I quite vividly recall the movie "Mr. Mom". I don't know what it was
about it, but I really liked that movie when I was a kid. I am sure there
were things about it I just didn't get, but I thought the scenes of this poor
dad trying to figure out how to actually raise his children were hilarious.
Interestingly, in many ways I have become a Mr. Mom.
It isn't because of anything my father did. Don't take that the wrong
way, please. My dad is amazing, and he was (and continues to be) a
fantastic father. But if my mom suddenly vanished from the picture, well,
us kids would have been screwed if my dad would have been the only one
there.
To put it into perspective, the few nights I recall my dad being in charge of
dinner we had cold cereal. Ever time. That isn't bad, I love
cereal. But he just doesn't cook. He doesn't do laundry, clean, or
help get kids ready and off to school. He does work his butt off every day
to provide for the family, he works his butt off so the house and yard look very
nice (from the outside), and he certainly was a great father.
I spent plenty of hours helping with those tasks, and learned how to work
hard from him. But I also had plenty of hours to spend with my mom, and we
were always very close as well. I had chores inside the house, helped with
the dishes, cleaning, and cooking. I was fortunate to get a nice balance
from both of my parents.
Now, as a husband and father myself, this balance has really paid off.
Of course, with school responsibilities, my wife does more than her fair share
of the caring for the kids, cooking, cleaning, etc. But thanks to
what I learned from both my parents I can help out in a pinch. And we have
plenty of pinches.
My wife is very busy in the evenings. Between her choirs, teaching
voice and piano lessons, and being a demonstrator for Stampin' Up, well, she
probably has things going on 4-5 nights a week. Often she will have dinner
ready before she gets busy, but I get to help plenty. And I have to say, I
have really got the whole bathe 3 kids, get them in bed, and do the dishes/clean
up the kitchen thing down to a science.
I am certainly not trying to toot my own horn, and I hope it doesn't seem
like I am. But I am saying thanks to my parents for both teaching me how
to work, how to help, and how to not be helpless. So, many nights, I get
to be Mr. Mom, and we haven't had any fires or tragedies!
