Introducing Being Gary with Gary Moreno

Ever notice how our daughters can get away with stuff we wouldn't let our wives, baby mommas, girl friends or significant other get away with?

No, seriously. So I'm watching a replay of the next BPL champions, you know, Tottenham Hotspur, play the Assnal, that other club from London, the other day and forgot that I'd told the Princess I'd tuck her in. Prisnikity little thing that she is, she duly sashayed into the, wish it were a man cave and reminded about her tuck in.

I responded with the obligatory, "Okay honey, daddy'll be there in a bit".

Ten minutes later, she re-emerges and proceeds to pick the remote up, turn off the game and declares, "It's time to tuck me in Dad". I dutifully get up and perform the nightly routine. Lift her to her room, lay with her talking about her day, pray over her, kiss her goodnight and go back to watching my beloved Spurs in action.

As is my wont, I doze off in front of the tele and the wife comes and turns it off. I jump up  with a testy, "what are you doing, I was watching that". She gives me "THE LOOK". You know the one, where you try to reply what just happened to come up with a quick make good. I failed to produce one. Then the haranguing begins.

Oh, so your daughter can turn the game off while you're watching and it's all kisses and hugs. I do it while you're asleep and it's world war three up in here", followed by the accompanying storming off.

As I return to looking at what's left of the game, it hit me. She's right you jackass. So I go in to her to apologise and she turns her cheek to me when I try to kiss her. She is PISSED.

Yes, I slept on the couch in the wish it were a man cave that night. As I lay there trying to find that elusive slumber, I come to my senses and see that she has every right to be mad. This is the person long after the Princess has found a beau, and moved on in life, that is if I think he's good enough to have her and let him live, that will have to take care of me and me her. That was a real aha moment. I started to do some reading and found that putting children before a spouse is actually a cause of divorce in many instances.

It's not so much happy wife, happy life, but putting my marriage first means I'm strengthening the foundation of my children's development.

Yeah, I have a son too. You'll be hearing about him I'm sure if i keep this up. Love that boy to bits, but sometimes I wonder about him.

Anyway, as I was saying. Our relationship with our wives, baby mommas, girlfriends and significant other is central to our children being happy and well rounded. Seeing me make their mother happy, loving her and treating her with respect and she doing the same for me, provides an example of how they should expect to be treated by their spouse.

Now don't get me wrong, life ain't perfect. I've already admitted to being a jackass, but that little realisation has helped to take my relationship with my Babe, that's what I call my wife, has been much the better for it.

Well, that's it for me. Gotta go make my Babe some tea and THEN, tuck the Princess in.

Gary Moreno