What’s it like to be a dad?

A friend of mine is an expecting dad. He asked me, “What it’s like to be a dad?”

“It’s world-changing,” I told him.

And then I wrote this out. I hope it makes sense.

When I’m at home, I’m a dad. But that doesn’t last long. Within minutes . . . I get to be a sidekick to one of my favorite superheroes on the planet. I get to be a nurse to a young surgeon (who, I’m guessing is inspired by Doc McStuffins). I get to be a big leaguer throwing warm-up catch with a pitcher. I get to be the deck hand to a captain who has built the ship from sheets and pillows and chairs in the living room. I get to be an assistant to an an architect and engineer. I get to enter a wild world where ponies save Star Wars characters from imminent peril. I get to be a sous chef in a master kitchen. I get to be an astronaut and an artist and a storyteller. And that’s one of the perks of being a dad that you don’t realize until you become one. It’s world-changing, yes, but you enter new worlds that you didn’t even realize existed.