Tuesday, October 27, 2015

Stay At Home Dad Chronicles

You knew there would be a self-titled chapter eventually, didn’t you?


In a strange way, I already am a stay-at-home dad. Hear me out about how I’ve arrived to that conclusion.

First and foremost, I still have a job:  night shift in the same place I’ve spent the past three years – the control room for a certain local waste management facility thirteen miles from my house. The financial impact of staying on the graveyard shift as our daughter grows has been minimal since I was not working during the day already and voluntarily switching to nights; even so, those plum roles do not come easily to people like me. Aside from being a scheduler at IC right out of Henderson, I hadn’t worked (or lived) like normal people in twelve years and counting.


What do I mean “people like me?” Not what you think.

Educated yet underemployed. A master wordsmith but an oratory disaster. Overworked and underpaid, and quick to fall asleep.

I hope this blogging thing works out one day. Whoops, I digressed.

Being a stay-at-home dad (so far) has meant that we have bonding time and I can feel like I’m doing well by and for Caeli. Of course, she requires more than diapering and feeding – I have real skin in her total health, ex. if she’s eating well; how much she slept; tummy time; and even getting to spend some part of the day outside in the sunlight absorbing Vitamin C. Unfortunately, today’s high is supposed to be a balmy 61 degrees and raining for at least one more day: What a nice day to go out and people watch. 

I know this will not always be the case – I pray daily for a daytime gig that provides a reasonably more comfortable lifestyle plus similar health insurance benefits – so I best enjoy little Caeli while she’s small. She won’t remember that brand new white Z-71 pickup her Daddy has had his eye on, but she certainly cherishes the play days, being read to, and even nap time!


I don’t screw around all day and watch ESPN. C’mon man, that’s the stereotype.


There is a lot more to being a stay-at-home dad, and surprisingly, I really do not watch TV on my days off beyond those DVR’d episodes of Fast ‘N Loud, Street Outlaws, and various barbecue shows to stoke my inner pit master which I catch during the wee hours of the morning after Caeli has been put back to bed.

When do I write?

Normally during the morning if I’m not sleepy. Otherwise, I’ll save the note-taking for those far and few dead moments when I can brainstorm ideas and future blog topics to expand and potentially share with the rest of the world. Note:  I have not shared all 197 posts to social media, but you can read them anytime. 


These days I try to manage the calendar. Doctors appointments? Check. Feeding time? Not that long ago, it was once every three hours; now, only when she’s ready to eat. Keep in mind the house needs to be clean, dinner cooked, and earlier in the year, the grass needed to be mowed. I know one day I may also be the one picking up and dropping off Caeli at school [Springhill Elementary is two miles away, and it seems to me that many Bryant residents do not exactly see the need for sidewalks along major thoroughfares, but I do], so add that and homework schedules to the agenda.

In truth, I am not entirely a stay-at-home dad because of the night job. Allow me to remind you that I do have a lot of help from my wife and in-laws on those workdays as it does take the entire village to raise our daughter. In addition, I really do enjoy the quality time with Caeli and watching her grow daily because I am not only her Daddy but also her first teacher. 
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