Friday, May 30, 2014

18 amazing things Daddy has done to Renzo..

A father's love is just as important, unique, and critical to a child's development as a mother's, and sometimes more so. According to experts: A good dad can be a positive role model for boys and help them to adopt a healthy gender identity as well as a better awareness of their feelings and emotions.

Many friends admire my patience towards my boys and honestly, I attribute that good trait 100% to my husband's involvement in my boys' growth and development. I am a happier, more effective and competent mother, because I can always count on my husband to instill good habits and moral values while I shower them with tender loving care, without the need to worry about over-pampering them.

So what did my husband do to Renzo (and Rynus too of course), to earn so much respect and appreciation from me?

1. Daddy the story teller
Renzo started reading story books independently since he turned 3. I have to believe the very reason why he could read early, is due to Daddy's enormous efforts in reading to, and with him during bedtime. Renzo loves visiting bookstores and just like his Daddy, he could grab a book and start reading anytime he likes to. He often brings a book with him anywhere he goes, well of course he brings along toys too. It's really heartwarming to observe how Renzo automatically picks up a book after dinner, and sit by Daddy's side and read. That's how powerful Daddy is as a role model. And trust me, sometimes, Renzo is the one who initiates it first and Daddy is the one following. 
 
2. Daddy the trainer/supervisor
Ever since Renzo started realizing the difference between boys and girls, Daddy has been the one showering him everyday. And since he turned 4, Daddy has trained him to take his own shower every night. I have absolutely no idea how Daddy managed to do that because it's on my to-do-list for Renzo when he turns 6 maybe?! On the days when Daddy has to return home late and not able to supervise Renzo, Renzo gets to "wash the bathroom during shower time", well I should just say play with bubbles created by 1/3, if not half a bottle of shower gel in the bathroom for a much longer period of time. But most of the days he's able to take his shower and get dressed in pajamas unsupervised, before bedtime.

3. Daddy the "(no) toilet training" advocate

Renzo was fully toilet trained for both day and night only in last October, when he turned 4 years 2 months. I blogged about his challenging potty training journey because I was really concerned about his slow progress. Daddy is always the cool and steady one who believes he will be ready one day without any particular training. Thanks to Daddy's faith in his son!! And can you believe Daddy is always the one who cleans Renzo up after he passes motion? Can you believe I could always remain seated to enjoy my coffee while Daddy runs to bathroom with Renzo whenever we are outside? Well the plus point is, you know how long the queue is at the ladies so, even if I am outside alone with Renzo, I just need to wait for him outside the gents, cool isn't it?!

4. Daddy the "news anchor"
Renzo is required to bring a news article to school and share it with his classmates once every week. Daddy is always the one who buys the newspaper, picks the article, cuts it out and goes through a few rounds with him each time. I am often impressed that he could even get Renzo prepared for it during their car ride to school in the morning. But of course, if Renzo goes to school without preparing for his sharing, you know who's to blame! (*evil grin*)

5. Daddy the rule enforcer
Daddy is always the one who reminds the boys about good table manners, such as only eats at dining table, no wastage of food, clean their own table by bringing all their utensils back to the sink after eating.

6. Daddy the artwork expert

Once in a while, Renzo will bring home some artwork from school and luckily, our super hands-on Daddy has pretty amazing talent in handling all these with Renzo.

7. Daddy the chauffeur

Daddy is absolutely a night owl! But he's willing to sacrifice his previous sleep time for Renzo. He wakes up at 6:30am daily, to send Renzo to school while allowing mummy to have another 30 more minutes of sleep time with Rynus at home. And on the days mummy needs to leave earlier for work and Rynus wakes up earlier together with Renzo, he brings Rynus along to send Renzo to school!

8. Daddy the pet lover


Renzo requested to have a hamster as his pet, I am not a big fan of animals but Daddy convinced me to bring little "coconut" home, promising me that he will take care of everything from feeding the hamster to changing bedding for her, and once a while bringing her out from the cage to let the kids play and touch. He really meant it. "Coconut" has became Renzo's "best friend" and he even gave my diamond ring to his little cutie as a tiara!

9. Daddy the car enthusiast

Well cars, is a topic belongs to men, at least that's in my humble opinion. Renzo learned to recognize different car brands from Daddy. He listens to Kiss92 radio station with Daddy on his way to school every morning, and I was surprised to know that one of their favorite topics on the road, is about car exhaust system on different car models. And Renzo's hand drawings is always a true reflection of his interest, so just look at those...

10. Daddy the Science guru

Yes Daddy is a science person, and I am glad that now he has a new audience, though still young and small, who enjoys listening to his science theories all the time. I am sure Renzo doesn't understand all of them, but the great thing is, Renzo is curious about science and often asks a lot of questions which I do not even know how to answer. His encyclopedia is either his young scientists magazine, or, of course the science guru in the house, his daddy!

11.  Daddy the wonderful coach
 
The main reason that Renzo is not attending any enrichment classes at the moment, is because Daddy often says, let's try our best to teach as much as we can, rather than relying on enrichment lessons, which might kill their interest and curiosity in school curriculum, and give them an excuse not to focus in class at school.

12. Daddy the best playmate

Daddy often spends a larger proportion of his time playing with the boys than I do. My role is often a photographer when we bring the kids out. He doesn't find it a chore to climb up and down with the kids, instead, he's having so much fun too! My camera might not capture everything, but in my eyes, through rough-and-tumble play, Daddy creates obstacles for Renzo and demands respect for limits and boundaries. At the same time, he challenges and encourages Renzo to explore his own strength, his ability to do new things, and his impact on the world around him.

13. Daddy the LEGO master builder

Whose boy doesn't have a set of LEGO?!! Renzo now has a very good habit of categorizing his LEGO bricks based on color, and read instruction manual carefully to complete his masterpiece, before he destroys it and comes up with something totally random, yet creative. That good habit is  definitely established by his Daddy!

14. Daddy the sole caregiver (once in a while)

Daddy is even more capable in taking care of the boys when I'm on business trip. He brought the kids to playground, to library, and even turned car-washing into Renzo's favorite bonding activity with him. Honestly I don't think I can do a good job as him handling the kids alone.

15. Daddy the Financial advisor

Renzo gets 1 dollar daily as pocket money, and 1 dollar each time as reward for his good behavior/performance. Daddy's idea is to let him pay for things he wants to buy, be it food, or toy so he has a better concept about earning and spending. And slowly gets him to understand the importance of investing his money wisely, once Daddy introduces "daddy-son stock market" system eventually. Right that's in his plan ever before Renzo was born but probably needs another year or two, to materialize.

16. Daddy the inspirer

Daddy started the blogs for Renzo and Rynus in hoping that we could record down the most memorable moments in our lives in bringing the 2 up. Renzo knew the existence of his blog and read the very first post just recently. He even created a "blog" on paper for his beloved little pet, guess what's the blog name? "Watch coconut grow" of course!!!

17. Daddy the true lover

I still remember my 3 years old Renzo scared I was feeling cold and wrapped me up with his blanket. He says "I LOVE YOU, MUMMY" many times a day and is extremely generous with his hugs and kisses to me. Needless to say, he has inherited great genes from his Daddy when comes to handling relationship with his loved ones. And my 3 men spend hours in supermarket helping mummy with grocery shopping every week. I don't even do this with my mother when I was young!!

18. Not to forget, Daddy the real gamer

Renzo is pretty good at playing games though we seldom give him chance to touch ipad nowadays, maybe once in a few months when we desperately need to enjoy a good meal at restaurant without any interruption from him. He understands some  of Daddy's complicated games though he's not the one playing. I am not strongly oppose to it because Renzo is not obsessed with gaming at all and his drawings of those games he played, simply made up for everything!

Wow, as I was writing this post, I feel more and more touched by how much efforts my husband has made in bringing up the kids together with me. Renzo might not love you as much as he loves mummy for now, but you are definitely the best dad any mom could ever dream of having for their kids!!
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