Full Time Father Blog (weekly, not daily)
Thursday, March 25, 2004
Welcome, St. Louis magazine readers. (For those of you who have not yet subscribed to St. Louis magazine, Rebel Dad and I are quoted in a feature [not available online] on at home dads.)
He gets the substantive quotes, of course, and I pretty much just blather on about stuff.
Actually, the most interesting thing for me reading it now--the interview was done back when it was still warm in 2003--is that I have lost some of my enthusiasm as an evangelist on this issue.
I think I've gone from being defensive to being arrogant, sort of like: "I spend lots of time with my kid. Why don't you?"
I'm exaggerating, but I really see myself headed there.
For instance, there's this new book by two complaining working women.
I have no patience for it. They say that society demands that a working mother "devote her entire physical, psychological, emotional and intellectual being, 24/7, to her children."
But let's do the math.
Young kids sleep 12 hours per day, older kids 8. We’ll say the average is 10.
Parents work 8 hours per day, plus lunch and travel. We’ll call it 10.
So that means they are away or their kids are sleeping for 20 of every 24 hours on weekdays.
In other words, the most that society could be asking of them is that they spend 4 x 5, or a total of 20 hours per week plus weekends with their kids.
If 20 hours per week plus some weekends is too much, then why on Earth did you have the kid in the first place?
Maybe they’re just trying to sell books, but spare me.
OK, enough ornery Mike.
Closing with a happy note: we played outside today in SHORTS and T-SHIRTS. He poured dirt all over my sneakers and I did not even care. I was not cold. And he actually complained that it was too hot.
Spring is here!
Wednesday, March 17, 2004
My son:
Last words said before I pulled him out of the car to see some friends:
“I don’t want to play with them today.”
First words said after he was strapped back in the car to leave:
“Let’s see them again sometime.”
I guess he is my son. I am often hard to get to a party, then I am the last one to leave.
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As for Time magazine, I had no strong reaction to it. Dads are an afterthought in the piece--I guess that's my only gripe.
These moms who quit their jobs so their kids don't have to do 50-60 hours a week with paid caregivers: they will NEVER regret it. Nor will their kids....
Time magazine has a big cover story on moms staying home with their kids. I hope to read it today, and then rant about it tonight. No way Time does a cover story without offending me in some way.
In other news, the boy is super-cute these days. What else can I say?
Best of all, he is starting to share! Not always, and only on his terms, but that is progress.
As he said yesterday: "Want a bite of my cookie? Don't put the whole thing in your mouth."
Perhaps it was daddy's gluttony that made him reluctant to share for the first 3 years. Now that he can clearly articulate his ground rules, he's feeling much better about it.
Friday, March 12, 2004
My kid counted to 29 today. Well, actually he counted to "20-10," which is what he thought came after 29. So he's already more handy with a screwdriver, and soon will be tutoring me in math. So far, though, I can still run faster than he can. So there!
Tuesday, March 02, 2004
I'm exhausted. The boy rode his new Big Boy bike outside today for almost an hour. He is hooked!
You should have seen the joy on his face.
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His mom was under the weather this morning, trying to sleep in. He was having none of it.
He suddenly came up with lots of questions he HAD to ask her.
Mommy, do you know where my Play-Dough is?
Then: Mommy, do you know what an "M" looks like? He's starting to have an interest in writing letters.
I was right there, but he HAD to ask Mom.
He cheered up once he drove her from her sick bed, as if he made her better by getting her out of bed.
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His birthday is coming. Party this weekend. Goodbye, 2. Loved ya', but 3 looks pretty promising.
