This week I began my new job which officially ended my time as Mr. Mom. I will never forget the time I spent as a stay at home Dad. I would say the time off gave me a new perspective on life. A chance for me to reflect on where I am in my life personally and professionally and what I want to do in the next chapter of my career. More importantly it gave me a chance to enjoy the thing that is most precious to me, my family.
I discovered that as a stay at home Dad there is a different rhythm to life. I would find myself staying up much later watching movies or reality shows I never found time to watch. In the morning I was usually awakened by the sounds of my son Jack performing the dual role of hockey play-by-play announcer and NHL superstar in our downstairs family room. He literally would go through every hockey box score from the night before and reenact every game down to the sound of sirens going off when a goal is scored. This is my son’s “cup of coffee” in the morning the thing that gets his juices flowing. Conversely my daughter Ella, who I am convinced is a teenager trapped in a 6 years old body, is always a tempest of emotions in the morning. I love her dearly but I always approach with caution!
My first job in the morning is to make the kids lunches. Sandwich…check! Drink…check! Snack…check! Inspirational/Funny note from Dad…check! With little time to spare I would drive them to school sometimes only in my pajamas and slippers. Thank goodness I never got into a fender bender or got pulled into an impromptu parent teacher conference. I would never be able to show my face at a school bingo night again.
The time off gave me a chance to get back in shape. My new workout partners were stay at home moms, firefighters (I guess there are never any mid-day fires in Springfield) and a large contingent of the AARP. I represented a small demographic and definitely stood out. I was the equivalent of spotting a White Bengal Tiger in your neighborhood zoo.
I did not have to look glamorous for my role as Mr. Mom. I found that my wardrobe changed from business casual to what I like to call flannel chic. But hey, I no longer worked in an office with real people and my full time companion during the day was a four legged animal named Penny. Penny showed me unconditional love no matter how awful I looked or dressed.
Let me say that one of the reasons I have stayed married to my wife for as long I have is that I do not move, touch or question the existence of any of the piles on our desk in our home office. There are some piles on the desk that have been there since we moved into our house four years ago. These piles do not move or change in size. They are treated like accessories to furniture much like a desk lamp. You may dust the piles but you must never move them. So when I first started working from home I made it a point to put a second desk in our home office so not to infringe on my wife’s space. For awhile there was a clear division of piles. My wife’s piles stayed on the big desk while my piles were kept on the second desk. Somehow over time the piles started cross pollinating and before I knew it my piles were mixed with her piles and we had a mess on our hands.
Finally, the time off gave me a much greater appreciation for the incredible job my wife has done for years in raising our kids. Now when she calls me at work and says that she is at her wit’s end I will be better able to sympathize. She is the love of my life and my hero!
I will always cherish the time I got to spend playing Mr. Mom. For now I will have to pack away my flannel shirts!
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