Driver's Ed

Look Mommy, I can drive! Sure, I still have to wear a bib to keep the milk that rolls out of my mouth from staining my bubble. And, ok, you're right, I can't sit up on my own. But look at my perfect form! 10 and 2, hands on the steering wheel. And at least I'm focused on what's out the window and not talking on your cell phone!

What Was Your Baby Daddy Thinking?

Mamas:** have you ever happened upon a situation involving your baby and baby Daddy that made you ask yourself, "What was Daddy thinking??!?" If you've been able to document said moment, and you feel like sharing it (and you should: it's therapeutic and sometimes even educational), send me your photos and I will post them here. All you need to do is email the photo and a caption to steele.marcoux@me.com. Let's just agree on a few "terms and conditions." I promise to keep things anonymous...and all I ask in return is that you submit in the spirit of mild mockery of or pure fascination with—but never outright disdain for—daddy's creative parenting.

To kick things off, here's the very first photo submitted to What Was Daddy Thinking. It made me laugh out loud when I opened my email.

I eat the pancakes, she eats the plate, we're both happy!

**You don't have to be a mama to submit. I'd love to hear from amused aunts, uncles, grandparents, friends, and even proud daddies themselves! Just make sure to stick to the terms and conditions.

Using Protection

Every now and then, Daddy gets real serious about protection. I mean, ruuuuhl serious.

Like, say, in hammocks. Can't risk drowning in all that...rope.

Or on boat rides. There's no chance the sun's getting in the baby's eyes with those shades on.

Airplane Mode

Honestly, how did parents (dads) first think of this? It's like: Hey, I've got an idea. This peaceful little two-month old infant looks like he wants to go for a ride. Does he want to keep hanging in out in the warm, fuzzy vibrating chair where he's pretty much incapable of breaking? Nah. Let me just scoop him up, raise him over my head, and make him fly like an airplane. It sure makes me smile.

When my son was this age, I'm pretty sure I walked around carrying him at three feet max off the ground. I figured that way, even if I did drop him, things would probably work out ok. The post-partum period + a fear of heights = a perfect recipe for extreme anxiety.

Beach Bums

Just a couple of dudes relaxing by the pool. I'm still trying to figure out how Daddy got the baby to fall asleep like that. When he was this age (one month), it typically took me an average of 20 minutes of rocking and singing like an idiot next to a running faucet just to put him down for a quick little catnap nap every couple of hours. Maybe not trying so hard has its advantages—for Daddy anyway.

Multi-tasking

This is what I returned home to find when I asked Daddy to "babysit" so I could get my hair cut. (Note: this was also the *last* time I used the term babysit to describe a father spending time with his son.) Yes, that's right, he's playing a video game with our newborn in his lap. Impressive. And quite brilliant, really. Both parties win: Dad plays his game while baby is cozy, comfy, and fascinated by Dad's face. Why didn't I think of a women's equivalent scenario? Do you think it would have worked to get a pedicure and hold the babe like this?

Meet and Greet

What better way to meet the dog for the first time than to use him as a live, and very fluffy, pillow.