I brought our daughter to the local playground yesterday, and with beautiful weather it was the perfect antidote to the end of a very hectic summer.

As we walked in the gate, three other couples with younger children were entering as well, and then I noticed that the three men were veering off into the abutting field, one of them with a football tucked under his arm.

And then, almost metaphorically, one of the three took off sprinting into the field…

My future Olympian and I had a catch, with me using the Dora the Explorer baseball glove and she instructing me on how to hold my hand. And I was in heaven. But I would be lying if I said I didn’t look over my shoulder to watch my fellow men flying across the field, unleashing spirals, and hauling in passes, laughing and panting.

When they returned to the playground to join their wives and toddlers, one of the guys (clearly talking about their “new” lives) said: “Yeah, the lifestyle change is ridiculous, sometimes I don’t even quite believe that it’s real.”

Of course, he meant that everything changes when you have a child. Everything. Including the time when you could just go out and play some ball with your guy-friends. And the funny thing is, ten minutes of throwing a football around can actually be very liberating. In fact, just watching those guys was liberating.

And then the Dora ball came rolling towards me and I grabbed it in the pink and powder blue mitt. And then she came running to me, screaming “Papi!” - I was in heaven again.

But there is something intangible and raw about the need for men to sweat.

So make sure your guy gets his guy time - we need it.