As a father and provider, it's easy to think mistakenly that my kids don't need me as much as they do their mother.  Ana is with them 24/7, and they rely on her for everything.  Whether I am there or not, they ask permission from mom, even if I tell them it's ok.  I have accepted that she is the meat and potatoes in our parenting role, and I am the desert.  I'm there to fix things, change batteries in toys, and play, but they call on mom to solve all the important stuff.  They are young now, and when they get older, they will appreciate a father more, or so I thought.  

I know a lot of fathers that have expressed similar sentiments. 

I was recently gone for ten days taking care of some business back in Las Vegas, and while I missed Ana and the kids immensely, I never imagined they missed me that much.  Ana explained how wrong I was, and after listing what they needed from me and how they felt about me, I realized I had underestimated my role in the family.

Ana and I decided this would be an excellent topic to discuss in a podcast to help fathers better understand what their kids need from them and help moms understand how some dads may be thinking and how to explain how needed they are no matter how small their kids are.  

As always, this is shared with love and the hope that it helps someone.