That's right. I am no longer a stay-at-home dad. As of January 7th I once again joined the ranks of the employed. Now I am just a regular dad. Having a job to go to every day has definitely felt great and is going to help our current financial situation. The downside is now I only get to see the boys for about an hour or two before they go to bed. This has helped me appreciate two things. First, I look forward to holding Elliot and playing with Simon where sometimes in the past I would count down the minutes until bed time. Second, I can now sympathize with Jill and how it has been for her since she went back to work after her maternity leave. I also appreciate the fact she has stuck with me through this "year of discontent". It is one of the reasons I married her in the first place.
Now that I have my new title we have also had to change roles to help the family continue to run as smoothly as possible. Whereas before I took on most of the domestic duties we are sharing the responsibility. I'm glad that we understand that we are both working parents and just need to pitch in where we can. It has really helped this transition happen without too much stress. Oh wait. Was I supposed to walk the dog? Kidding!
I am definitely grateful for the time I have had to bond with Elliot during the past 5 months. This is an opportunity most fathers do not have. I will always cherish it. Watching him develop so quickly has helped me to realize the couple hours I have with him at night are important. I'm realizing that same thing with Simon as well. He has been talking a lot about letters & words lately and Jill told me that later today he was doing a great job sounding out words in a book! He'll be reading before we know it! I think that's the reward of being a parent. Being able to watch something you created grow from a little peanut into a little human being. I missed the early stages with Simon so it's fun to see that in Elliot.
During my life I have had many titles. Son. Student. Mister. Staff Accountant. Assistant Controller. Husband. I am just glad that I had a few months to be a stay-at-home dad.
