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There have been quite a few changes in my life in 2013. One of the biggest changes for us was that we haven’t had to utilize daycare, whereas in 2012 my children went to a Christian daycare just about full-time.
To be honest I wasn’t the biggest fan of daycare and I say this because I am an overprotective parent on this issue. I didn’t care to have someone that I didn’t know caring for and teaching my children. And because I didn’t care for daycare providers my wife and I avoided them as long as we could. For many years my mother in-law watched our children and we were very blessed that she did that for us.
What I did like about having my children go to daycare is how it gave the children a place to build relationships with other children. My son learned how to interact with other children which is something that I couldn’t teach him on my own. This actually could not have come at a better time with kindergarten is just around the corner for him. My son was also able to learn structure and take instruction from teachers rather than just his parents or family members. I think this kind of stuff is important for children.
But in 2013 after our daycare provider shut its doors at the end of December, my wife and I decided we would try to balance our schedules to avoid having to find a new daycare and pay well over$1,000 each month. Saving $1,000 or more each month has allowed for me to work less and spend more time with my children.
It has been more than just spending more time with my children. I have been able to take my daughter to school and pick her up each day (at least on the days I am not working). I have been on numerous outings with my son which has given me time to bond with him as well as be there for teaching moments. After school I have frequently taken my children to the local RC car racetrack where they either practice driving their own RC car around the track or just flip over RC cars that have wrecked. I think that they enjoy flipping over the cars on some days rather than driving their RC cars.
I have been able to learn and bond with my children in the last 4 months and have loved every minute of it. I continue to work 3 to 4 days a week (most weeks), which allows for me to almost feel like a stay at home dad. Unfortunately financially speaking, this is just something that can’t be a reality at the moment. I have a plan to be a working stay at home dad but it is a slow process.
There has been a shift in the roles and structure of the “traditional family”. Many wives find themselves excelling up the corporate ladder while their husbands end up focusing less on their careers and more on the family. I have read and observed for myself that wives don’t seem to skip a beat in their families. Wives work, clean and cook while working full time jobs. My wife enjoys working though she does admit that she wishes she could work less days a week. I hope that someday soon I can grant that wish.
I find that the older I get the more I realize how the traditional ways of thinking in regards to employment and family structure just don’t apply anymore. Mothers use to take care of the home while the husbands would work the same job for 30 years and eventually retire having missed a great deal of their children’s lives. Mothers and fathers now share both home responsibilities and the work responsibilities.
If you are lucky like me then you have a wife that can be a home maker as well as a woman that excels in the workforce.
I have found myself wondering off topic but I think the question I would pose to any parent reading this is this. Would you rather have your child in daycare or would you rather be home with them every day. I have heard many parents say that they enjoy having time to themselves while their children are in daycare. I on the other hand can’t wait to see my children when I get off work and pick them up from daycare (when they did go to daycare).
I would love to hear your thoughts. Feel free to comment on this post.
Thanks for reading,
Andrew
