Whenever I become the sole parent caring for my children for several days at a time I gain a deeper empathy for my wife's primary mission and for single parents. Jill has been away four days on a well-deserved break and trip with friends.
I do fine until I get tired of kids being, well, kids. The noise, noise, noise! The trash they beckon me hour by hour to eat and that I cave and eat with them! The arguing. And oh the bickering with each other and too often with me. The silliness. Now where did they learn to be silly? (Those who know me, watch what you say in those comments!) Lots of questions, the most annoying of which are the ones that either imply or explicitly slam my ability to care for the kids:
- "Are you sure you know the way to piano lessons, Dad?"
- "Why can't you could cook like Mom?"
- "That's not what Mom says...does...how she looks...how she comforts."
- Here's my favorite: "How do you know?" (THAT from my five-year-old)
Nyeaah, nyeaah. "Get over it," I tell them. "You're stuck with me, so get your chores done or I'll make your life miserable." All said with a smile, of course.
The often under-spoken truth is that it's generally easier for we men to busy ourselves at mostly peaceful offices and lunch spots with associates that typically respect us and pat us on the back than to stay at home and care for children as many moms do (or to work and be expected to take up much of the caretaking responsibilities as well). I don't know how moms do it.
So, here's to you, moms! I raise my juice box to you!
1:24:22 PM 
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