A thank you note to my man

With Mother’s Day just gone, in this week’s column I wanted to shine some light on all the awesome dads out there and in particular, dedicate this piece to this guy: my partner in crime, my other half, the father of my beautiful daughters, my man, Jade.

I generally tend to focus on all the ways mothers struggle with parenthood and the impact of raising children has had on my life, but I also think it’s really important to pay tribute and give praise where it is deserved – and my man Jade really deserves a big fat gold star.

I’ve always been really lucky with Jade because he’s a natural dad and loves his girls fiercely. I’ve also never had to worry about whether or not I can trust him to look after them, or whether or not they are safe because I just know he’s got my/their back.

As with many mothers, I have had the tendency to tell him to “do things this way” or “don’t dress her in that!” but I’ve learnt along the way that it’s important for me to let that stuff go and let him do things the way he does it.Even though I may not think it’s the “right” way or I may not think a pretty dress with sneakers is ideal, I realise his input is important and that his effort needs to be encouraged – not criticised or controlled.

Jade has also recently let go of a major commitment, his band, which as long as we’ve been together, has been a huge part of his life and what he loves. This came as a complete shock to me, but in addition to needing the change, he said he did it because he knew we needed him and in particular Audrey (who as I mentioned in my last post) really needs the extra attention at the moment.

So what did Jade do? He went and bought a bike and child seat so that he and Audrey could go for bike rides together. Not only did he do that, but he also did so with the enthusiasm of an excited child on Christmas Day.

Now, watching the two of them together on their bike is such a joy and it makes my heart melt thinking of the memories he is creating with his little girl.

It’s on that note I want to say a huge thank you to you, my Jade, and all the other men out there who are stepping up to the plate and contributing to the success and wellbeing of the next generation of little miracles coming through. You guys are loved and appreciated more than you know.