DH works a LOT so when he's around DS is all about playing with Daddy. Watching the two of them play Power Rangers a couple days ago-- I wouldn't know the first thing about playing Power Rangers! Apparently it involves running around, jumping on things, and making "pewing" noises. Whatever. Not Mommy's department.

I will play Legos and Rokkenboks. I will catch frogs and let him flood his play house with the hose. I play tag at parks. I take him all sorts of fun new places. But Daddy-play is just different and I can't duplicate it.

On the other hand, DS snuggles with me, gives me spontaneous hugs and kisses, and tells me he loves me every ten minutes or so. He's much more low-key with Daddy, so I know we both have our unique places in his heart.

i so feel you on this one.

my son loves going in the basement, which he calls the "dirty yucky room" based on me calling it that. his dad will take him down there.

And we all wink a bit and let the kids believe they are getting away with it.  When my kids were small, we even caught video evidence of it....there was dad, with the baby in his arms, letting two of the older kids pull the cushions off the couch and jump on them, all the while saying "shh....Mom's gonna hear!".  

Even as the kids grow up, my husband is the one they joke around with...especially the boys.  Ofcourse, these days, that means they tell off-colored jokes to each other.  However, they come to me to talk over their problems.  It can make me feel a little like I'm the one who has to do all the "thinking stuff" while they have their fun-time elsewhere.  To be fair, though, I feel kinda that way about everyone!

I love your husband's response, how cute!  So true, little boys (and little girls) love that kind of stuff.

Dads are the court jester.

Yes, it's a big generalization, but there's a lot of truth to it, I think.  As a result, kids do appreciate the fun of their dads.  However, if you went away for a few days as your husband does, you can bet the kids would be at least as thrilled to see you when you returned as they are to see Dad.

I love the "boy" stuff EXCEPT for wrestling.  I grew up with only sisters, I don't think I had ever wrestled, and if I live to be 120 y.o., I will never understand why it is fun.  It makes me anxious and nervous and someone always gets hurt and cries. Why is that enjoyable and having experienced it once, why oh why would you want to do it again?

But this morning, while I was trying to get him dressed, my son was, in rapid succession, a bear, a dog, a snake and a frog.  Sign me up for that (or digging, baseball, watching construction machines) any time!

although I have a daughter and not sons like you, I get the same treatment! Most of the fellow mothers I've become friends with report the same scenario too - once Daddy comes through the door, Mom fades into the background.

It comes from a lot of things, I think, including the fact that, as the sole parent in the house during the days, I often have to say "no" because I'm doing things like housecleaning, or work. Yes, we do heaps of fun activities (often ones that I introduce to the family, like making playdough and rolling snakes), but when Daddy comes home, he rarely has to say "no" because I'm usually around to take up the slack.

It's a little unfair and I get miffed sometimes, but on the flip side, I treasure the fact that Jess and her Daddy have such a close bond. I never doubted that my Dad loved me, but when I was growing up, he worked extremely long hours and rarely did things like give me baths, read bedtime stories and such, because he wasn't home.

I'll have to have my DH read this thread, and see if it gives him hope.  DD is going through a MAJOR mommy phase right now.  He said she spent 20 minutes from the time he picked her up today saying "Mama? Mama? Mama?"  When I finally got home (rassin' frassin' traffic), she literally told him to "go away!"  It upsets him when this happens, no matter how much he knows its a phase.  :(

the preferred playmate in our home, but mommy is the one they turn to for comfort, and I'm okay with that.  I think that's a pretty typical family dynamic.  My husband's work has always taken him away a lot too and I think he feels like he has to make for it by being extra fun when he's home.

OT, but I have to ask!  Do you find it hard to be a "navy wife" and also an "idealist-lefty?"  My husband got out of the Navy in 2000, after 14 years and spent the next 6 doing the "one weekend a month/2 weeks a year" reserve thing.  There were moments it was hard for me, but given how much the political climate has changed, I can't imagine what it would be like now!