TEACHER:
“Are you excited to bring your dad to Donuts with Dad?”
OUR SIX-YEAR-OLD, SUSIE:
“Can Mommy come instead?”
TEACHER (laughing):
“Oh? Why Mommy?”
OUR SIX-YEAR-OLD, SUSIE:
“Because Mommy does all the dad stuff. She fixes my bike, plays catch, and checks for monsters under my bed. Daddy always says he’s tired and needs quiet time.
If Mommy comes to Donuts with Dad, she’ll have more fun talking to the other dads, and Daddy can stay home and watch his baseball. That’s nice, right?”
We were walking down the hallway—me, my husband Ryan, and my father-in-law—when we heard her voice from the classroom. She hadn’t seen us yet.
We froze.