Work-at-home Dad

By K.J. Cardinal

Anna is only six days old and I've already been dabbling in my new role as "work-at-home Dad." Angie doesn't have to go back to work until January 2, so the next three months are really my test run, to see if/how I'll be able to handle watching Anna during the day and also getting work done.

I'm not naive enough to think that it's always going to be as easy as sitting indian style on the couch with her in my lap as I design the America East media guide, but for now that seems to be very manageable. Once Angie goes back to work in January, she'll leave the house around 7 a.m. and then reinforcements, in the form of Sammy, will show up around 2:30 p.m. when Sam gets home from school. So, the theory is that I shouldn't have any problems playing man-to-man on Anna for seven and a half hours a day and also getting work done.

The notion of having Angie or I act as a stay-at-home parent has always seemed idyllic to us. It was a no-brainer that I should be the one to give this a shot since I had been eagerly awaiting the opportunity to start my own graphic/web design business and that it wouldn't take much effort for me to successfully launch my own company. So, that's exactly what we are in the process of doing.

Being a stay-at-home dad, or as I'm dubbing myself a "work-at-home dad", has always appealed to me because my mom was a stay-at-home mom and she did an amazing job with us kids :) Her commitment to us and her selflessness to put us before EVERYTHING else is something that I'm not sure is replicable, but I will give it my best shot.

I remember my mother often telling me, "you won't understand until you have kids of your own" and it's becoming increasingly clear that she was always spot on when she would say this. I frequently find myself telling Sammy things that my mom once told me in the exact fashion too and now with Anna, I am also beginning to "understand" because I do have a child of my own. It's a great cycle.