Mr. Mom: Day Two

It's hard to pretend on a blog that I really experienced being a Mr. Mom when the kids were out with friends all day long. I did get a lot of packing done, however. When the kids came home in the afternoon, all of us were tired, so I caved in with dinner. We had cereal. The kids were insisting and were tired beyond all reason. And I was too tired to put up much resistance despite the fact that I'd already made spaghetti and steaming broccoli. Judging from the amount they ate--which was about 3 times what they eat for breakfast--I think their bodies require something more substantial for dinner. I did make them eat some of the steamed broccoli. They also had orange juice. And two girls had some grilled chicken too. I'm sorry, Honey. I will be more firm about tomorrow's dinner. On a sad note, as I was cleaning up the kitchen and the kids were playing soccer downstairs, my oldest girl wanted to show everyone how well she could kick the ball but everyone kept right on with what they were doing. She finally drooped her head and shoulder and whimpered despondently, "Why won't anyone listen to me?" It was too much. I immediately dropped what I was doing and watched. It cheered her right away. She tugs at my heart strings like nobody else, and she knows it. I think the highlight of my day was a realization I had when talking to my wife on the phone. I told her that it is hard to balance two worlds most of the time because it requires switching in and out of mindsets, one for work and one for home. But being a full-time dad has been a lot of fun. I can focus exclusively on them. I feel a lot closer to them, especially knowing they are exercising a lot of patience with a Mommy impostor. I told my wife that I can see why being a stay-at-home mom is so fulfilling. There is a lot of satisfaction in caring for my kids and spending time together every day, not to mention a lot of satisfaction looking back on the day and realizing you survived. In fact, a couple came to look at our apartment this afternoon with a realtor and they asked what my wife does, I promptly replied, "She is a very busy stay-at-home mom, the most important job there is. Much more important that a lawyer, which is what I am."