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Responsible for This Nonsense? I started this blog because there seemed to be plenty of places for bitter divorced dads, Christian dads, dad's with autistic children, gay dads, one armed dads, dad's with irritable bowel, dad's who screwed up their first family and then got a divorce and married a young fertile hottie to start a second family, and a heap load of generic parenting advice disguised as fatherhood tips. However, it felt like there was a gap in slice-of-life, straight up, no B.S. talk about what it's really like to raise a kid from father's point of view. And let's face, dad's just do and see things differently. Me, I'm a self employed father raising a 4 year daughter with my wonderful partner of 19 years. Yep, we waited 15 years to have a kid. Some days it still feels like we didn't wait long enough. My office sits right in the middle of the action in our small home. I've been changing diapers since day one. Same with feedings, bathing and doctors appointments. Every summer I'm doing the birthday circuit and every Saturday I take my daughter on an adventure. I like to start my day really early and, whenever possible, cut out late afternoon and hang out with her the rest of the day. I have a surf buddy with a kid the same age that also has a flexible schedule so we're often hitting the swimming pool, park or mall together then taking the kids out to dinner before heading home. Not only is this good for us it's also good for our spouses. Nothing makes your partner happier than taking the kids out in the evening so she can decompress, read, watch a bit of tv, or just stare into space without interruption. Needless to say you'll never hear me say "oh, enjoy every minute of it because they grow up so fast". You know who says that nonsense? Dad's that come home from work, spend fifteen minutes with their kids then watch television till bedtime while mom feeds the kids, washes the dishes and puts the children to bed. Trust me, if you're fully involved in all aspects of raising your child, it doesn't go by fast. Someday's it's excruciatingly long and repetitious. Tedium incarnate. The upside is that when it's good it's amazing. But you gotta be there when it happens. You can't just show up at your convenience and expect all the good parts to happen when you're present. You gotta eat your veggies if you want dessert. Now get off your duff and get going. Your kid's waiting for you! Thanks, Straight Dope Dad Send Comments to: The Straight Dope Dad Originally Posted: 10-17-07 |
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