You down with WST?

I’m way behind on posting. I know it. One of my brothers IM’d me today to say that I was way behind on WST. What’s WST, I asked? We’re So Tired. That’s how out of touch I am with my own blog. There hasn’t been a lot of stuff that I’ve missed blogging about lately, as I’ve been crazy busy getting ready to take my leave of absence. Father’s Day was nice, celebrated mostly by Jennifer keeping the girls out of my hair for most of the day. I wrote a python script for my phone which I will use to keep track of Tara’s inputs and outputs and sleep cycles. I so look forward to the day when I needn’t be concerned with anyone’s bowel movements but my own. If you have children, you know what I’m talking about.

Men who Take Leave, and Women who Let Them

To recap, I’m taking two months off of work to be with my kids. Everyone I’ve shared this with has one or more of the following reactions:

• Wow, you’re a really great dad.
• Wow, it’s really great that you can (afford to) do that.
• So, you’re going to be Mr. Mom, huh?

I like to think I’m a good father; that’s honestly one of the few areas I feel like I don’t need further validation. I don’t think I’m a truly great father, but I really do have the best intentions, and I’m trying really hard. Regardless, I am absolutely looking forward to my time off with my kids because I enjoy spending time with them, and I realize this will be a challenge for me, with more meaning than most things I call challenging in my life.

With regard to the second point, it is federal law that I can take this time off, and the State of California assures that I get paid a little for the time that I’m off, so it’s really not the financial hardship you might think at first. Even without the partial pay, I would be doing it. And yes, I feel fortunate that I can afford to take the time off, even if it is costing us a big chunk of money. Actually, the “lost” money is a motivator for me; if I can get up every morning and think of a dollar figure that I would be making by going to work, it gives me incentive to make the day worth it.

With regard to the third point, I’m really not all that intimidated by having one or two kids at home. I think the era of dads who never cooked, cleaned, did laundry, or changed diapers has gone the way of the dinosaur and the ubiquitous stay-at-home mom. I’m not saying that’s a good thing–some of those dinosaurs were pretty cool looking. Anyway, I have mad cooking and cleaning and diapering game, and I am not a perfectionist. I forsee meals even eaten over the sink. Lots of them.

So, I’m getting ready to do more dadding, and more blogging, and more daddy-blogging.