Father Knows Best

When we were in Texas, Isaac clung to me in a way he hadn't before--sometimes, even my sitting next to him feeding him dinner was too far away.  I was torn between joy (who doesn't like to have her baby close?)  and frustration (going to the bathroom is ideally a solitary activity).  What I didn't have to deal with at the time was any sense of rejection.

Until we returned to Wisconsin and Isaac decided that Daddy was better than Mama.  Instead of clinging to me, he sobbed when I held him and reached for David.  Here's where a picture's worth a thousand words:

The rational part of me knows that he'll go through multiple phases of favoring one parent over the other.  But the deeply rooted, not-so-rational maternal part thinks that my heart will break when Isaac cries when I hold him.

Then I got thinking--it's really great that Isaac has such a strong bond with both of us.  Unlike conventional or popular depictions of dads (like in the TV sitcom referenced in the title), David's an incredibly involved parent.  I never worry when he's watching David--in fact, it seems unreal that a mother wouldn't trust her husband to watch their kids.  I like to think that, when he grows up, Isaac will think it's perfectly normal that for both parents to share equal responsibility in the child-rearing.  And if Isaac continues to adore and emulate his father, so much the better.

As long as I can still hug him without him crying.