Welcome back to Three Doting Dads.
I am Mattie Jay, I'm Ash and I'm Aaron Finch.
This is a podcast that's all about parenting.
The good, the bad, and the relatable.
And normally we always say that there's absolutely no advice to be given whatsoever.
However, today it might be different.
We do have our second guest.
We have our second guest ever on Three Doting Dads, and we want to welcome Extra Strain one Day International n T twenty Captain Aaron Finch. Thanks for having us.
I've never filmed a porno before, but neither let's get into it.
Then, coming in just before, I was like, I don't know because for those who are listening, and we will have some socials up on Two Doting Dads. We're in a service department right now in Sydney's beautiful. It's a lovely apartment.
And stains than I thought there would be.
But we came up to reception and I've got like a bag of these ring lights. They're kind of sticking out of my Duffel bag and I didn't know if I should like say to the receptionist like this is I'm not here for long?
Just the one hour. This isn't for only fans, I swear.
I was like, maybe I won't say anything, and then I tried to go straight from the car park up We've got So I should preface this chat and say that Ash and I we don't know what we're doing. You've pretty much stepped into assessed nut playing with two door.
It's a great perfect that's exactly how we podcast is exactly how parent which somehow work. But we nearly didn't make it because I put into the wrong like into the GPS, the wrong hotel can happen, and we stead a going to North Sydney. We went to North Rye and I got out first and I was like, just here, check in under Matthew Johnson. And then I was like they need you, they need your ID. And then he goes comes back to me, he said, I don't think
we're in the right players. Have I booked the wrong thing? Have you brought us to the wrong players? And I screwed the perch. But we made it.
The fact that we're sitting here, we're here and we've got to win.
It's a miracle. It is, it's an absolute miracle.
But Vinci, I want to start let's go back to when you were a youngster. Right, I feel like I'm going to say that I think you were someone who was very well behaved and disciplined.
Would that be correct?
Well?
I was the third of four children, so I was left to my own devices. Really, I was parented by my brothers.
It is.
One was very responsible, very intellectual, not into sport. My other brother not as intellectual. Let's go a little bit early.
We won't say name.
Lets school attle bit early and yeah, we I just played sport. That was all I wanted to do. I hated school. I did have great parents. Sorry, I do have they're still growing up. My parents were fantastic. They gave us everything that we needed. There wasn't a huge amount of affection in our family, but I think growing up in the country, when you're when you're out playing sport and everything, what else do you need?
Yeah, they're likes al right. He's just getting on with it, you know, just hitting hundreds left fronts where you know, this podcast is very much about, you know, how we dad and the silly shit that we do and we talk about. Do you see a lot of with Essie as you referred to her, who she's coming up to should be two in September. YEP, is that correct? So you're only a couple of months off my youngest Macy.
So there's a lot of similarities at that time. And I always look at Macy and some of the silly things she does. She's like, I always describe her as a drunk person looking for their car, because every time she's walking around she kind of looks like you're in a car park looking to where she parked a car. I remember, yeah, I can't remember. And there's so many things I see her do. Not the drunk bit, man,
but there's so many things that I see her. I'm like, fuck, that reminds me so much of me and my childhood. Is there so much that you see inness as you do? You think she's a lot more like her mum, which is a good thing. Every dad says that, like when you.
Find out that you're pregnant, you go through the excited stage and then you think for a minute, you're like, oh, no, are thinking to be She turns out like me, We're in real trouble. She's quite an emotional little girl. She's beautiful, she's very intelligent, and she knows what she wants. She's just starting to get into the tantrum stage where.
They're not too bad.
But if you offer something that she doesn't want that's not good enough, you should already.
Know it should be helepathic. I love how like at that age and Matt's sort of over the little hurdle now where Lola is over to and into the terrible twos and you're just about to hit it too. But they're at the age where s he is, and like Macy is, they're really like over exaggerate, like a no, They're like, if you've give them something that I want. Mace's like that we don't have the headshat yet. We get that. No, ye, no, yeah, yeah, it feels like es there's in the room right now, really good. Do
you want to watch the Wiggles? No? Are you sure? Wiggles?
That means yes, we're right. And then you put it on and it'll come on to a song, be like, no, skip to the next one, No, I want Rebella, And then you go back to the start and it's, oh, this is the best song I've ever heard in my life, and everything's restored in the world together.
Even that tiny level of communication is just so welcome when you've come from like two years of just like what do you want? When they're unhappy, you're kind of going through this list of like is it food? Do you want like a toy? Is there something behind me that I can't see? So when you can get any direction verbally from the kids, it's amazing.
Yeah, especially when they like point and it's like there could be a number of objects in that area and they're like, you're sitting there, you're picking up different things, and you're like this, no, picking up there, No, and then you pick up the right thing. You're like, yeah, that's right. But that caused the tantrum.
The fact that you didn't know what it was so funny, and I'm very relaxed, I would say in my parenting style. My wife's probably the opposite. She spent a lot more time with her. I've traveled quite a bit alone while she's in the last two years, so she knows what she wants a lot quicker than what I do. But I've got a great ability to tune out any screams or crying.
Oh, that's amazing, such an advantage.
I think not to stereotype he but I think it's just a dad think, yeah, I can. I sleep through absolutely, And I say to Laura, my wife, I'm like, just wake wake me up, because it doesn't pin drops and Laura's up, Whereas there could be a tank smashing through the front door and I'd still be.
See I'm the opposite. I'm like, I'll wake up like it's like a like Radar from mash coming April is the same. But like you know how you always make fun of me because I got to bet at like seven thirty. That's why. Because I'm not like you, he'll freight train you.
Wait, oh mate, I'll sleep with the best of them. Sorry, I sleep like the best of them.
Sorry. But I always find that I wake up on the kid's floor without knowing how I got there, because I would just be like already and just it's just become this thing funny. I wake up in the spare bed after a few years. Well yeah, we don't have a spare bed, just the floor and the kids.
Finci.
One question that we get a lot from people who are not yet with kids but thinking about having kids is when did you know that you were ready to start a family.
For you and your wife?
How did that conversation come about and was it something that you were leading or was it from amy.
Very good question.
I don't think we were ready, even though no one is that.
No one, no one is ready.
And we also weren't convinced that we're going to have children like we were quite selfishly I think at times. Well, no, it lost pretty good at the moment. Anything you want to do.
You look back and like, you know what, it was really good.
That's the best thing every and I would never change it. But we were like, if it happens, it happened. If it doesn't, we're both okay with that life. I guess, being able to just drop anything and go somewhere and yeah, but you take it for granted, don't you. And then but it wasn't until I found out New Year's Day.
So that would have been that's pretty cool. Thousand.
Well you'd think so, right, you're getting home, so we're in the we're playing Big Bash at the time, and we're in the Bubby Yeah. Yeah, and we're in Queensland on the Gold Coast and you could only go to this area.
In that area, you couldn't go anywhere else. So was your wife in the she was with us. Yeah, that's pretty sure. Yeah, so that was cool.
And a couple of days in we were bickering quite a bit and she was like, this is ship. I'm going home, not knowing that she's pregnant at the time. And I think it was New Year's Day or Newyear's Eve. I think Newyear's Day. I got a phone call and she goes, oh, I have you checked your messages? Put the phone on loud and have a look. And then we're like, right, well that explains a lot. But your emotions are up and down, not knowing what was happening.
But it was so cool up until then.
Were you trying or were you kind of.
Just if it happens, if it happens to happen. No, we weren't actively trying. We were practicing, weren't practicing, weren't practicing, but we weren't careful anything like that. So that's the greatest thing ever when you find out the first time. And then obviously it's so nerve wracking the steps that you take, like with all the tests and skins and stuff, and you're just praying and yeah, and I was away for a few of them, so you're doing them almost secondhand.
Like passing on Amy's passing on information that they've told her. And yeah, it's quite tough at times, isn't it. That everything's going well, and then you're like, right, scan shit yourself a little bit when you go okay, Well, there's these big scans and these big tests that they do and there's that time between you know, you find out and when a little bit safer through the journey. And there were so many there is so many times we
were like shit. And I suppose it leads us into the dynamic with you because both of us we don't travel the world to play or work.
Yeah, I think cricket would be a sport where you guys, of all athletes would travel the most. Yeah, I reckon, how many months are you guys away at Bullpark?
Maybe ten months? Wow, it's crazy. And that's what we're talking about on the way here, because I mean, you're about to do a stint in July with San Francisco in then Major League cricket yep. And he was like, what, Like,
it's so crazy how much you guys actually travel. And I know that I had to be there for all these tests, had to be there for all of the lead up the build up, the nine months build up, and then of course like when it's going to happen, and for you guys, like you're away for ten months and you know, okay, well the judate is hereabout and if they come early or come late, either you're going to miss some of your career or you're going to miss the birth of your child. Yeah, it's quite difficult.
And during COVID especially was even more challenging because in the past, guys, we're booked in for a caesar or were induced on this day, so I can leave the tour up here, come home and then rejoin if everything goes well. But then with two weeks quarantine, you're like, no, no, everything has to be planned out. So I was really lucky in being able to be home for it. But then a month later I was in. Maybe three weeks later we had the World Cup in Abu Dhabi and Dubai.
So thenngratulations on the win. But you pack your bags and you're off again. Yeah, yeah, exactly right, and then Amy's at home like a new baby.
I don't know what. So after that point that everything is okay, You've got to pack your bags and going with a World Cup for us, thank you. What is it like for her, like, what's the support network there?
Well, her mum lived really close, so that was handy. So she would always be over at our place or staying over when I was away, and even when I was there because I'm not an overly emotional person at all, but within the first four days, I'd had two meltdowns.
Wow, so one in the hospital a couple of menty bees from I was unbelievable.
What happened in the hospital first night, get back up to the birthing room and they just there's your baby, good life, good luck. And then then I said I will be back in ten minutes, and Esta's screaming and we're like, no one's coming for like an hour. So because there was a there was an emergency there, but we're like, geez, we don't know what to do. So that was like a little bit of an eye opener. And then the first night that we got home, she
just wouldn't stop crying and will bottle feeding. So the formula to calculate how much you need to feed was like an older nurse gave it to us, and that was off a scale from nineteen eighty six.
She was just hungry, just like Malmourish.
I certainly wasn't. I was eighty six. Yeah, that was difficult, no doubt to pack up and go. But Amy her mum has been amazing for us. And then when we decided to move down to Geelong, so we're in Essenon. We moved down to Geelong, which is an hour away and m'm been a bit further away and my parents been another hour on. That had its challenges as well, just we're traveling a bit.
Do you have to manage those conversation then, you know, because I guess you know what your schedule is going to look like. So do you have to say, hey, I'm going to be gone for this block and this block? Yeah, this block, because you don't want to surprise your partner with like, oh did I not mention that I've got the World Cup coming up?
Yeah? You do.
But there's always things that do come up. And that's when it's like a difficult conversation because when you're away for so much, I feel really bad about leaving again, especially if it's on short notice, because that's quite unfair at times because it's all for me. You can justify it however you want. At times and you say, well, I'm doing this to set our family up and stuff like that, but then reality is she's with a baby.
By herself for five weeks.
I was just in India commentating for five and a half weeks, and that was the most difficult that it's been because Esther's on face time and then she realizes.
That she's recognizing you.
Yeah, you're not coming home, so then she doesn't want to talk to you on FaceTime and she's emotional, she's getting teeth and she's sick, and yeah, it's difficult, and my wife is amazing, But when you're away, you sort of take it for granted a bit too.
Yeah, yeah, for sure, I can't imagine that You're saying to Amy, like, all right, babe, so I'm just about to go to India, and then after India, I'm after a stage and do.
Like they're coming to the States, which would be cool.
That yeah, funny story.
Right when I was playing in the IPL, they came to India, they had to do three days quarantine to get into the IPL bubble and then we'll confined to the hotel. So it was all, it was all pretty good. It still was I think seven months so she's just crawling around and people in India love kids, so everyone wants to hold her and stuff. Anyway, on the flight back they got to Singapore, I said, hell was a flight she has Yeah, flight was okay, Yes, to slept, But then she sent me a photo as they landed,
and she had a tight turnaround as she landed. Little did we know at the time she had salmonella. Esther had salmonella and they both got COVID. It was almost like as a plane touchdown, Esther has shit everywhere all up. But then she's still got to get the carrier on to carry Amy so she can take the bags and then try and rush to the lounge have a shower.
She's like, I don't know what to do baby.
Yes, yeah, so there are the times when you're like, welcome to parenthood.
The imagine poor Amy walking through the airport, Singapore airport with a baby covered in ship strapped to her chest, trying to find the nearest shower.
Yeah, where is that in the baby manual?
It's not that's not that's and but we didn't know that she was sick really at the time.
And then just hits them, doesn't that Yeah.
That stuff doesn't bother me one bit to be like nappies and ship and stuff.
Yeah, so like that was like something I wanted to ask you too, because for you, like you get home, so you've been a long stint, you get home, does Amy just go his years and hand her over up? Now, mate, the next ten shits are on you.
No, not really, No, it's it's more I don't want to do anything while I'm at home because I think that's then really unfair on Amy as well, because she's done it all by herself for a while. So then I come home and I'm like, well, I haven't seen the boys for all. I'm just going to go to the pub or he's going to go play golf. Sounds like, Matt, I don't even bother with that stuff anymore. If esther's at daycare or something, there are days to either be
just together or yeah, be able to do something. So's it has its challenges, but it's also great when you hear baby shitting himself and where to.
Be seen smell.
How do you find having a baby's impacted you as an athlete?
Because I know.
You're not an athlete, Matt. You do a run here and there, you're not an athlete sign.
You know.
I think about when I'm working and if you have a bad night's sleep and you crap the next day, then I think for an elite athlete, having a child could be such a handicap. Like it's almost like, if you've got a kid, you should start with like six runs on the board.
I you've got two kids, start with twelve runs on the board. Did you find it?
Davey warned to how many kids? That guy he's got three girls. Though, if you've got three girls, you should start on fifty. I give him my leg out. I don't think Vierat would really like it.
Did you find that it had any impact on how you were as an athlete?
No?
I was lucky and unlucky. I guess. I had surgery on my knee just before Esther was born, so then I was doing rehab and stuff like that. But we're living in Melbourne, so I didn't have to travel far to do that. And then since we've moved to Geelong, which was against Amy's wishes a little bit.
I was actually in I.
Was in Pakistan and got a call and she said, I found.
A place in Geelong. Right, it's a really nice place.
And yeah, and we bought it while I was on a flight from Karachi to Dubai.
Crazy.
But when you move away from your family, especially her mum, who she's very close with her mum, so that was difficult because then you lose your immediate support network and.
You've got a rebuild that.
And when I'm away so much, it's difficult on her note doubt, And I've always not drifted, but you just someone tells you where to be, someone books your flight, someone does all that stuff. So if anything happened for this trip for the US, we're all going over together. Because originally I was going to fly over play and then Amy and Esta would come and meet me and with holiday and then do a little bit of Europe. And Amy said, there was no fucking chance. I'm traveling
fifteen hours by myself with a toddler. So there's a toddler stage now.
She yeah, getting her track record of flights, isn't She.
Was to run around and get into stuff, so she goes.
Right stop them too when they get like she walking, she runs around, she runs the house. Yeah, but like full arm still or she doesn't know what to do with her arms yet.
If you say, fly, she puts them behind herself.
Yeah, and like you're getting at the age where her on the plane where they're just up and down there, up and down because you can't stop them. When they were like, you know, a little bit younger, and they was sitting up and they were kind of crawling on things, you could sort of manage them on the seat. But like Matt and I both know that, you get a kid on a plane now and they're like, first thing, You're like, look out the window. It's amazing, because that's
fucking amazing if you're that small. But they're like bought of that. I'm just going to run up and down this hallway and annoy everyone I possibly can, and you find yourself saying like, okay, daddy wants you to stop doing that now.
So I couldn't give a shit, what do you want it exactly? So the tickets came through, and we said from the start, Aman and my flight were covered, but pay for a separate ticket for esthera so she's got her own seat. So anyway, the tickets come through and there's two seats and they've booked. Look, she's under two, so I understand. It's it, he said, look really sorry, but can we book her a seat because fifteen hours that's a long time for almost two year old on
your lap. They said, yep, no worries, And Amy's stressing, like the SI sent through the updated itinery. I'm like, it's all right, it'll come through, like there's people's jobs. But she's such a planner and I'm just so carefull in that regard because I know that it will happen. I've been in situations before where I'm driving to the airport. I still don't have a ticket, i haven't sent it through, but I know that if they want me to be there, yeah.
You're on there. I'll be on the floor, you're on the manifest. Yeah.
So it's just things like that that I'm grateful for.
But yeah, it's just.
I thought when you were playing overseas, like, obviously you're staying in hotel rooms at home, if the baby is crying, you can have some distance and you can actually you still get a good night's sleep. How do you manage that whilst you're playing abroad staying in a hotel?
Best has always been pretty good. She'll grizzle, except last night. Last night, getting out of bed was shocking, and then once she's in bed she's fine. Teeth coming through a bit of a cough and daycare.
But really too with the TV, yeah, it all goes south.
Oh yeah, she's always been pretty good in that regard. We've been really lucky because you hear some people were with a friend the other day and the kid wakes up every hour.
Yeah, that was like, I've been through that. Yeah, so that's why I look so you're really twenty two. This is my first beer.
So we've been lucky like that. There's only been well, I've been home a handful of nights where often she'll wake up in the middle of the night and Amy end up sleeping on the floor, spending a lot of time on the floor and she'll just look around see that she's there and everything's good. But if you're not, where's moment she must be just starting to dream at the moment. The other night she woke up and Amy's like, right, she's not going to go back to sleep at the moment,
so she brought her out. This is like ten to ten. You would have been three hours in your sleeper. There, Amy's holding her, She's still in her sleep suit, and she just sits. My nephew's name is Miller, and the week before we've been to watch him play footy, like under twelve footage footy, just picking up a car. Jay's my brother Ja drive car footy. And then she starts reeling off everyone at daycare.
Her teacher, good Will Hunting.
SI's her teacher said, She's like, is crazy, yeah, Mac Dakota, and she just starts reeling off everyone and then goes through our family. One minute, lady, she's asleep again. So it's like, obviously her brain is just going so hard that she's she's woken up and gone on.
I just need to tell somebody everything that I know, all the words I know.
Back to sleep, tick it off the list, and like, yeah.
Our daughter at a similar age. It's all just obviously no sentences. It's just like one word, maybe one or two words combined, if you can really encourage them. But because now this is with my second I've readopted the internal monologue of calling myself daddy. And we made a bit of a joke about this that I always refer to myself as daddy even when the kids aren't there, and I got me thinking about like when I go to work and do work things, and I still refer
to myself as daddy and awkward and very awkward. But I also wanted to ask you if you ever played a cut shot and thought Daddy just played a cut shot.
No, I can't say I have it.
Do you know what the next cut shot you make, you'd be like Daddy good on that cut.
There's times when you hit one, you jesus, I'm good.
I just rever to myself so much as a daddy thirsty, just because I talked to them like that. Yeah.
I think for mums, especially who do quite a lot of it by themselves, like adult conversations must just be the only thing that they're craving sleep sleep obviously, and conversations with another adult that is not just mine numbing. Yes, darling, Yes I don't touch that.
When you look up.
Until now the time you've had with esther, is there a moment where you thought, this is so much harder than I ever imagined.
All the time, my wife and I talk about it all the time. It's like, just how much you actually have to I guess occupy.
Them that's never ending.
And when they can move around, it's all right. When they're just laying there or just crawling. But once they're on the move, you literally you can't go to the toilet without them following you. Well, you put them down and they're not happy, so they just follow you and they grab you. And Amy's like, I just didn't get anything done. And I had on Monday. Today today's Wednesday. So on Monday I had Amy had a few things to do, so I had Esther and my two nephew
and niece. But they're twelve and ten, so they helped look after it.
They did majority of the parenting.
They did a lot, and Bounce did a lot as well. We went to bounce and Esther's jumping around like an idiot. But I got home at the end of the day name he goes, oh, I did you do this and this? I said, I didn't have any time.
Yeah.
She's like no, ship, Yeah, She's like, how do you think I'd get through five weeks of this? I'm like, oh, look, I had a bit of time, but I just decided.
To spend quality time with my daughter, for sure.
But when they go down for their nap, that's not your reals time.
And oh you bang on there. Yeah, I've become a napper. I just napped now, Oh I see I can't.
I can't nap either.
If I nap, then I'm up till midnight, guaranteed. I've taught myself. But that's my time to like do my numbing things.
That are just like compressed, just reels and it's took and then you hear them stir and when they wake up, like, I'm not ready. I actually wanted to get a nappy, but I didn't round a goal real quick.
Who was someone who you turn to for advice with any any players like Warner for example, did you go to him and say.
Hey, like, how do you get through teething? How can you help me through this?
Cricketers probably aren't the right people to ask that question because because everyone's on the road so much, and guys travel with their families at different times, like at the moment during the ashes, most of the families are over there, which is brilliant, But in COVID no one could travel, so it was sort of like, hey, kids going good.
Good, Yeah, I think they're okay, they're breathing.
Just friends, that's all you. But everyone's so different. Everyone will have similar experiences but in such a different way. And how people parent is totally different as well, So asking for advice sometimes can be the worst thing. I think just hearing people. It's all right to ask for advice. It a lot of times it will have no relevance on you.
Yeah, because people are always going to be different to Yeah.
Absolutely, so I was always a believer. It's amazing when you when you travel a bit too, you get home and you will issue because you've upset the routine.
Yeah.
No, now it's bath time, and because you've been wine in her up, she.
Doesn't have a bath. Yeah, okay, all right. Seven. I never thought about it like that because, yeah, because they've got their routine down, pat, Yeah, we do this at dinner at five point thirty, bath at six, their routine and I'm home and all of a sudden, it's just like fun, Dad's home. Yeah.
So in the early days, if she was ever crying, I'd be like, just let her cry it out, should be right, Yeah, But Amy's the polar opposite, so she's like, no, no.
We've got a routine. How we do it. Yeah, I deal with it. But because you're not here five weeks.
Exactly, right, So that makes it that makes it difficult and I think I'm not a planner, but I'm always early. My wife's so detailed with planning, but she'll be there like five seconds before she's meant to. That does my head in. But my carefree it'll be right, like it'll get so yeah yeah, but we're going tomorrow. Should we book the flights?
It'll be right. Don't worry, someone will gould have done.
So we're polar opposites in that regard, and then when it comes to parenting at times we've been polar ops. I'm like, no, we do do it this way. No, this is how we do Okay, that's how we do it. Whatever, it's not even a conversation anymore.
I'm going to take a wild guess and say that you didn't read too many birthing pregnancy baby books.
Not one. Did you do the classes.
Heart but they weren't They weren't happening because it was COVID.
They did them online. Similar time, like we did a CPR course, yeah baby CPR. Yeah yeah, so you did the life saving one. I can't control any of the other stuff. How to do a fucking nappy.
I was the third kid. My sister was nine years younger than me.
Wow, So so you were changing her nappy. Yeah, from nine.
To sort of fifteen. That was a part of parenting her, I guess sorry. In terms of the physical stuff, it was amazing when es to come and that was what's twenty years later that you still remember like straightaway, nappy was no wish. I would always remembered how now you've got the pull up ones and so much easier. But like, it never bothered me. Nappis and stuff have never bothered
me because I grew up. You did doing that on my sister, So that was It's so fascinating how you just remember shit that you thought she's that's never going to be relevant again.
Yeah, it's a huge advantage having younger siblings. I had two younger brothers, yeah, and I'm on a five so it was very much a single mom as well. So it was very much the kids had to like pull their weight, and I think that was like the best And I didn't get any classes either, but that was like the best kind of taste of parenting. That was like the beginning of the foundations for now. So mum, thanks for having five.
Yeah, fully, I mean, I don't know how you guys have got two. Honestly that was going to be said dad. A couple of don'ting dads. I mentioned too before and your head went, no, don't know.
So one and done, one and done, one and done?
Is it? Like, is that your decision or is it you are both mutual?
Both yea, Like I don't understand, Like, surely after one you know how hard it is get your it's so hard teething.
They don't tell you how hard you do forget.
I think I do think once you've done it once. I remember driving back from the hospital, Laura and I are like, holy shit, like driving here and then like you know, you just don't know what you're doing at all. But then after one, you'd like you have a level of confidence, which is maybe.
It's subconscious confidence though, because you really forget. Like I remember, I was so adamant, like no, we did talk about having two before having any like that was the ideal number. And then after the one, I was like, nah, I'm not going through that again, not going through the trauma of.
It all because you had to push out a baby, that's fair.
The trauma of it all for her. But yeah, like I was like, nah, the sleepless night it's like, you know what, it's like, the teething, the whole bit. You forget that, though you do, you do at a certain point, you forget that. And once we had the second one, like Matt saying, there's so much subconscious confidence you pick up and.
You've got the equipment.
Now, there was so cool. There were so many things that I did as a with the first baby that I fumbled and bumbled my way through and I was like, I'm fucking shit at this and that's no joke. But then when the same instance happened with the second kid, I was like, I got this, no fucking worries, even though that was years ago and I never thought I learned anything from it. Yeah, you just subconsciously the confidence
comes back and how you do that. Having two for us in the end now is a blessing because Macy's my favorite is probably listening, you heard me right, but take the rubbish out. I get on your feet and take the rubbish out, But.
Not at the bribery or reasoning stage. Yet she doesn't quite understand that looking forward to that because my wife's got a very very strong will, so do I and my daughter is stubborn as well. So there could be some Mexican stand up for a long time.
It happens. No one's seen the Finches for a while.
Yeah, I mean Esther's still standing up.
I'm not going anywhere exactly.
Do you think you'll be playing a good cop then?
And some one's going to be in a good cop. But know, whether you like it or not, it doesn't bother me.
My wife naturally, she likes structure and tidiness, and she naturally leans that way, whereas I'm.
You can bend it a bit.
Yeah, it wouldn't bother me if I had to be. Yeah, and I probably should be more often. Yeah, for her mental state than anything else.
I'm the bad Yeah. Well we'll just talked about this today. My wife just sneaks my kid's chocolate and shit just to keep on the good side. Yeah, I'm definitely the bad cop.
When it came to retirement. What was that conversation like with Amy?
It happened at the back of where we were sitting in Cancer. We're playing in Cans three game series against New Zealand. After the first game, I said to her, I'm just not feeling it. My drive and my passion isn't my performance has been pretty ordinary, and my body wasn't great. And then after the second game I got out and she was walking esther around in the pram in cans and I just said I'm done.
He goes, all right, Wow was that quick? Yeah? And like what were her what were her reactions to that? She wasn't surprised.
I'm still playing ten twenties and I'm still playing a little bit domestically, all a bit overseas and commentating.
So it was meant to be.
This year was meant to be a bit more of home time and less traveling, spend more time with my family, and I've been on the road more this year than ever before. So transitioning into commentating and broadcasting, you've sort of got to take all the opportunities that you can.
So that's made it a bit more difficult when you're playing full time. I think maybe, like you know, networks and stuff, probably thinking he's playing full time, he's got that's his main career, and now it's like, okay, well Aaronthon's just going to step away and retire from international cricket. He is still doing domestically. Let's grab hold of him, you know, and bring and sort of pull you in a couple of different directions instead of just like the one direction of playing.
So well, I think the difference with our relationship compared to a lot of others I guess is that we met after I was already playing for Australia when I was twenty seven, twenty six, twenty seven years as the same age. So even our initial dating and stuff like dated for a bit. Then I went away for a few months, I went to India and England. So yeah,
she knew what she was getting into beforehand. Doesn't mean that I haven't made some selfish decisions over the time based on my career, putting my career first and yeah, but you don't think about it that way until you retire.
You sit back and you go, shit, I did that?
Did I need to go and play there for a month when it could have been anyway?
Yeah? I mean that's that's the thing. At the time, it was what was right for you. Yeah, and yeah, it being your whole career and the fact that you know, you guys met when you were really in the thick of it, as you know, playing international cricket and knew what what was to be expected. It's kind of like she stuck around for that and now you've trapped it with a child. It's too late.
I'll tell you the biggest mistake I made, please, yeah, we hear it. The biggest mistake I made was met up a few times and then I went to India. I was playing ipl and I invited her over. So we've got a ten day stretch. We're in hydrobad at the time, I was playing for hydro Bread. Would you like to come over? She goes, yeah, no worries, that'll be good. And I was trying to impress her, so I bought her a business class ticket.
Lovely, beautiful, good gesture.
Did it go down?
Well? Went down great. She has not set an economy since.
So it's cost me an absolute fortune, all because I've got my dick out and tried to But that's quite funny. So we're big Texters aiming. I so will message all day and then have quick calls and then at night it'll be however longest it can be entertained on the phone for. Yeah, that's how long our phone calls generally are. There's not a huge amount of we don't ring.
And coming home back, coming home.
Yeah.
Well, because I'm either away or I'm homefully nothing in between. Yeah, So we don't have that, but we'll message all day.
Then you get to the end of the day and you go, how's your day. Yeah, But it's also your way of keeping your relationship, like as a relationship, like you got that's the thing that you guys do to communicate all day And like I think a lot of people take the text for granted. Like April and I we barely text all day, but even though sometimes we sit down and have dinner, we have nothing to talk about. So it's good that that's your communication method to keep that keep that little One.
Question we had in the last episode of the podcast was how did you maintain the relationship with your partner after you had kids, And we kind of spoke about the fact that you know, you're definitely the adjustment is really hard to get used to. How did you guys.
Find that difficult?
Yeah, and it's probably still difficult as well because you're traveling. When their babies, I think is a bit easier because they don't know. But when when they're toddlers start to recognize you, yeah, and recognize but miss you, I guess, and then everything just becomes about the kids, the toddler baby. So yeah, so then you end up that's all you talk about. It's like, hell, was she today?
Yeah? She was good? And then you get to the end you're like, right, I've got to go. So we were saying, it's kind of like being a roommate with kids. Yeah, you know, you kind of end up like that, a little bit like coworkers. Yeah, and then when you finally recognize that, hang on a minute, we need to work on our relationship. And you go to plan to do something and then you're both like fuck it, I'm too tired. Or you go dinner and we sit down and all
you do is talk about the kids. Yeah's your life just becomes so revolves entirely around Yeah.
So we're probably still working through that, to be honest. It's I think going to the US will be really cool because we're a bit of playing, bit of holiday, a bit of playing again.
How many weeks is it we're going to be away ten weeks? Yeah, okay? And how many games you play in that ten weeks?
Five maybe eight games all but play the US tournament, do a bit of holiday, and play another little tournament like eight days, and then we go to Europe for a month and then that's finished off with all friends wedding in Italy. So I think that'll be a really good time that we're all just together and be able to connect, and there's going to be other kids around, so that'll be cool.
Yeah, that's really cool.
Have you at any point gone? I think she's old enough now to give her a bat and ball and we're going to see if she's.
Got's hand hand.
I was good, she can catch, but wow, but catch like a big, bigger ball. She's she's pretty good with that.
You could probably catch a cold daycare Jesus kinder cough as well. They just come home and now because I can't shake it four years mate, you're always sick, aren't you? Always quite lucky? Touchwood?
Will you try?
And I guess inspire her with some of your interests.
She loves like singing and dancing a.
Bit like yourself Taken Away.
He's going to release an album. I refuse to dance.
So we did rehearsals for our wedding dance and got there and I just totally forgot. You could have just done cricket moves good call. My wife is the biggest John Farnham.
What did you guys dance to find himself?
Two strong hearts? So I don't dance, I sing, but not in public. She can do whatever she wants.
She just wanted to be happy.
Yeah, absolutely, she she loves dancing and entertaining. And last night we had the tea set out and she's walking around.
She's filling up your tea. There you go, dadda. She is dadda. So that's quite cool. It's amazing when they start doing the little things like that, Like Macy's got this thing where she just throws everything in the bin.
It's so cute though. Do you fish the food out and put it back on the plate?
No, we don't want to go there. Let's not go there. Yes, and mainly in the middle of the night, I fish it out reheatd and it absolutely that's on a different episode, but yeah, it's really cute when they start getting a mind of their own. Yep. That she loves to entertain by doing those little things.
Yeah, just watching them explore and watching them trying to figure out like a drunk, Yeah, what is the use of this? Yeah, but they keep looking around and then they work it out pretty quick. Yeah, but they just copy everything.
Don't You must be fascinated though with like your cricket equipment. Does she not look at your pads and your bat and I.
Don't know if she will have seen them. Doesn't want to. She doesn't want to smell that cup. That's where they kept.
At home, just in the garage, in the garage. I don't have bats around the house or anything. My wife is a clean freak.
Were usually it's funny because we usually do these interviews in the guest house, like I was saying, and we're the dirty are the better.
So it's probably like it doesn't exist in our house exists. That's if I if I have a shower, five minutes after I have a shower, if I haven't picked it up, she's like the towel clothes.
That I was just wearing. Or it's like, that's so funny. Is how is it that straight?
Yeah, esther's not picking up your baggy green and taking that out out.
Of the sand.
She's not not quite there yet. Everything else she gets into. We've got one of those baby gates, Yeah they're great.
Oh you got it's a for You've got to sit up the house like it's a fortress. Now.
But when somebody leaves it open, she finds it. You look up and she's at the top of the stairs. You go, hi, dadda escape, But then she wants to come down down backwards. I want you to come down, but you're going to blow up if I just go and pick you up and bring you down.
So we really can't have you get in concussion.
Lock down fifteen stairs, like, have.
You had any trips to the emergency room yet?
Not yet? Touch wood? Wood, that's that's definitely wood, guys, finchy.
I've seen the time, and I know that we are itching towards your get out time.
Because you've got to go to work, a.
Job to do at the Ashes. I had a childhood dream of mine is to bowl a ball to a first class cricketer. Right, so what will you just make him say?
No, no, no, no.
We'll be talking about it for weeks if you would allow us just a few, just a couple of balls straight down the hotel room. Here, I've got a bat and ball six teacher, don't worry about the windows, we'll take care of that. Have half an over each? Is that?
Do we have time? We've got We've got a beautiful little bat. That's the finest willow in England. Yes, from Kmart.
It's not. Actually, it's the finest plastic from China. Perfect.
Got a crack.
But thanks so much for jumping on the podcast, for having me, for sharing your wisdom. As always, we always have to say if you've enjoyed this episode.
You would absolutely love it if you gave us a.
Review, hey, maybe even five stars if not for me and Ash, Aaron George Aaron Finch and we'll see you guys next week. And if you have any other recommendations of any doting dads or mums out there that you would like us to interview, please make those suggestions to two doting dads on Instagram.
And let's get Finchy padded up.
And again, thank you for jumping on. We really appreciate you spending some time with us.
Thank you mate.
Thirty odd years of dream coming through.
Ready, that's terrible. I was worried about it. Hit my hand on their buddy you think about sixteen so oh got it.
I thought it was the bottom edge. There's not much bounce on the alright, we gotta this is the first hit a pad for walk. Oh that was great.
Alright let's get one more.
Mad you want some? Look? Ok, one more? Jesus didn't miss that? All right, we go. Hell that's man. Good off the cracking them all right, man, you're off.
This is uh when we started the podcast.
This is not how I imagine we'd be doing things.
Well, just bowling, bowling at the first class batsmen.
Oh je not a bad not.
A bad hold.
More careful than sports, are you?
Oh?
I'll give us one, he said, he doesn't have any defense.
But yeah, let's go more. Here we go.
I reckon that the sun.
You can have that money. Yeah, thank you so much.
Two Doting Dads. Podcast acknowledges the traditional custodians of country throughout Australia and the connections to land, sea and community.
We pay our respects to their elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Straight Islander people's today. This episode was recorded on Gadigle Land