I must say that after celebrating 7 Christmases with you, this has so far been the most exciting for me to see you anticipate. Yes, that’s right… I get excited to so you so excited!
The best way I could word it, is that this year, you took your visit with Santa so seriously, that you nearly treated it as a business transaction.
You knew you must depend on him seeing your wish list and that your presentation may have an affect you actually getting what you asked for. On your list, you specifically wrote on your paper:
Hatchimal
Halo sets
Pokemon
You were truly on your best behavior. I’d even go as far as to say you were the most polite, well-behaved child in that room.
And as your sister became frightened by Santa, as she doesn’t understand who he is, the way you do, you were there to help calm her down.
However, I’m sure Santa must have been a little confused as to how he’s supposed to bring you more Pokemon cards, when you already seem to have them all! Oh well, we will just have to let him sort that one out.
As we were leaving, I discreetly asked you, “Jack, was that the real Santa?”
You immediately replied, “Yes. You could tell because his beard was attached to his face and he had long hair.”
To you, there was no question about it. Not only was that the real Santa, but you definitely believe in him. Similarly, you still have just as much imagination and faith to hope that Pokemon characters are real, too.
So I know this is going to be one of your favorite Christmases. It’s so much fun when you have so much to believe in… and so many Pokemon cards to expect underneath the tree!
Last Saturday afternoon our family went to go visit Santa. You were so excited as we got ready to leave the house. You didn’t get understand what was happening, you just knew it was going to be exciting.
When we first arrived, you and your brother wrote down your wish list to give to Santa. Mommy helped you out, as she and both know you really love dolls, owls, and books.
When Santa showed up, I may have suggested it was Papa, so that you weren’t afraid of such a colorful and boisterous stranger walking through the door.
However, when it was time for you sit in Santa’s lap and talk about what was on your wish list, you become aware that this indeed was not Papa!
You tried to escape, but I had to snap a few pictures first, so we could always remember this visit. When you brother walked up, you calmed down, but only from terrified to highly skeptical.
I must say, this all went much better than I anticipated for you. I completely understand your reluctance to just suddenly be cool with some larger-than-life character who isn’t part of your immediate family.
In fact, it’s a good thing you were so skeptical.
As you get older, you’ll find Santa to be a more intriguing and magical kind of guy. I’m sure in just a few years, you will be very eager to visit Santa and tell him all about what’s on your list.
If nothing else, you were there alongside your brother as he truly was fascinated by Santa. It was almost more like our family participating in this event for him, and the rest of us were just along for the adventure.
One day though, I’m sure you’ll be as excited as he was about visiting Santa.
A few years back, it started becoming more common knowledge that anyone who still used the phrase “Mr. Mom”to refer to a “stay-at-home dad” was revealing they themselves were out of touch with modern times.
I feel that I am the epitome of the modern American dad: I have always been extremely involved in not only my kids’ lives, but extremely active in domestic life. There is no irony in a dad doing the dishes, cleaning the bathrooms, vacuuming the floors, getting the kids ready for school, and taking them to the park on the weekend while his wife is out buying groceries.
In fact, I would argue that a dad who is not that heavily involved in domestic duties would be a dad who doesn’t have a healthy marriage. Yes. That’s how important it is these days.
I have been saying for years now, that in our modern American culture, a man can not be a good husband unless he is a also good father. And by good husband, I mean he is extremely involved as a domestic helpmate, in addition to being faithful and loving to his wife. Good husband and good father in inseparable terms.
But in addition to “Mr. Mom” being an outdated and irrelevant term, I feel the same is happening with “stay-at-home dad” as well. Here’s why:
I am actually working to make money (with my side hustles) alongside also working to save money (by staying home with the kids).
All of my free time is spent generating income for my family.
I don’t binge-watch Netflix. I don’t take naps. I don’t scroll Facebook on my phone.
Instead, whenever I am not responsible for catering to the physical or emotional needs of another member of my family, I am either working as a freelance writer or producing YouTube videos.
(At this point in time, most people still don’t realize how much money YouTubers can make if they do it right… but I have figured out the formula, after years of practice.)
So in addition to it not being ironic to share the domestic duties, I am also spending any free time working from home. And this includes after everyone else has gone to sleep (including my wife) and in the middle of the night when I have to wake up to get our daughter back to sleep.
Does this make me special? I would think not.
I would have to imagine it is quite normal for the modern dad who stays at home with his kids to also have some kind of side hustle going on.
It’s all about having a hobby that makes my family money, not one that costs us money. I submit this is normal.
Since I make supplemental income from this blog and my YouTube channels, it’s this simple:
If I’m not working, I’m not making money.
It technically costs me money to not be working, as every new blog post and every new video I publish increases my SEO and subscribership, and therefore, my income.
Undeniably, it’s important to my identity that I’m providing income for my family in some way, in addition to taking care of the kids; while my wife, who has a master’s degree, is out making the big bucks.
So yeah, “stay-at-home dad” doesn’t quite cut it. Maybe it’s more like “stay-at-home dad who works from home”.
Just binge-watching Netflix all day and letting my daughter enjoy “independent play” with her toys at my feet while I scroll through Facebook on my phone and scarf down whatever the vegan equivalent of Totino’s Pizza Rolls is?
Yeah, that’s totally not what I do all day…
Here’s my reality:
6:07 AM – 6:58 AM
Get woken up by both kids after having likely gotten up in the middle of the night to help my daughter back to sleep who is currently teething. Feed and dress both children, while uploading a new video to one of my 3 current YouTube channels.
7:28
Engage both kids in playing with their toys and/or each other while I unload the dishwasher, or quickly take a shower, or even attempt to feed myself.
8:20
Walk my son across the street to where his school bus picks him up, while holding my daughter who is wrapped up in a blanket.
8:21 – 9:15
Practice Johnny Cash songs for one of my upcoming YouTube channels while my daughter plays with her toys.
9:16
Get interrupted when my daughter walks up to me, places her tiny hand on the neck of my guitar, and says, “No.”
9:17
Spend the next 20 minutes getting her to sleep for her morning nap. Shoot new YouTube videos the entire time she’s asleep.
10:40
Take her back downstairs, start uploading another video to another one of my YouTube channels, and play with my daughter.
11:15
Feed my daughter yogurt and oatmeal, which makes a disastrous mess that I have to clean up. Try to eat Ramen noodles while feeding her.
12:03 PM
While uploading another new video, possibly take her out for a ride to go run a tedious errand like picking up bananas from Publix. Let her ride in the kiddie cart which allows her to believe she’s actually steering.
1:07
Arrive home and feed my daughter again. Attempt to give her another nap. If successful, begin shooting more YouTube videos, or write a blog post like the one you’re reading now.
3:00
Answer the phone as my wife calls to check in, while barely keeping my daughter from curiously pressing the “end” button on my phone the whole time.
3:23
Upload a new video while rolling around on the carpet, gently wrestling with my daughter.
4:08
Go outside to meet my son, who just arrived home from school from his bus.
4:09 – 4:23
Force my son to eat something before his blood sugar level causes him to “misbehave.” Feed my daughter again, while I’m at it.
4:24
Welcome my wife home from work, help her prepare dinner or take the kids upstairs to play while she takes care of dinner.
5:17
Attempt to make it through dinner, while serving as referee for the kids who are never interested in eating food during dinner, while I desperately am.
5:43
Entertain the kids while my wife cleans up from dinner, or vice-versa.
6:41
Head upstairs with both kids and tag-team getting them both ready for bed.
8:17
Now that the kids are both asleep, spend quality time with my wife.
9:15
After my wife has fallen asleep, lead her downstairs to get ready for bed. Upload a longer YouTube video that will upload during the night.
10:37
Fall asleep, assuming I’ll be woken up by my daughter in a few hours.
That’s my day.
Now granted, on Tuesdays and Thursdays my daughter is at preschool from 7:00 AM to 4:00 PM, but on those days, all I do all day long is make YouTube videos, upload them, and write blog posts.
It’s actually less work when my daughter is with me all day.
I’m not simply staying at home with being a dad. I’m constantly working on my side hustles when I’m not taking care of my daughter.
I can honestly say I didn’t have to work this hard when I still worked full-time in an office.
Yet still, I prefer to do this.
I would choose this even if it were a choice, which it wasn’t.
It’s crazy to think it’s been a whole year since I got my black Chuck Taylors for Christmas. Despite them only costing 40 bucks, I refrained from wearing them in 2017. I didn’t want to break them in and get them scuffed up, as if there were some epic event coming up in which I would need them in spotless condition; like my national TV debut or something…
Especially now that I’ve been at stay-at-home dad, for exactly 2 months as of today, it’s not like I really even get out of the house much anymore in situations where anyone would be need to be impressed by the sight of me.
But this past weekend, I decided to finally wear my unnecessarily sanctified Chuck Taylors that I got from my wife last year for Christmas.
It just so happens that Santa happened to be visiting this part of Tennessee, at a health store in Columbia, of all places. Sounds about right for a vegetarian/vegan family like mine to see Santa there, right?
Since the day was going so well and we were already having such great quality family time together, we decided to go out for dinner, at the same place we tried for the first time just the week before:
We originally found the place when my son wanted to go on a “hike” on the giant hill next to the place. On our way back down the hill, he noticed a giant inflatable dragon through one of the windows. Being the biggest Pokemon fan I know, it’s the kind of thing that captured his attention.
When we got home, he immediately asked, “Mommy, can we go to the Viking pizza place with the big dragon?
That’s successful marketing right there: Place giant dragon on the restaurant floor. Have 7 year-old boy notice it. Have the boy’s whole family show up.
But once we arrived, my wife and I realized this was no gimmick. This was real pizza, cooked right there in the middle of the restaurant in a really expensive wood-fired oven.
And of course, because the folks at Viking Pizza Co. are paying attention to the fact that 6% of Americans are now vegan, I was easily able to order Daiya cheese on my veggie pizza. (They also have gluten-free crust, for those who prefer it.)
They were even courteous and proactive enough to bring over raw dough for my kids (and wife) to play with, which was a lifesaver, as it easily occupied my hungry son’s attention while our pizzas were carefully crafted; unlike a fast-food chain pizza joint.
The owners, Brandon and Kelly Jones, are so cool, down-to-earth, and proud that they have been able to bring a delicious, high quality, family friendly, restaurant experience in a town that is riddled with predictable and insulting-to-the-intelligence chain restaurants.
There’s a certain rewarding feeling you get when you take your family to a place like this. You know you are voting with your dollars what you want in your town. Just a few weeks ago, much of Spring Hill was emotionally affected by the iconic silo been torn down, so that a fried chicken chain-restaurant could go up.
So it’s yet another reason to want to support Viking Pizza Co. It’s like rebelling against the mainstream. There’s something quite viking about the concept…
Similarly, my wife and I are also huge fans of Legacy Coffee Company, which up until a few weeks ago, was a pick-up truck pulling a trailer. Now, they’ve set up shop inside of Viking Pizza Co.
We love supporting local! And it helps when local is awesome, like with Viking and Legacy.
So at last, I’ve broke in my black Chuck Taylors. I feel good about it. I just had to wait for the right deserving event.
Family Friendly Daddy Blog 