coming to a blog near you
as i alluded to earlier, starting next week i will be taking a considerable leave from work in order to be a stay-at-home mr nice guy. until the end of this year, basically, i will be mr mom. mrs nice guy, who earns the real money, will be going back to work part time. so, of course, i will have plenty of time to write that screenplay, get back in shape, catch up on my sleep and read the classics in the original ancient greek. right? right? hello?
my supremely excellent boss, a mother herself, has told me: "i applaud you for doing this" and she will keep my job open for me. AND if i decide to take more time off (or not to come back at all) she would see to it that my career would be in no way damaged. and you can't beat that with a bat.
next week it's off to lala land to visit pater and mater nice guy. the baby will spend a week lounging poolside with her grandparents in los angeles while they (hint, hint) graciously let her parents sleep. and then it's back to brooklyn house arrest for me. i am really thrilled to have this opportunity to be a full-time dad, to bond with my baby. it's truly exciting. i can't wait to ---
ah, who the hell am i kidding? i am fucking terrified. sure, my office is very much like my home these days: there is lots of crying and pants-wetting. there are very few actions undertaken with rational forethought. but at least i get to close my door and pretend that i am all alone on a beautiful desert island with cable tv and high speed internets. there is no tv at home, no escape. there are no other adults. just me and a tiny, desperately demanding gaseous monkey. i have a feeling only one of us will be getting out of this year alive. and i am not so sure it's me.
my supremely excellent boss, a mother herself, has told me: "i applaud you for doing this" and she will keep my job open for me. AND if i decide to take more time off (or not to come back at all) she would see to it that my career would be in no way damaged. and you can't beat that with a bat.
next week it's off to lala land to visit pater and mater nice guy. the baby will spend a week lounging poolside with her grandparents in los angeles while they (hint, hint) graciously let her parents sleep. and then it's back to brooklyn house arrest for me. i am really thrilled to have this opportunity to be a full-time dad, to bond with my baby. it's truly exciting. i can't wait to ---
ah, who the hell am i kidding? i am fucking terrified. sure, my office is very much like my home these days: there is lots of crying and pants-wetting. there are very few actions undertaken with rational forethought. but at least i get to close my door and pretend that i am all alone on a beautiful desert island with cable tv and high speed internets. there is no tv at home, no escape. there are no other adults. just me and a tiny, desperately demanding gaseous monkey. i have a feeling only one of us will be getting out of this year alive. and i am not so sure it's me.
posted by mr. nice guy at 10:57 AM
19 Comments:
hahahahaha...be afraid. be very afraid. don't worry, i'll call you from the office at least once a day to make sure you haven't lost your tiny little mind.
oh, come on... you will be fine. there is not a single problem a baby can throw at you that can't be fixed with a little bourbon, or gin (as the case may be).
seriously, once you get into the groove... well, at least you can cry along with the baby.
mrs nice guy?! who told you about this website?
no electronic babysitter? wow, you are brave! i hope you plan on going for LOTS of walks.
for the record: we have a tv, it just doesn't do anything as useful as pick up any channels. we can watch videos though.
You are a braaavvvve man.
I think that it will be an awesome experience for you! A lot of Dads these days don't have a really strong bond with their kidlets because they don't take the time to be with them. I think it is admirable that you are willing to give it a go!
YAY YOU, Mr. Nice Guy:)
okay--videos at least. your new best friends will be videos as soon as bng can sit up and figure out how to watch. you might even get to take a shower!
you are sooo in for it. but seriously, we'll be here for you, right everyone?
i have a great traditional teething remedy by the way that involves single malt scotch, when the time comes.
On the tv issue - first, I am ashamed to be addicted to tv, so I applaud your restraint thus far, but feel compelled to offer some words of tv-addiction-enabling.
First, we too donn't get any reception so we opted for the super-ultra-basic cable package which is pretty much the networks, QVC and Telemundo (claro que si) for about $14/mo. We get a couple of other random channels like Turner Classic Movies and MSNBC but I don't know if we're supposed to. It's a don't ask, don't tell as far as I'm concerned.
If tv really truly isn't your thing and videos fill your need, don't forget to exhaust your library's collection once you get tired of that same Baby Einstein video that you find yourself dreaming about after the 24,657th viewing.
Of course, you can always take this "high road" I keep hearing about and avoid infecting your daughter with the need to have a tv on in order to fill that great big sucking void in her soul, filling it instead, I assume, with the above mentioned burboun or gin. That's cool too.
I didn't sign in when leaving the last comment, so instead of ignoring advice from an anonymous stranger, you can ignore advice from a stranger named Kim.
My husband would switch places with me in a heartbeat, if I could actually make a decent amount of money at any job.
Really, good for you.
good for you!!! you are a great (and brave) dad to take this on, and you'll never regret it I'm sure!!
you should have waited until she turns 12 when you really need to be there (wanted or not - probably NOT). Now that would be a trip. It should be legislated that parents need to be there during those troubled years. Can you spell intervention.
*Clap*Clap*Clap* Kudos to you, Mr. Nice Guy! Can I come visit and play with your pretty baby. If only I could get off of work...
;)
You can do it!
One of the reasons our two boys (now young men ages 20 and nearly 18) have turned out so well is all the Dad-time as little guys...including a length of time with Dad as Mr. Mom.
Just breathe, baby.
Hannah
awww... I wish my Hubby would do this.. but then again I have to FINISH this nursing degree and maybe get a master's to make as much as he does now... so I will just hang out in college a lil while longer.
Congratulations Mr. Nice Guy. What a wonderful opportunity for you and your baby. I’m a bit jealous; I would love the chance to stay home with the little ones for awhile.
Good for YOU!
My husband took 10 months off so I could finish my degree. He loved every minute of it. She was 3 months old when he started it.
He feels that it helped him really form a close connection with our daughter.
He was also better at it than me. I'M the one with the BOOBIES! I'm SUPPOSED to be better at it.
He cleaned, cooked, did laundry, took excellent care of her, went on outings. Basically made me look inept.
Now, I stay at home F/T, (nice use of my degree eh? LOL!) and when he does stay at home with her while I run off to do top secret female stuff, he will clean, cook, do laundry and take our now two year old to the park, bikeriding, play with her in the sandbox and make me look bad.
He would trade with me in a heartbeat.
I think it's AMAZING that you are staying home. Fantastic. Bravo to you and your nice-ness.
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