To say that a Daddy has a duty of care to his little is axiomatic - it is literally part and parcel of the role.  We are all well-acquainted with the notion that Daddies look after ALL of the needs of their little one, up to, and including physical, emotional, spiritual, intellectual, and nutritional.  Many Daddies (myself especially included in this list) have a harder time coming to terms with their littles taking care of them, although it is an act of devotion and service that cannot be praised enough.  Everyone is used to seeing the stereotypical "Tumblr little" who can't do the smallest thing for herself, let alone muster the strength to provide any measure of care for her Daddy.  Fortunately, the vast majority of littles that I know have eschewed this visage of utter helplessness in favor of being some of the most badass and capable people I've ever had the pleasure of meeting.

There's another element that seems to be slightly harder for some Daddies to come to terms with, and that's the duty of care the Daddy owes to himself, something I was made keenly aware of recently.  The greater the power exchange within a relationship, the more important it is that the recipient of said power be as strong and reliable as possible.  If someone is going to lean on you and depend upon you as a source of strength and security, you have to actually be there.  That's hard to do if you find yourself sick, injured, or dead.  When I began my dynamic with @misty-girl and began assuming such a supporting role in her life, this lesson became more and more apparent to me with each passing day.

As those of you who follow my blog have probably seen, I've made progress with my blood pressure over the last year.  Eliminating sources of stress, eating better, and getting plenty of exercise have doubtlessly contributed to this progress.  The ultimate goal is to get my weight under control, but bringing my blood pressure down, lowering my cholesterol (it's only slightly high), and making other positive strides in achieving greater overall health are all equally important.  Misty has spent a great deal of time and expended large amounts of energy calculating my macros, coming up with a meal plan, researching recipes and such, and it would be tremendously disrespectful of her time, energy, and devotion to return to the bad habits of the past.  Keeping in mind everything that she has done for me has allowed me to stay on track with my eating (as much as possible given circumstances beyond my control at times).

There are still other elements at play that go beyond just eating better and exercising.  I owe it to her to wear my seat belt when traveling by car, because I need to do everything possible to ensure my safety.  Seat belts save lives, and that's something that I used to overlook, but that I've really taken to heart over the last couple of years.  In addition, I owe it to her to avoid placing myself into any unnecessarily dangerous situations and to be mindful of the things that I commit to.  I belong to her every bit as much as she belongs to me, and because I am her Daddy and she depends on me for so much, I have a responsibility to consider all of the potential outcomes and to discuss these decisions with her before agreeing to place myself into any sort of predicament or making any sort of promises that might place me in harm's way.

Lastly, I've been paying more and more attention to my mental health.  I've been focusing on the way I talk to myself, the triggers and effects of my depression and anxiety, and how far down the rabbit hole I allow my thought spirals to take me.  I've been exploring and implementing new coping strategies to ensure that I protect myself and that I preserve as much of my energy and sanity as I can so that I can be there for Misty when she needs me.  Having such an amazing and intelligent support system expands the tools that I have at my disposal and gives me a tremendous wealth of knowledge and information that has already made a huge difference in my life.  @babydollbelongstodaddy and Super Daddy, Misty, @instructor144, @submissive-seeking, and some of my offline friends are like having your own personal brain trust, and it's a cornucopia of insight, care, and concern that is almost surreal in scope and overwhelming in depth.

Daddies, take care of yourselves the way you'd care for your littles.  Be mindful of what you eat, cautious in where you put yourself, and sparing with the commitments you make.  Talk to your littles before you agree to anything, and make sure you don't take any unnecessary risks with your health and safety.  As capable and badass as our littles might be, they still depend upon us to be there for them, so we owe it to them to take the best possible care of ourselves.