Embracing Change

For the first 8 years of our relationship Jesse was the bread-winner. I worked part-time here and there and then after Adelle was born I've hardly earned any money at all. Of course, being a mom and a student is a job unto itself. But starting January this year, Jesse and I had a role reversal. We entered new territory in our relationship. I wondered what it would be like...especially with a new baby.

It's safe to say that Monday through Friday I have to ask Jesse when Ivan last ate, napped, or pooped. Jesse has developed a preference for those name brand diapers now because they don't leak (as much). He picks out Adelle's outfits. He makes breakfast, lunch, and sometimes dinner. He does the dishes, does the laundry, and takes the kids with him to run errands and to the park. He notices strangers arriving to the park in separate vehicles to have a secret make-out session. He is eager to talk to me when I get home from work because it's likely he has had next to no adult conversation yet that day.

In essence, he is like so many other stay-at-home parents. It's a role I guess I never would have pictured him in when Adelle was first born. And yet, he's so perfect for it and so very good at it. He's mostly worked for himself from home all these years. I wasn't too worried that it would be hard for him staying at home.

There are some things that are special about having a stay-at-home Dad versus a stay-at-home Mom. For example, our kids are more likely to go hiking or hunting in the woods than go to the Mall. I love that our kids are going to have an amazingly close relationship with Jesse. Not all kids, but a lot, either have an emotionally distant father who works full-time or one that is absent altogether (like I had). Not a day goes by that I don't stop to appreciate Jesse and everything that he does.