Me & Dad, the original odd couple

AS far as I’m aware, Dad and I are the original odd couple.

Him, with his love of doing blokey-type things; me, with my love of doing girlie-type things.

Him, with his incessant need to clean; me, with my incessant need to make a huge mess.

And that’s just the tip of the iceberg of our vast and varied differences.

So you can probably understand that it took me a while to get on-board with ‘Daddy Day’.

That’s what we call Fridays in my house.

It’s the old guy’s day off from work, and with Mum at the office and my big bro at school it’s just me and him.

Just the two of us — eek!

I’m not going to fib, it was kind of awkward at first.

I was used to hanging out with Mum, and if I was with Dad, she was usually around as well to ease any awkwardness.

For the first couple of years of Daddy Day I must admit I always had one eye on the clock waiting for Mum to get home, with fingers crossed it would be early. I’m sure it was true of Dad, too. But not anymore. These days I love chilling with the old bean, and I’m pretty confident he feels the same way. We’ve found our groove and the hours don’t seem to drag like they used to. In fact, sometimes they seem to fly by, as if time somehow goes faster when you’re having fun. Plus, I always get a lot more treats when Dad’s “in charge”. We always — and I mean always — start the day off at my favourite coffee shop.

Dad orders his coffee and I get my chocolate freckle with a strawberry milkshake to wash it down. I’d never get away with that sort of indulgence with Mum.

Then we head to the playground, where I run amok while Dad toddles behind, only called into action when I summon him to push me on the swing. Mum’s not so obedient.

Then it’s off to kindergym, where I continue to burn off my crazy energy while Dad tries to conserve his.

Then lunch, a bit of TV time and a quick play at the oval or beach, and before you know it, Mum’s home.

Dad and I may be the original odd couple, but I wouldn’t swap Daddy Day for the world.