BIG Changes

Yeah yeah yeah, this is one of THOSE posts where I’m serious and talk about things that aren’t funny.

Y’know, the posts that generally don’t get read and skipped over.

Freaking a, it’s like y’all just come here for my outstanding comedy or something! But hey, just bare with me and listen to me gush my feelings out for a bit and I promise that I’ll get back to my silliness in the next post.

Still here?

Haven’t left yet?

Ah I knew you guys loved me!

Y’know, when I started this blog, I did so in order to do two things. One: to document funny moments in my life of parenting for my kids to enjoy in years to come. Two: to give everyone a sort of comedic but heartfelt look into what I go through as a stay at home dad. Given that our situation isn’t as odd as it would have been like twenty to thirty years ago, but still we don’t hear a whole lot from the stay at home dads. It’s a rough job that tests your physical, mental, and emotional stability. I wanted to shed light on what it’s like to be home all day trying to keep your little ankle biters in one piece while all the while missing the heck out of your spouse.

It’s a job I have loved and respected as time has passed. It has given me meaning, joy, trials, and overall just the most rewarding thing I have ever done.

And, well, so it comes to a close.

I am no longer a stay at home dad folks.

I got my old job back in order to help my family’s finances through these challenging times. Not going into too many details about what I’ll be doing as I signed a thingy ma’bob saying I wouldn’t talk about the company on any social platform as this could be seen as unapproved advertising (and I’m sure they’d just be booty tickled about what someone called “The Grumpy Nerd Dad” has to say about them), but suffice to say that I will be working full time while my wife stays home as her job allows her to work from home for the time being (though she gets to now work full time, care for the kids, and do school all at the same time….so…yeah…yaaaaaaaay you go girl).

What does that mean for me you ask?

Well…I don’t know. I feel like I’m leaving the job behind that I loved the most. I have never been happier doing something so freaking hard. Small things that I took for granted that I won’t get to do anymore now seem like the most important thing I did on a daily basis. Waiting outside my daughter‘s door every morning so she can wake up and give me a good morning hug, playing catch the fairy for an hour before school in order to tire my kids out, getting to make their sandwiches just the way they like it and make them butterfly shaped just for the giggles, letting my kids pick out their outfits and telling them how amazing they look no matter how stupid it actually looks, I DIDN’T WANT ANY OF THAT TO END!

And yeah I know these things happen. Things change, circumstances alter, kids get older and grow up, but I didn’t want this any time soon. I don’t think any parent is ready to let go of the simple times when your kids need you and you’re the most important person in their daily lives. The fact that it’s inevitable just makes it that much harder when it does happen. I knew this gig wouldn’t last forever, but the time has come and I just want one more week with them…

My son and I have a nap time ritual where we listen to a piano song together and I rock him while singing “twinkle twinkle little star “ before he takes a nap. Well I was getting emotional the other day while rocking him and I said “hey buddy, daddy has to start working next week so I don’t think I’ll be here to sing to you for a while.” His response was to hug my shirt and say “daddy no work” over and over again.

Oh, and my daughter? I told her that I’d be starting my old job soon and that I won’t be around as much to play with her. Her response? Was it forlorn yet understanding? Did she comfort me and remind me that everything is temporary including the hard times? No, she burst into tears and asked if this meant she won’t have daddy anymore.

Soooooooo yeah…

Been an emotional time to say the least.

Honestly, it makes me think about when my wife first got her job and our roles reversed. She went from being the stay at home parent to the one leaving…and I just can’t imagine how hard that was. Like I’m struggling as their father of course, but she’s their mom. She carried both of those monsters for 9 months…each!!! How do you say goodbye to seeing them all day every day when they were literally a part of you for so long?

Parenting is hard folks.

It is often an anxiety inducing, messy, painful, and thankless job that will shorten your life expectancy…but I would do it all over again. So I just want to take a moment to recognize all of you. To the working mom who has to be away from her babies, to the ones who stay home to raise them, to the dads who have to figure out the whole nurture with love thing like I did, to the dads who need to work to support, heck, to parents everywhere who are just trying their best:

Thank you.

You are doing awesome.

So anyways, what does this mean for my blog? Well, I still love writing so I guess I’m going to keep it up. Gonna be harder to post regularly since my free time just got massacred, but I will do my best for you all!

As for me, don’t worry my grumps as I will be fine. My kids will be happy with their momma and I will be adequately distracted while working. And my daughter decided to make me a “goodbye” card with her momma’s help so I could take it and hang it up in my office

Isn’t that just perfect…not that I will actually have an office to hang it up in BUT NO MATTER! I think I will be taking it with me to work every day anyways…

Anyways my grumps, that’ll wrap it up. I will be seeing you all soon, I’m sure of it.

Until then…

Wash your freaking hands ya animals!

Oh, and of course:

Stay classy, stay safe, and, above all else,

Stay grumpy.

Always.