Mr. Dad

I started this entry over a year ago, but it never really went anywhere. My life has been in a transition since then and writing about it was like hitting a moving target.

I mentioned at some point that I reduced my work hours in order to spend more time with the kids. I was alternating between 10 and 20 hours per week. Well, as of this week, I'm a full-time stay-at-home dad.

R and I had been talking for a while (since we moved back to Minnesota, really) about the possibility of one of us staying home. We originally thought R would be the one to do it, but after some thought and soul searching, it made more sense for it to be me.

It wasn't a matter of who made less money because our salaries were identical. Part of it may have been my longer commute or the fact that I'm more of a homebody. Mostly though, I think R is more passionate about her work than I am. I worked in financial software for 16 years--it served me well--but my heart was not in it anymore.

Omri has another couple of years before he starts kindergarten. Veronica now gets summers off from having to rush out the door every morning. I love that I get more time with them while they are young. Our days are filled with more variety and more downtime. I'm on my feet a lot more than I used to be, which feels healthier, and I have more time to pursue my hobbies, which keeps me sane. I'm enjoying this life.

The other positive aspect of the situation is that I have the opportunity to reinvent myself. I'll eventually go back to work, at least part-time, and I'd like to do something different. I'd like to make a life that I'm happy enough with so that I don't need to retire. For now I'm just kind of following my interests and seeing where they lead.

So far my interests outside of the family seem to be (1) practicing photography, (2) slowly writing a middle school novel, and (3) watching/researching movies. So what do you do with that? Well, I've been taking on more professional photography jobs. You can check out some of my recent work on my new website:

www.MoonLakeMultimedia.com

I'm still making updates to the site, so check back once in a while. I'll continue to post snapshots of my family here at Four Peas in a Blog, while the new site will function as more of a client facing portfolio.

Staying home with the kids is not the most glamorous work; there are days when it would be a lot easier to go to an office. I have a lot of worries... Can I keep the kids busy/active/social enough? Will my patience wear thin? Can I handle the housework? But, hey, my old job was stressful too.

I've been called "Mr. Mom" a few times since this whole thing started. Don't embarrass yourself with an outdated term. I prefer Mr. Dad.