Mr. Mom: Day One

My wife is gone for 4 days to spend time with her sisters. I am Mr. Mom. I've never been the full-time, stay-at-home parent for that long. I've been so worried about this all week that I felt worn-out before the 4 days ever started. Today began with the toddler falling off of her bed at 6:30 am. She was fine and went back to bed, but she woke the baby, who decided to stay awake. When the toddler did wake up, she had an accident. While the other two had breakfast downstairs, I cleaned up the puddle and the girl. But the first few hours of the day were deceptively chaotic. The kids were angels the rest of the day. Now I'm worried they were deceptively cooperative. They swam in the morning. We also built a fort and wrestled. During nap time, my son and I built an awesome snake using 300 blocks. When the girls woke up, we all went swimming in the back-yard pool. My wife had me make an easy dinner that they love. Despite starting late because of early baths, we finished with plenty of time for me to clean the kitchen and read the kids almost all the books they could ever want before bed. You can tell when they got all the books they want when they willingly go to bed. And, the highlight of the evening was that I told my kids my goal of not losing my temper while Mommy was gone, and they unanimously voted that I had succeeded in keeping my temper today.

*As a side-note, I am confused by people who downplay stay-at-home parents. Seeing what my wife does every day, I am definitely a proponent and defender of stay-at-home parents. Now experiencing more of what she does every day (no wonder she stays so skinny), I am now their greatest admirer.