What do you do for the whole day? Don’t you get bored? Don’t you feel like getting back to your corporate job? As a stay-at-home-dad, I am often asked these questions. My wife did not have to face such probes when she left her full-time vocation to be with our daughters for the first 2.5 years of their life. I suppose mothers are not asked such questions at every occasion.
Let me give you a peek into my day, what all I do on a daily basis with my daughters.
(Though these are named as must-do activities of a stay-at-home-dad, all types of fathers can do all these activities. There is nothing earth-shattering, no rocket science in any of these).
Cleaning the poop: Since the birth of my daughters, I have been doing this; so nothing new as such as a stay-at-home-dad. I realized soon enough that my wife is busy nursing the girls and if there is one task wherein I can be of any help to her is to clean the potty of the girls. As on date, the girls associate this task with me so much that whenever they have to go potty, they come to me and not to their mother. Needless to say, I am very proud of this achievement.
In fact, I have become quite an expert in understanding my daughters’ health based on the colour, texture and frequency of their potty, having discussed potty issues with the paediatrician a number of times. After the initial days, the guilt of contributing heavily to environmental degradation encouraged me to do the clean-up with my bare hands. No wet wipes, no tissues, no newspapers, and no other aids. I have so much to say on this subject, I might as well write a separate blog on this.
Cleaning the vomits, cleaning up after bedwetting episodes – all of these also belong to the same genre, and for small babies, there is quite a bit of this and I am always available for operation clean-up.
Potty training: I spend the maximum time with the girls during the day. Hence, it is but natural that I have the onus of potty training them. I keenly watch their water intake and food and keep reminding them about the need to go to the washroom. To be honest, it is much easier to clean up inside than anywhere else in the house. So better to keep reminding them rather than forgetting and then spending 10-15 minutes on the clean-up. The girls have age appropriate potty training and I should share due credit with them for this achievement.
Feeding: This is a task that I shy away from as much as I can. I am highly enthusiastic about all the tasks listed here, but not this one. Both the girls are finicky – one with the quantity and the other with the variety, enough to drive both of us crazy. When my wife is in town, I feed them only lunch. When she is travelling, I feed them all meals; otherwise, I pass on the buck to her.
A good meal means some peace around for at least a couple of hours. After a while, the girls will again get hungry and then, the running behind them to feed will have to start again so that they can continue their running around. And this cycle just goes on and on.
Putting the girls to sleep: This is another task of paramount importance without which a stay-at-home-dad cannot survive. When I was working, girls had the habit of sleeping with their mother in the afternoon and with both of us in the night. In the current scenario, my wife is not available for their afternoon nap and at times, for their night sleeps as well. Fortunately, the girls have had a peaceful transition in terms of letting me put them to sleep on all occasions. So, some peace prevails.
This is the first part of the blog, the second part coming soon with the remaining activities.
what do you always make you miss your daughter?