The "Mostly Helpful" Dad
The father who is mostly helpful is a very good father, at least most of the time. It's likely that he helps around the house, changes a lot of diapers, and understands how his baby is growing and developing. He probably even goes to most of his baby's visits to the pediatrician and is involved in most aspects of her care.
However, the mostly helpful dad is leaving out something. He may have most of the qualities of a good father, but there is still that one thing that keeps him from getting Father of the Year honors. Perhaps the mostly helpful dad:
Doesn't change dirty diapers
Won't wake up to share nighttime duties
Doesn't clean up after himself when he is caring for his baby
Helps a lot with the baby, but doesn't help around the house
Is very helpful, but still spends a little too much time away doing stuff such as playing golf
Is very helpful when he has time, but works very long hours and so isn't home as much as he should be
Does great with the baby and helping around the house, but could pay a little more attention to his partner
Is eager to help, but has to be told what to do each time
How can he leave out some of these very important tasks and still be considered a good father? Basically, he is so good at the other things he does that he makes up for it.
If you are a mostly helpful father, go the extra step to be Father of the Year. With a few small changes, you can develop a much better relationship with both your baby and your partner. If you aren't sure what it is that you aren't doing, just ask your partner.
If he doesn't help at night, maybe he lets his partner sleep in each morning, or at least on weekends, so that she can catch up on her rest. Or, he completely takes over once he gets home from work until his baby's bedtime. And he probably spends so much time with his baby that he has bonded well and they have a good relationship together.
