April 14, 2008
So, as many of you know, I'm leaving tomorrow to head to Pittsburgh for the Romantic Times Booklovers Convention. (More on that later.)
I was sort of prepping my 6-almost-7 year-old daughter the other day, and I said, "So I'm going to be gone next week."
DAUGHTER #2: Oh, Mom, why do you have to go?
(I explain that it will be lots of work, that Mom will be very busy working very hard, etc., really, really hard) "And besides, you'll have so much fun with Daddy! You know how much fun you'll have with him."
D#2: No I won't.
ME: Why not? What do you mean? You and your daddy have so much fun.
D#2: But when you're gone, Daddy's…Daddy gets….
ME: Daddy gets what?
D#2: He gets like you!
ME: What? (Taken aback.) What do you mean? Like…strict?
D#2: Yeah. Like strict and mean.
So I'm torn between laughing my butt off (because that's so true that I'm the Bad Guy Mom and he's the Let's Have Fun and Stay Up Past Your Bedtimes and Eat Junk and Watch TV Dad) and being totally offended.
Sigh.
So later, we were at lunch and I told Music Man what she said, and he started laughing and said to her and her brother, "See, that's right. When Mom's around, she gets to be the Bad Guy and we can have fun, but when she's not, someone has to make sure stuff gets done."
Gee, thanks, honey.
So what's it like in your household? Mom's the bad guy, Dad's the fun guy?
April 14th, 2008 at 1:04 pm
Hey Colleen
I have to admit that I was laughing my butt off when I read this.
As for my own parents: When I was younger they both were either the Bad Guy or the Good Guy; they definetly pulled together. Now with my youngest brother they are different, my mom’s the Bad Guy and my dad has all the fun. But I have to admit that my brother is really smart, he knows how to handle my dad, I wish I was that smart when I was his age
April 14th, 2008 at 2:21 pm
My mother has a well known reputation as the “marshmallow mom.” My Dad was definitely the hard ass. In fact, I’m 37 years old, and I really believe that if I had to tell him something bad, I’d still cry. Which is pathetic, but that’s how it goes.
As for me, I only have pets, but I’m sure if they could talk they’d tell you I’m a hard ass too.
April 14th, 2008 at 2:39 pm
Good Luck at the convention!! I wish I was going. Have FUN.
April 14th, 2008 at 3:38 pm
While growing up, my dad was always the “bad guy” and my mom was the softy (still is, actually). I remember many a times my mother saying “Wait ’til your father comes home.” My brother and I *knew* we were in for it then. But now that I’m a parent, it is the total opposite … I am the “bad guy” and my hubby is the “fun guy”. Go figure!
Have fun at RT, Colleen!!
April 14th, 2008 at 7:33 pm
My parents split it quite nicely. Sometimes with my Dad if I gave him the lip I could gat away with it and my Mom understood when it came to more girl things like getting my ears pierced we just did it and didn’t tell my Dad till after wards :o)
With my son I get to play both roles since it’s just me but I have to say though that my Mom really gets to play the good guy with him now. So when ever he’s in trouble he try’s to run up to Grandma’s house LOL :o)
April 14th, 2008 at 11:08 pm
My mom was always a softie & my stepdad the “bad guy”.
I’m a single parent so I get to play both roles. And usually when i’m “bad guy” to one, i’m “good guy” to the other. More often than not my girls think that i’m the bad guy and they run to grandma’s for some good guy love !
April 15th, 2008 at 11:32 am
I am so the mean mom and my dh is so the let’s-have-fun dad!