Dad

 As you can see, I took a break this last weekend. Weekends in general are busy, and some moreso than others.

I'm married and have two small children - so that takes up a lot of my time and energy, obviously.

My wife talked to me about something the other day. Sometimes she goes out and had her nails done or something else the helps her relax and defrag. We all need things like this, obviously, and I support her whole-heartedly taking time for self-care.

She told me she gets a question almost every time she goes out and has a conversation with a stranger: "Who're the kids with?" Then she responds, "My husband." Then they almost every time say, "Uh oh ..." like leaving them with me, their father, is tantamount to letting them play some kind of Russian roulette with an exploding fart gun.

It irritates her when people make it seem like because I'm her kids' dad that I'm somehow incapable or unwilling to be a parent to our kids. She knows that when I'm watching the kids, she and I are a unified front of parenting, and that just because I'm the dad doesn't mean that when she returns from her well-earned time of self-care that I'll be a nervous wreck, somehow subdued like Gulliver vs. the Lilliputians.

It irritates me, too, to be honest.

I don't pay attention to any looks or comments from others about my public parenting. To be crass, I don't give a shit if they approve or disapprove of my parenting style or decisions - I know I love my kids and I'm doing the best I can. Do I get annoyed with my kids? Sure. Do I lose my temper with my kids? Of course. Do I melt into a puddle when my kids do something sweet for me or my wife? Almost certainly. Am I strict with them sometimes? Oh, yes, definitely.

All the same things there can be said about my wife, too. Neither of us purport that we're perfect - we just do our best, and I think our kids are amazing, awesome, and absolutely the best in the world.

I admit, I'm biased.

My kids are learning to read, and it's a slow process what with the pandemic and all. I look forward very much getting them back into public school this coming fall. I can only hope that we did justice to a curriculum for their kindergarten/first grade years and that they are ready for the next step. I'm terrified that we've missed something, or we've not done enough. I really have no idea how to measure their readiness.

I know adjusting to being back in a school setting is going to be difficult for them - especially my son who lost out on his whole kindergarten experience. I mean, c'mon, kindergarten was the best, right? Naps, playing, art, fun times in general - at least that's what I remember from my kindergarten times 35 years ago. I suppose things have changed since then - what with Pre-K and all that, now.