It's Daddy Time!

I never expected to be the one working parent in a household of five, but you roll with the punches in life and - with a good attitude - it all works out.

I actually think it is pretty cool that my husband gets to spend this special time with our two-year-old son while I’m at work and the girls are at school. He is potty training the little guy (yippee!) and yesterday they spent the whole morning at the hockey rink together.

BUT (a big but), sometimes it is really hard to be the one at work missing out on all the kid stuff. This week I have been seeing my children an average of two hours per day, and that is mostly filled with homework, bath time, etc.

Last night it all came down on me when I went to put my boy down to bed and his response was “I want daddy! Why don’t you just go to work, mom!” My heart broke in two. Clearly I’m not the only one who has noticed the role reversals in our house.

I’m trudging on, but I don’t think I’ll ever forget that moment. At least I can use it to remind me to make the most of every single minute I do have with him. I can’t have the quantity right now, so I’m going to go for the quality – big time!

The Belligerent Optimist

The tone of my blog may be changing a bit. Hopefully this will be a very temporary disruption. My husband lost his job yesterday. Yes, this disgusting economy continues to take its toll. And if you’ve read my previous post about money, you know that this loss of income will be more than a minor inconvenience for my family.

Obviously, I will keep working hard and earning a living the best I can. But what else can I do to help my family get through this? At the very least, I owe it to my kids not to let this situation turn us into miserable people.

I will be the belligerent optimist. I am going to fight all the negativity that keeps creeping in as if my life depended on it. In some ways, I think it does.

Unfortunately a positive attitude won’t change the facts if we can’t pay the bills, but it can help me deal with the reality. The bottom line is that I know my close relatives and good friends will not let my family starve or end up living in a box. Times may not be easy, but they could be much worse. We have it so good in so many ways – health, love, freedom – to name a critical few.

I pledge not to dwell, but facing my family’s crisis on these pages may just be the best therapy to get me through this nightmare. As I write about my commitment to strength, I believe it. And I know very soon there will be plenty of good news to share.