As you may have seen in my previous posts, or in my About Me [link to it], I have two young daughters, Careena and Hailee. Careena completed Pre-K just last week and Hailee can’t wait to be joining her next year. Although the picture looks like visitation at a minimum security correctional facility, it was actually Hailee seeing her big sister at school just before the end of her school day.
I work in Washington D.C. and between the commute, work day, and eating dinner, I only have a couple of hours or so a day to spend with them during the week before getting them ready for bed. I wish there was more…
I see many of the guys I follow in social media are stay at home Dads (SAHD if you will), and frankly, I am jealous. All I think about in any downtime I have throughout the day, and in my commute to and from work, is my girls – oh, and their Mother of course [phew…glove save]. I long for the days I will be able to stay at home with them – make them breakfast and lunch, play, read, watch Disney movies. And before all of the SAHDs and SAHMs start to educate me on the reality of a hectic day’s ‘festivities’, I know I am being unrealistic and almost idealizing the job you all do. But until I live it myself, that is how I envision my days will go.
I (think) I realize how much work and attention there is that takes away from all of the simple “fun” I referred to above, but I also know that these days – this time, goes by all too fast. And time is something none of us can ever get back. That is yet another concern I have.
When the day does finally come that I can stay at home, they will likely be at school for the vast majority of the day I dream about. Then what? I could become some hobby obsessed shut in, with lots of cats and a parrot that I talk to all day. Or worse yet, I could be right back out there trying to find a job. Now wouldn’t THAT be ironic!
But there is (at least) one more possibility – I can be a Work at Home Dad (WAHD). But what ‘work’ can I do from home? I am a retired military officer with expertise in air battle management, command & control, and homeland defense & security – none of which directly lend themselves to working from home. Maybe I could make an income through a hobby – like woodworking. I love designing and building projects. (This reminds me that I have to post about the Doc McStuffins Clinic that my brother-in-law and I built last year for Careena’s 3rd birthday. Oh, and the throne I just built Hailee for her Frozen-themed 2nd birthday). As long as Heather becomes the primary breadwinner, that could work!
For now, I guess I will live vicariously through the lucky SAHDs and WAHDs I follow through social media and continue to daydream about my future induction into the field. So ladies and gentlemen, please keep the ‘stay home’ stories coming. And if any of you any have words of wisdom, cautionary tales, or simple advice, I am reading and listening…This Dad’s View
This Dad's View 