20 Ways My Husband is an Unconventional Daddy

Dads sure can get a bad rep. Browse your Facebook feed or watch TV and you’ll get the sense that dads are not just goofy, but downright inept. Have you seen the way commercials depict dads? Or the way some of these memes show dads unable to care for their children? It’s ridiculous. My husband is nothing like those dads and it’s infuriating to see that image of fathers portrayed, especially when our children are seeing it too!

Because I know there are plenty of good, dedicated, nurturing, and fun fathers out there (just like my husband), I wanted to share just a few of the ways my kids’ daddy is a bit unconventional. He may have his goofy side, but he also has his sensitive and affectionate side. He is perfectly capable of packing a school lunch and reading bedtime stories, while also building a cardboard fort. Dads are not just one-dimensional as the media may have you believe!

20 Ways My Husband is an Unconventional Daddy

1. He introduces our kids to video games.
2. And also plays along with them.
3. He comes up with crazy, fun ideas – like having water balloon fights in our backyard.
4. He will spontaneously decide to pitch our camping tent in the middle of our living room for an indoor camping session…just because…on a Wednesday night.
5. He will randomly take the kids to the grocery store to pick out a fun snack then enjoy a movie with them.
6. He introduces them to (kid-safe) anime shows and movies.
7. He is known for waking up and asking us all, “So, want to go on a trip?”
8. He will hold our tween daughter’s hand while walking in the mall.
9. And he’ll skip down the sidewalk while holding our young son’s hand as well.
10. He will volunteer at our kids’ school.
11. He leaves work early or goes in late to attend school functions.
12. He gets up in the middle of the night to check on the kids if he hears them coughing.
13. He has a regular monthly breakfast date with both kids.
14. He is not ashamed to talk about puberty with our tween girl.
15. He helps them create DIY Halloween costumes, almost every year.
16. He’s not afraid to be seen acting silly for them.
17. Our baby boy and him have a personalized handshake they do every morning and night.
18. He sings bedtime songs for them every night.
19. He regularly hugs and kisses both of them.
20. But, most important of all…he makes sure to say I love you to them each and every day, multiple times a day.

[clickToTweet tweet=”There are plenty of good, dedicated, nurturing, and fun fathers out there. 20 Ways This Dad is Unconventional!” quote=”There are plenty of good, dedicated, nurturing, and fun fathers out there. 20 Ways This Dad is Unconventional!”]

I could probably keep going with this list, but I’ll stop at 20. The point is that dads are more than the stereotypical, fumbling man who can’t figure out how to feed the baby or change a diaper. My husband loves our children like no other man I’ve ever seen in my life and I couldn’t have asked for a better father for our babies. He deserves a spotlight, even if he hates being in the spotlight!

How is your child(ren)’s father an unconventional daddy? Give him a shout out in the comments below!

All photos © Melanie Edwards/modernmami™