With just over two weeks until Father’s Day, we continue to feature a great dad every single day.  Today’s it is David Lesser.  Take it away, David…

lesserMy name is Dave Lesser.  In a former life, I graduated from law school, clerked for a judge and, for a short time, worked as a lawyer.  And it sucked! And I kind of sucked at it, probably because it just wasn’t something I was passionate about.  Now, I’m a stay at home dad to two adorable and hilarious kids: Penny is four and a half years old and Simon is one.  I feel like I’m doing what I was meant to do.  I’m lucky.  I have an awesome wife, Allie, who earns a good living and makes this arrangement possible.  She also indulges and supports my obsessions, which currently include running Spartan Races, trying to beat a 7 minute mile in a 10k, and writing my blog Amateur Idiot / Professional Dad, which focuses on my kids and the aforementioned obsessions. (“Aforementioned” is a word I learned in law school, so time and money well spent! Although…it’s probably more likely I picked it up watching re-runs of Law & Order.)

My first memory as a father is… I’m going to have to go with the cliche here: delivery room. It still chokes me up, thinking about the first time I laid eyes on my daughter. In an instant, it was all so real. And she was just so beautiful and absolutely perfect. At that moment, I realized that all I could do to be the best dad possible was not screw things up too much. That’s pretty much still my goal.

The funniest thing my kids do is…  They are funniest when they’re together. Just watching Penny barrel over Simon, while I cringe at the impending doom, is truly one of my favorite things in the world. I remember when she was that age and I thought she was made of glass. Just one of the differences between child #1 and child #2. I figure, like the “Boy Named Sue,” Simon is going to have to get tough or die. Anyway, he is never happier than when he is getting tortured by his sister. I just watch, smile, and laugh (ever ready to comfort whoever gets hurt first).

What’s in your man cave?  Ha! You mean the bathroom, right? In that case, you know, all the usual stuff. Plus, a bunch of used Q-Tips on the counter.

My wife is my hero because…  Ahh, because she’s awesome! She knows me better than anyone, yet she still loves (and likes) me! She totally kicks ass at work. And she kicks enough ass at home that I don’t totally lose my mind. She’s smart, funny, and beautiful. She’s the whole package.

What did you get your baby’s Mama for Mother’s Day?  I wrote a terrible Mother’s Day haiku for her. And I didn’t complain (too much) when we had Mother’s Day Brunch with the whole fam at our house. Yeah…I’m pretty awesome, too. (I’ll do better next year.)

If you your wife could vacation without your kids, where would you go?  Somewhere with a beach and hiking trails, maybe a zip line.  A nice mix of relaxation and adventure.

If you could go on any vacation with your kids, where would you go?  Disney. Neither my wife nor I really want to go, but my daughter would be in seventh friggin’ Heaven.  I can see the gleam in her eye and the smile on her face.  She’s a princess girl, but she’s also getting into a bunch of the other characters.  Good lord, she’d love it!  And if she didn’t, and we spent all that money, I’d probably kill her.  So, we’re probably going to wait just a little longer on that one.

If fatherhood was a beer, which type of beer would it be and why?  It would be Sam Adams Latitude 48 IPA. I’ve been drinking this one a lot lately. I mean, not like too much, but sometimes I need it! Anyway, I’m going to say it’s like fatherhood because it is mostly delicious and easy to savor, but it is also a little bittersweet. The beer has a relatively high alcohol content, so it can make you feel really good and a little light-headed, like you’re walking on air. But if you drink too much, it’ll give you a really bad headache. Just like fatherhood. Boom. Nailed it.

Describe your perfect Father’s Day.  Beer, BBQ, and someone else changing diapers and doing the dishes. Maybe a morning jog.

 

 

Make sure you head over and check out David’s blog, Amateur Idiot / Professional Dad.  You can also find David on Facebook and Twitter.