When Your Kids Behave for Everyone Except You: One Dad’s Thoughts on What It All Means Fatherhood Kids Parenting

One of the things that astonishes me when I talk to people who have interacted with my kids (teachers, coaches, etc.) is just how respectful, polite and well behaved they are. The same thought always runs through my mind: “My kids?”

It used to boggle my mind, the idea of my kids being so awesome for others while they were terrors for me. It’s especially hard being a law enforcement officer, commanding a level of respect while on duty, only to come home and be disrespected and screamed at by my own children. But a couple of years ago I came to a personal conclusion that helped me greatly; when I walk through that door, I had better have flipped that switch off. You’re “Dad” now, and that badge means nothing here.

I am very proud that everyone they meet thinks they’re great kids. It’s what every parent should want, right? I can forgive the attitudes that I get because to me it shows that they love their mother and me. They are secure enough to push our buttons because at the end of the day they know we will still love them, no matter what.

And that love is returned in the end, when the last thing I hear from each of them before bed is, “I love you, Dad.”

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