MR. MOM!
Building Blocks are a nice start for enabling youngsters to experience dexterity, grasp dimensions, and the laws of gravity. However when you, as Dad, have spent an entire afternoon sitting in cross legged position on the floor of the living room in front of the television which is showing rerun episodes of Barney and The Big Comfy Couch while you fight over puzzle pieces with your little one then you’ve been in the primary care role a little too long! If you haven’t banged your head silly from the “I love you” Barney song by then you might be a lost cause! It will take you years to get that blasted song out of you head.
Breaking traditional roles from a male perspective is a good thing but after a prolonged period of time the male constitution that Mother Nature has cultivated and been fostering in your overly testosteroned lineage for centuries will begin to turn your brain to mush. Don’t watch the afternoon soaps during nap time without a box of Kleenex, a phone, and a support group of stay at home moms in the neighborhood!
You can bet that you will start becoming a completely different individual. You’ll begin to see things in a whole new and yet foreign way. Dare I say that when pastel colors, fashion tips, and vacuuming the carpets become hallmarks and priorities of your week’s accomplishments then its time to reconsider your career choice.
Nothing can replace a parent being there for the first three years of a child’s life. Having a parent in the child’s life at every moment for these first years are crucial, but there are consequences! My wife and I chose the path where I would eventually become Mr. Mom because she was just beginning her career at the time and we knew down the road it would help establish her money making prowess that would dwarf my meager skills. Maybe that was it or maybe it was that my hair was longer than hers so we wanted to make sure the child had a positive long hair mommy model at home. Either way it was a wonderful experience for my daughter and me.
My wife suffered a bit for it but managed to fight all of those mommy instincts by trodding off to the office while her boobs were still leaking. I can’t imagine being in the boardroom looking like I had been attacked by a group of Shriners at an Atlantic City convention during the annual water balloon battle where I had been repeatedly nailed on the chest. The Mrs. was a good sport! I’m sure her bosses were not exactly amused. “Leaking” in the office is generally frowned upon. Men don’t know how to handle normal bodily functions. Gaseousness after all in the male repertoire is something viewed as high comedy! I on the other hand was left to fend for myself in this foreign land of diapers, house chores and grocery shopping.
At first it may be strange but the more time you spend focusing upon that little developing child a new perspective comes into view. It is actually a rediscovery for you! You relearn how marvelous the first time discoveries of life can be all over again. Jumping out of the crib, removing diapers and playing with what is found in there and putting everything and anything in ones mouth over and over again is great. Your kid will do that too! Even though you tell ‘em “no” their behavior reminds you somehow of your own first experiences on some subconscious level. As the walls close in on your adultness your inner child is released and you find joys you had forgotten existed from your own childhood. Napping becomes your friend!
By the time kindergarten comes rolling around you will not be recognizable as the same human being. You will be picking out drapes, doing the dishes, the laundry and having tea with your own bridge group.
Scared yet? Okay I jest; it’s not bad at all. As a matter of fact being with my daughter day after day for those first 3 or 4 years might have been the best time in my life when I look back upon it. I know it served a purpose
for its time and for the development of my daughter. If you are able to do it for your child I would urge you to give it a shot. Once in your life getting in touch with the mommy instinct within yourself would be a good thing.
I on the other hand may have another go round. I keep having this reoccurring dream. It has to do with my wife telling me she’s pregnant again. “There goes another one of my careers,” I think. Next I wake up to realize that I’m the one who’s done the leaking! Like the boardroom that isn’t funny in the bedroom either!
Breaking traditional roles from a male perspective is a good thing but after a prolonged period of time the male constitution that Mother Nature has cultivated and been fostering in your overly testosteroned lineage for centuries will begin to turn your brain to mush. Don’t watch the afternoon soaps during nap time without a box of Kleenex, a phone, and a support group of stay at home moms in the neighborhood!
You can bet that you will start becoming a completely different individual. You’ll begin to see things in a whole new and yet foreign way. Dare I say that when pastel colors, fashion tips, and vacuuming the carpets become hallmarks and priorities of your week’s accomplishments then its time to reconsider your career choice.
Nothing can replace a parent being there for the first three years of a child’s life. Having a parent in the child’s life at every moment for these first years are crucial, but there are consequences! My wife and I chose the path where I would eventually become Mr. Mom because she was just beginning her career at the time and we knew down the road it would help establish her money making prowess that would dwarf my meager skills. Maybe that was it or maybe it was that my hair was longer than hers so we wanted to make sure the child had a positive long hair mommy model at home. Either way it was a wonderful experience for my daughter and me.
My wife suffered a bit for it but managed to fight all of those mommy instincts by trodding off to the office while her boobs were still leaking. I can’t imagine being in the boardroom looking like I had been attacked by a group of Shriners at an Atlantic City convention during the annual water balloon battle where I had been repeatedly nailed on the chest. The Mrs. was a good sport! I’m sure her bosses were not exactly amused. “Leaking” in the office is generally frowned upon. Men don’t know how to handle normal bodily functions. Gaseousness after all in the male repertoire is something viewed as high comedy! I on the other hand was left to fend for myself in this foreign land of diapers, house chores and grocery shopping.
At first it may be strange but the more time you spend focusing upon that little developing child a new perspective comes into view. It is actually a rediscovery for you! You relearn how marvelous the first time discoveries of life can be all over again. Jumping out of the crib, removing diapers and playing with what is found in there and putting everything and anything in ones mouth over and over again is great. Your kid will do that too! Even though you tell ‘em “no” their behavior reminds you somehow of your own first experiences on some subconscious level. As the walls close in on your adultness your inner child is released and you find joys you had forgotten existed from your own childhood. Napping becomes your friend!
By the time kindergarten comes rolling around you will not be recognizable as the same human being. You will be picking out drapes, doing the dishes, the laundry and having tea with your own bridge group.
Scared yet? Okay I jest; it’s not bad at all. As a matter of fact being with my daughter day after day for those first 3 or 4 years might have been the best time in my life when I look back upon it. I know it served a purpose
for its time and for the development of my daughter. If you are able to do it for your child I would urge you to give it a shot. Once in your life getting in touch with the mommy instinct within yourself would be a good thing.
I on the other hand may have another go round. I keep having this reoccurring dream. It has to do with my wife telling me she’s pregnant again. “There goes another one of my careers,” I think. Next I wake up to realize that I’m the one who’s done the leaking! Like the boardroom that isn’t funny in the bedroom either!
posted by Giosue' Santarelli at 12:40 PM
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