Dear Fellow Dads,
Let me guess . . . the wife has left you alone, totally in charge of the kids, and suddenly you're overwhelmed with uncertainty, right? Are those small little faces staring up at you in disbelief, wondering how the next three to four hours are going to play out (and how much they'll be able to get away with)? Have you thought about what you'll say to your friends if they call in the midst of all this to hang out? Here's my first and only warning: do NOT, under any circumstances, call it babysitting. I've heard it before and have often been guilty of saying it myself, but dads, we have to do better.
It's not babysitting when they're your own kids. You're not a 13-year-old girl getting paid $12.19 an hour (the ongoing rate for babysitting nowadays), which seems a little steep to me, so hopefully my current babysitters aren't reading this. You're every bit as responsible for dirty diapers, mealtime, and sleep schedules as mom is. And when your babysitter does come over, you should be able to do everything they can do (times 10), because you're their carer, you know, for the rest of their lives. Here are four important steps to assure you're pulling your parental weight.
So, dads, there you have it. If you're lacking in any of the basic areas I mentioned above (all of which are mastered by moms without a second thought), you have some serious work to do. Get to it.
From,
A Dad Who's Got Your Back