Bein’ a Dad – Still the Best Anthem for Fatherhood Out There

We’ve said before and we’ll keep saying it because if you haven’t heard this song by Loudon Wainwright (he’s Rufus’ dad, if you’re under 40), you’re missing out. At every stage of “bein’ a dad,” this song rings true. The first lines go like this:

    Bein’ a dad isn’t so bad

    Except that you gotta feed ‘em…

    Bein’ a dad can make you feel sad

    Like you’re the insignificant other

    Yeah right from the start

    They break your heart

    In the end every kid wants his mother.*

    “Little Ship” (Loudon Wainwright III)

Being a dad is unlike being a mom and your really feel it. I had drinks tonight with another couple and we two dads said that we suffered through being left out with baby #1. When baby #2 came along, we worried about bonding less in the early days, making fewer feeble attempts at breaking through, knowing that our day would come closer to two years old.