I grew up playing football, baseball, and soccer. I used to change from one uniform into another while my Mom drove me from one sporting event to another. I grew up watching all sporting events. All I wanted to know was which team belonged to the city closer to us and that’s who I would root for with all my might. As I grew up, I became a die-hard Cowboys fan. I would hang my Emmitt Smith shirt up every night before game day… and this was while I was in high school, college, and medical school. I now hang a Cowboys flag in front of my house. My family believes that the Cowboys will provide me with my exit from this world via stroke or heart attack over some ridiculous and unimportant play. My mom says, “they don’t pay you, so why do you care so much?” I don’t know why, but I do. She also says, “You have children now, so tone it down a little.” These are all very valid points, but the Mavericks in the playoffs… what sweet victory and revenge over the Miami Heat… The Rangers in the World Series… and on and on.
Yes, I am a very typical guy. But I have learned that things change and so did I after becoming the father of twin girls.
Ella and Emma mean more to me than anything I could have ever imagined. I also have a 2-year-old son named Jacob, and although he is a big momma’s boy, he is the most precious thing ever. So, I have toned it down a notch and have tried to keep things in perspective. I am here for them now. All the other stuff is just stuff. I may be a typical guy, but now I am a typical guy who helps his girls weed through the Barbie Dolls at Toys R Us. I help my girls pick out their clothes on occasion, and allow them to tell me what I should wear. They are five years old now and have had a better sense of style than I do… and they are not afraid to tell me either. I know all about hair conditioner, detangler, and how to brush their hair. I paint toenails and fingernails… And yes, daddy puts on two coats and puts on a coat of sparkles. One day, I had done a C-section, a hysterectomy, and then a mini mani/pedi… the latter the hardest by far. I posted this to Facebook with a picture of Ella’s toes. I got the most responses on this post than any other. Yes, I have changed and now I am more complete.
So, I have learned that life changes and you have to adapt and change for the good of those who depend on you, and those little angels do more for you than you can ever do for them. I never understood how my parents felt, but now I do. Your children need and want you to do these things with them, and as trivial as a mini mani/pedi may seem at the time… it’s not. They need you and you need them. It’s wonderful.
So, I – an avid sports fan, an OB/GYN, a typical guy – had twin girls and changed. Three years later I had a little boy and continued to change. All this being said… the first phrase I taught my girls to say at one year old… you guessed it, “Go Cowboys!! Touchdown!”… and Jacob… he also knows who to cheer for, “Touchdown Cowboys!!”
Dr. Elia Fanous is an OB/GYN on the medical staff at Texas Health Harris Methodist Hospital Hurst Euless Bedford.
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