When Ginger Haug screams, the whole world knows.

“I usually have in ear plugs,” laughs her good-natured father James, who takes the perils of parenting all in stride.

James and his wife Jessica are raising their two young girls on Orcas: four-year-old Wylie and 17-month-old Ginger. James says he has changed a lot since becoming a dad.

“When you have kids, you’re taking part of yourself and putting it out there – and hoping it doesn’t get hit by a car,” he said.

James describes Wylie as funny and friendly and Ginger as tough. Both girls are athletic and accepting of other people, traits that James says he shares with them.

Although he works full time as a general contractor, James is often seen walking the streets of Eastsound with his girls. Jessica is a massage therapist at the Healing Arts Center and a volunteer EMT.

James grew up with four brothers and two sisters, but the Haugs are ready to stop adding to their family because “two is a lot!” according to James. Prior to becoming a father, he thought very little about child development and education. Since he welcomed his two daughters into the world, James tried reading books about raising girls, but found them to be “bologne,” as they didn’t accurately describe his daughters.

So he has learned by experience.

“I wasn’t confident as a kid, even though I was successful in athletics,” James said. “Giving confidence to my kids is really important … failure is part of success. You have to let them do what they want to do and not let them get hurt too badly.”

James grew up thinking that he had to what was expected of him.

“I don’t want my children to be afraid to live the way they want to,” he said.

James and Jessica have found it’s important to make time for each other. Now that both girls are older, they feel more comfortable to go out in the evenings and take long weekends.

Some of his advice to new dads: give your kids space and cultivate your own interests.

“You have to be happy too,” he said. “We all have our own dreams.”