My mommy ego was hurt a bit too, but I’m so glad he has a daddy that he loves so much!