Daddy material

[namsteven]

Dear Teachers,

A. I have been seriously involved with a 40-years old man who has a 9-year old daughter with his soon-to-be ex-wife.
- I think “soon-to-be” is redundant” here, right? If not, what does it mean?

B. A year is certainly enough time to see if this man is “Daddy material”.
- What does “Daddy material” mean?

Thanks a million

Namsteven

[curmudgeon]

It means he is still married but will soon be divorced, therefore his wife will soon be his ex-wife (after the impending divorce)

'Daddy material' means the attributes to make a good father. Or maybe the physical ability to father a child.

'Let's see what material he's made of.' - to examine a persons character or ability. I assume it comes from the practice of checking and grading merchandise.

[rewboss]

Phew!

For a moment there, I thought you were asking us for advice on whether you should stay with this 40-year-old man. How relieved I was to find it was just another semantics question...

[curmudgeon]

Yes, I had a double-take at it as well!

[Ouisch]

Usually "daddy material" doesn't refer to his ability to sire children, but rather questions whether he stick around and be a good dad once the children are born. In the example, the woman appears to have been dating a man for a year, which should be enough time for her to find out how he feels about children. Does he look admiringly and longingly at parents with children when he's out shopping, and comment to his girlfriend, "Someday that'll be us"? Or does he cringe when he sees youngsters and ask to be seated far away from them in restaurants?

[curmudgeon]

Originally Posted by Ouisch

does he cringe when he sees youngsters and ask to be seated far away from them in restaurants?

Or does his heart sink when he gets on a long haul flight with a 'seat kicker' behind him?