Well, duh, of course moms are great. Ted’s mom is especially great for all that she does for him (and me). In fact, Ted’s mom is so great, that for a while, Ted really didn’t want to be with anyone else. He went through a bit of a phase shortly after we moved into the new house where he really needed his mom. All. The. Time. Can Mom leave the room to pee? Uh, no, I don’t think so.

It was humorous at first (for me anyway) to see the crazy attachment behavior. But then it got a little upsetting. I mean, up until this point, I was nearly as effective as my wife in soothing an upset Ted. I say “nearly” because let’s face it, there’s something especially comforting about boobs and I don’t mean hairy man-boobs. All of a sudden, Dad was about as comforting as fingernails on a chalkboard. Bedtime had been my time with Ted essentially since birth, but not anymore. Ted no longer went down into his crib peacefully for me, he just screamed and stretched his little arms towards the slightly open door knowing that Mom must be out there somewhere.

All the books and blogs and supposed baby-experts said it would pass, and sure enough, it did. I’d say it lasted for maybe a couple of months and then something devilishly wonderful started to happen. Ted actually started (in some situations) to want Dad more. If he wakes up during the night crying, as soon as I pick him up, he flops his head on my shoulder and is instantly quiet. The big sigh that almost always follows melts my heart.

Ted even gets a little upset now in the mornings when I say goodbye to head off to work. And while I’m sure no parent ever wants to see their child cry, I have to admit a bit of guilty pleasure now knowing that Ted does miss his Dad when he’s not around.