Day 107: Parental Leave Was Getting Too Easy

September 3, 2013

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August has said so long. School is back. September is here in full force.

Parental leave? Well it has been getting a little easy. It has been getting a little boring. To be honest, why do stay-at-home parents complain so much?

Okay, that last part, not nice of me. I am kidding of course. Taking care of the kids all day is a lot of work for sure.

For me, as I enter the last month of my parental leave, I guess I needed something to amp up the challenge.

Charlie, our baby boy has been a wonderful roommate for so far and I would have to say, he is pretty manageable.

So what could we do as a family to really test my dad skills? What would be the next challenge for me before I head back to work?

Well how about our other son, the soon-to-be 4-year old, staying home full-time as well?

Yep, challenge accepted.

Why I Wanted To Take Paternity Leave

August 22, 2013

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As I enter the fifth month of my paternity leave, I wanted to answer a question that is pretty common when I tell people I chose to stay home with our baby boy.

The question, Why did you want to take paternity leave in the first place?

When I am asked this question, it always has this amazed and surprised tone to it. As if I was tricked into staying home with the baby.

Did I lose a bet? Did I draw the short straw? Or did my wife just really want to get the hell out of the house and back to work?

None of these were true.

Parental Leave Is Starting To Get That Sunday Night Feeling

August 20, 2013

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Don’t be confused, that’s not Charlie. I just like the photo. 

If you have ever worked the usual Monday to Friday grind, you know what it feels like on a Sunday night.

You are bummed the weekend is over.

You have a lot on your mind as you get ready for the new week.

You wish it would all just slow down a bit.

That is how my current run of parental leave is starting to feel.

Now before you start giving me grief about feeling bad that a 6-month run of being away from work is coming to an end, I get it.

I am a lucky guy to be experiencing this journey with my baby boy. I am not looking for sympathy. I am just starting to get that feeling that it is all starting to slip away, and at a very fast pace.

It seems like yesterday that is was April and I was just getting my feet wet.

With August coming to an end, everything is starting to feel like a Sunday night.

Dear Companies – Dads Want To Take Paternity Leave Too

June 13, 2013

As a dad currently on parental leave from my job in marketing, I have become very aware of the topic of dads staying home, while moms are going out and becoming the primary bread-winners. I am also becoming very aware of how the dads who do take leave from work are being treated in the business world.

The bottom line is, there is still a long way to go to even come close to how it is an accepted norm for moms.

Companies of all sizes need to better accept and welcome dads who want to do paternity leave. It is as simple as that.