Fathering Young Children and related mysteries

Can someone please tell me what is a father of young children supposed to do?

I take Kelsey on dates to Red Lobster
I have daily padded sword fights with Jackson
I chase Sydney in a continuous circle around the house
I discipline them consistently
I teach them the Gospel

But in the midst of this melee of activity I’m constantly wondering am I doing enough? Am I doing the right things? Or…am I doing more than I have to? Which is brought on by the really hard question I can’t answer – can I handle more (and still be a good dad)? If so how many? 4, 5, 6+???

How can I decide how many children we can handle without knowing, even now, whether I’m meeting the minimum requirements?

I love my children but little kids exhaust me. Potty training, feeding, putting them to bed (5x per kid per night), getting them dressed, refereeing their fights and list goes on…

This dilemma is compounded by the fact that both April and I would really love a BIG family. Children are one of the biggest blessings the Lord could ever give and we’d love to be really blessed.

Sometimes I think I could handle lots of kids if they came in 3-4 year increments but April, like every other woman I’ve talked to, would much prefer to get it all over with and pop them out as quickly as possible.

Could you imagine – 5+ kids under the age of seven in one house with an extreme introvert like me. That’s a formula for temporary insanity.

So then I begin to devise psychotic solutions like a Pryor’s children farm where twice a week we would shower our perfectly cared for children with parental love and then harvest them into our home with they start 1st grade.

Which brings me back to the question – what do little children need from their dad? When is a dad being distant and when is he doting?

Do young children really need a lot from their dad before the age of 6?