My husband and I have two completely different parenting styles. He is a jokester by nature and doesn’t take anything seriously. This radiates into his parenting. I, on the other hand, am organized and serious. I do things pretty methodically and this also carries over at home.
I’m the one calling everyone upstairs for bedtime, while my husband is downstairs playing one last game of tickle monster before sending them up. I efficiently help them brush their teeth and tuck them in while he lies down on their floor and tells stories until they fall asleep. And while I’m researching how much sugar they should be eating, he’s coming home from work with candy.
It’s not that he’s trying to undermine me, he just views things differently. Trust me, I’ve asked.
Sometimes you just have to finish what you’ve started, and this includes wild games of tickle monster. And he doesn’t get to spend any time with them during the week while he’s at work, so he stays until they fall asleep when he does. He buys them the treats because all kids should have treats occasionally. Plus there’s guilt for being gone so much, and he likes to spoil them. For everything there is an answer.