Fathers are fixers

One of the roles of fatherhood is Fixer.

When there’s a problem you’re the one with the solution.

Last week I noticed a drip coming from the top of my windowsill. Water was coming into the wall and escaping through tiny cracks in the paint. Not good!

I was irritated, pissed even and maybe a bit overwhelmed, worried irreparable damage was happening to my house.

Who is the first person I called for help?

My dad.

After a quick chat we both concluded, there was probably an ice dam built up on the roof causing the leaks.

So, I spent my whole weekend running around town gathering supplies, raking snow off my roof, chipping ice where I could, installing heating cable and throwing pantyhose full of ice melt on top of the ice dam.

Would I have rather spent the weekend playing Mario Kart with my kids in the basement or taking them sledding? Yes!

But, I want them to know they have someone to call on when things go sideways more than I want them to have one more memory of dad whooping them on Rainbow Road.

Now I’m not saying that to be a good father you need to be a world class handyman, and I’m definitely not saying you should bail your kids out of every hard situation. But, your kids need to know they can lean on you for practical advice and a helping hand when needed.

Fathers are problem solvers.

Giving up a fun weekend is well worth showing them we can roll up ourselves and take care of life’s issues.