I have a confession. I’m a 40-something-year-old man and yes, I play with babies. It’s not what you think. Or, maybe it is.

I realize this post could lead to some good-natured ribbing from friends. It wouldn’t shock me if someone bought me a toy baby as a joke. And I know there are some men who will think I’m just plain crazy to admit playing with babies. But that’s OK.

You see, my four-year-old daughter likes to play “babies.” We’ve got babies crawling all over the place here. She has seven kids at last count and they’re a handful. I don’t even have THAT many.

Whenever she says: “Dad, let’s play babies,” I always try to distract her with other options, like reading stories, playing board games, or even baseball. And sometimes she’s up for that. Yesss! She’s already got a wicked swing.

C-ya

But other times, nothing will replace playing babies. In fact, this post was actually interrupted by some real “playing babies” time. And, she wouldn’t allow that picture with her babies until they were all properly dressed.

I really can’t get out of it, because after all, she’s “not large, but in charge.” So off we go to gather up her children and play whatever it is she decides we’re going to play with them. Sometimes, we go to the park or the grocery store, and other times we head to the pool for a swim, aka a blue blanket on the playroom floor.

Some days she calls me on our pretend phones and we just talk about what we’re going to do. Those are the easy “baby” days. It really gets rough when all her babies are crying, or need to be changed or held. When you have seven needy kids things can get a little stressful, you know?

It gets hectic when one kid wants to be held, another kid wants to be fed and three kids just want to cry for no reason. Of course, a couple more kids need to be changed and put down to bed. What is a guy to do? I didn’t sign up for this.

That’s a lot of kids!

Thankfully, it’s all just pretend. Can you imagine having seven babies at once? We have six but each one came separately. My apologies to the Octomom and John and Kate, but I would never want to be in your shoes.

But anyways, what’s my point? I do have one. The point is it’s OK for dads to play babies with their kids. Yes, it’s even OK for a dad to play babies with his son(s). I’ll be completely honest, my boys have never really wanted to play babies and it wouldn’t be my first choice, either, but I would have done it if one of my boys had wanted to.

Of course, I would have tried to switch to something sporty as soon as I could cuz that’s just me, but I still would’ve played babies.

Here’s why. If all the reports and studies shared in the media about fatherhood are true then you know our world is lacking in positive male role models. There are too many deadbeat dads. So how will our boys learn to be good fathers if they don’t learn to care for kids when they’re young?

And what kind of men will our daughters choose to marry and have kids with if their fathers don’t set the right example?

Caring and nurturing are important traits for both moms and dads and kids are much better off when they see those attributes in both parents.

Do I feel kind of silly when I play babies? Yes, a little, but no one is watching except my daughter and that’s what counts. She is closely watching how I interact with her and her babies and she’s learning from that.

So what kind of man will she look for when she grows up and is ready to really start having babies? If I’ve done my job right, then she’ll look for someone who is caring and nurturing and who isn’t afraid to play babies with his kids, no matter how silly it looks.

Being a dad is my greatest joy. It’s also my greatest responsibility. That means a lot of things, including providing for my family, helping my kids whenever they need it, setting a good example, and yes, even “playing babies.”

So, if your daughter (or son) wants to play babies with you, go ahead and play. Let your hair down a little, so-to-speak and show her (or him) what it means to be a good dad.

Your child will definitely remember you for it.

Now, who’s up for a good game of baseball? After we get all of our babies fed, changed, and down for a nap, of course.

Click the link below for a great website for all dads and a great reminder that kids need their dads to parent.

National At-Home Dad Network