I like seeing my husband stumble from time to time

My husband and my six-year-old daughter had a bit of a dispute last weekend. Actually, that’s a complete understatement.

Grace and her dad had a screaming match.

Hearing your partner’s voice boom across the house, aware that it’s aimed at your six-year-old daughter can make your heart momentarily stand still.

My immediate thought was that she had put herself in danger because my partner only tends to raise his voice at the kids when he thinks they’re walking a fine line between life and death.

Sprinting up the stairs and expecting to see my daughter edging along the outer window ledge or clutching the attic door for dear life, I was overjoyed to find her in the fullness of health shouting back at her father.

Frantically asking what happened, I learned that Grace had hidden in our wardrobe in an attempt to surprise her father at an opportune moment.

‘What’s the problem?’ I asked her dad in astonishment.

Surely, he couldn’t think that simple act justified his outraged outburst. I must be missing something, I thought.

It turns out I was.

Grace, unfortunately, chose to hide in the wardrobe as her father was returning to the bedroom after a shower.

Clad only in a towel which wouldn’t remain around his waist for longer than it takes to cross the threshold of our bedroom, Mark felt that Grace had almost been exposed to a situation that would have scarred her for life.

Modest to the point of Victorian, my husband would be understandably horrified at the embarrassment and confusion that would have ensued had he not heard Grace rustling behind the clothes hangers.

His furious voice suddenly made sense to me. He was trying to protect her.

Like I said, he only roars if he thinks his children are in danger or putting themselves in a situation they’re not capable of handling so I quickly adjusted to his way of thinking.

While I suddenly saw the bigger picture, poor Grace didn’t.

After attempting to have what she considered a little harmless fun, she suddenly found herself on the receiving end of her normally laidback father’s hissy fit.

The look on her face broke my heart as she struggled to reconcile her plan with his reaction.

Upon realising he had dodged a bullet and the worst was over, Mark calmed himself down and explained that Mummies and Daddies need a little privacy in their bedrooms and hiding on people is a surefire way to upset someone.

Normally the one to console me over a parental meltdown, I felt assured when he turned to me for support after Grace ambled away, bored by what she obviously considered unnecessary drama.

‘I can’t pretend I would have been able to handle that situation’, he admitted before apologising for nearly shattering the windows with the force of his voice.

I’ll be honest, I like when I see him stumble from time to time because it reminds me that we’re in this together. It’s not always me limping along and pretending to be a mum while he performs his Superdad duties, it’s teamwork.

When he takes a fall, I pick up the slack.

It’s reassuring to know and I’m pretty sure we won’t encounter the same situation again.

I mean, who wants to see their dad puce-faced holding a facecloth to his crotch?

No one, that’s who.