Dadtalk

I like walking in a winding the kids into a freezy some days!! Such fun

There is nothing like that walking in and your son or daughter run to greet you. If someone could bottle that feeling i would buy it.... 8-) ) Makes you feel special

buzzlightyear758 wrote:

You mean there are days when they're not already in a frenzy?

True, so true. Although some days I wonder ... my wife's had them the whole day (those not at school), and yet it's so exciting that Daddeeee is home ...

The 'dadee' is the best - and since I do bath time and stories, I'm "allowed" to wind them up into a frenzy (which is great - actually something I can't help doing... ) ... Although no. 3 needs some quiet at about that time...

Maybe I just need to tell my boss I'm leaving at 4:30 from now on!!

I did - she didn't like it but my wife was suffering from post natal depression at the time. I get in at 8 and leave at 4.30 so i'm home by 5 to play with the kids whilst the wife cooks tea... i can't tell you wnat a differance it has made.

I think it sould be the right of every dad with a pre school kid to leave work at 4.30pm - i'm being serious!

Apparently, if you have children under six years old, you have a legal right to request flexible working. Get yourself home a bit earlier, or perhaps (seeing as email, computers and technology makes things so portable these days -we generally work in cyber-space) see if you can work from home? Although, that may make things harder. Being a freelance journalist, i have to work in the shed just to get some quiet!

The other side of it, though -and I hate to sound like a woman- is that being at home with young kids is incredibly tough. The idealist viewpoint would say that it's all about daytime TV, playing with the children and pottering around the house before popping down to a sociable parent and toddler group. We all know it's not like that though! You've probably heard it from your wife (I know I hear it from mine every day) but she is at work too. Those kids and balancing the house duties and meal making -and just the NOISE dammit! It's very intense and doesn't let up! Consider why your wife wants to sit at the computer while your kids still have energy to run to the front door shouting 'DADDEEEE!' -those little critters just don't stop until you read them a story and put them in bed. Even then..

I'm aware I've sort of taken the female point of view, which may get me hanged -dunno what you're all like yet.

What it comes down to, though, is the perception that each of you have about each others day. She thinks you're in an office, sneaking in an internet browsing session, before getting another coffee and having 'just a chat' with the new receptionist -y'know, the one with the see-through blouse! And it may be true to say that you don't appreciate how intense her day may be if you think that YOU are the one that needs to unwind -up until you walk in the door, does she have any unwind time? It's fair to say she's been 'on the go' for as long as you have! What would she give for a quiet train or car ride.

Damn, you'd think my wife had hijacked my forum account, wouldn't you? It would seem I'm speaking as much to myself as I am to you...in fact that's very true.

chrisgoodjourno - glad we could be of counsel!!??

It is a difficult one isn't it, sometimes when you get to the door you wonder what you might find! Someone once asked me if i 'save anything' for when i get home - or just give it all to my employer... when he put it like that it seemed so obvious but yet so often we give the best to work and then are ko'd when we get home.... When i sit back i know i'd prefer to give the best at home.... it actually means something whereas sometimes i wonder with work....

I like your empathy think though man - looking at it from the other persons perspective.... You know i think it's partly because men and women are wired differently that we look at it in such different ways.... i think a woman wants to know we love her, whereas we want to know she respects us.... and it kinda reminds me of an assembly at school where this guy visited 'heaven' and 'hell'... he went to hell first and there was food galore but everyone was starving... when he asked he was told you could only eat by using a 4 foot fork and since no-one had arms that long no-one could get the food in their mouths... anyway then they went to heaven where again the same food but everyone looking healthy.... they said to the guide 'no 4ft forks here then?', but to their surprise the guide said yes, but here people use the forks to feed each other....

I know sappy story but just came to mind and i suppose illustrates my point (again like you i am talking mostly to myself).... feed your partners needs and somehow she feeds yours....

Anyway enough contempation.. on with tea time!!

Cheers - Ron

PS Come on you Reds.... the quadruple is coming