A Father's Day
This week contains a day of celebration for Father's everywhere. Father's Day.
Here is the story of one father's day.
The alarm goes off at 7:00 AM. His wife hits the snooze button. It goes off again, she kicks him to get him out of bed and then rolls over and puts the pillow over her head.
Downstairs, he gets the daughter and the son up. They all argue over what to eat for breakfast.
Baths are had. Clean clothes are pulled out of drawers. Socks are found after much scurrying. Hair is combed. Gentle reminders for chores and teeth cleanings are in order. The waffles are hot, the cereal cold.
Dads are more involved in parenting these days than in past history. It wasn't so long ago that dads weren't even allowed in the delivery rooms.
The bus stop is a cold walk away, and the fighting begins again. He hushes them and puts the rocks back in their places.
Once back in the house he curls up on the couch, maybe he can shut his eyes for a few minutes...
The baby comes plopping down the stairs, step by step. More waffles for breakfast. And if dad had any idea of watching talk shows, forget it! It's now Blues Clues.
Another little body to clean and dress. Little shoes which are well hidden to find. Lots of rounds of the Itsy Bitsy Spider.
Being a stay-at-home-parent (SAHP) is hard work, no matter which parent does it.
Lunch comes before he knows it, the wife is awake but up working furiously on the computer. She's at home but he rarely sees her.
More fun food, some pasta for the floor? A quick wipe down of the baby, and a major overall of the dining room floor.
Many dads are now choosing to be the stay-at-home parent when the decision is made for one dads to stay at home. Sometimes this choice is made from necessity with dad having a more flexible job, or in some cases a loss of a job sparks this arrangement.
The wife emerges from the dark upstairs, she's still in her bathrobe, despite the late hour. The baby is glad to see her and she sings a few quick songs and grabs a drink and runs back upstairs. The wailing begins. Daddy has to get the gate to protect the mommy from the wailing baby.
A quick walk in the park? Maybe the zoo? Nah, it's cold and rainy lets go to the museum. Baby quickly falls asleep on the glorious ride. On nice weather days baby may even get a bike ride!
Hurry home, the kid's bus is almost here. The lazy day is almost done, and the real work begun. Violin's to be practiced, homework to be helped. Many chores of the parent in charge. Oh and don't forget the errands to the grocery or sports!
Many moms and ads share stay-at-home positions by arranging flexible work schedules. One family has dad as an engineer and mom is a nurse. Dad works Monday through Thursday and mom works Saturday and Sunday. Many companies are allowing this and encouraging this, knowing that happy parents are more productive workers. Telecommuting, via computer, is also popular (Just ask me!).
Dinner is a zoo. The floor is even messier. The wife comes down again. Dinner is loud, but joyful, full of tales of adventure for the day. Did we know that so and so could eat three lunches? And that the new girl in class owns an ant farm. We are mean parents because we don't have ant farms too.
More books, more baths, it's bed time. Sixteen trips to the bathroom, nine glasses of water, twenty three hugs and kisses. Finally they stay. Baby passes out after hearing his favorite book for the 50th time.
Ah, the day is done, and daddy falls asleep on the couch. Millions of small toys scattered about the floor. And a small baby curled up on his chest.
Tomorrow is a new day, and a great day!
Thanks to my husband who is always there for me. Who is willing to do the scut work of parenting so that I may have a job that demands so much time. Who rarely complains about spills or dirty diapers. The man who loves to go to the zoo and who has the patience to watch every animal for hours on end, and explain why one hippo is on top of the other.
To all the men who choose the path of stay-at-home fatherhood, welcome to a rewarding but challenging journey!
Resources for New Dads and other SAHP
