The Next Chapter

A few days from now will mark the beginning of a new, and by far the most important, chapter in my life: I'm going to become a stay-at-home dad, at least for the next 10 weeks. My wife, who has been the primary caregiver of our four-month old son since he was born, is going back to work. She is an amazing wife and an even more amazing mother; it humbles me to watch her interact with our son, to see the love and caring shine from her eyes every time they meet his. But it's time to pass me the torch--and by torch I mean diaper bag, baby bottle, and roughly six metric tons of assorted baby paraphernalia. I'm confident that somewhere in this tonnage is our actual baby, but I'll have to look hard.

In talking with friends and co-workers, seems that not too many other new fathers take an extended time off from work to be a stay-at-home daddy. What I'm doing is something of a rarity, then, in our society. I've never shied away from being an oddball, though, so bring on the dirty diapers! (While you're at it, maybe throw in a hazmat suit or two. Thanks.)

Still, I'm a bit apprehensive about this new adventure. Not scared, just apprehensive. And not so much because I'll be the sole caregiver for our son during the day. After all, by now I'm a veteran diaper changer, I genuinely enjoy intereacting with our boy and the bottle feeding is well-established. More, what I'm apprehensive about is unplugging myself from the working world. I'll most certainly be "working" as I take care of our boy, but what will be missing from the equation is intellectual challenge, problem solving and adult interaction. These things are as vital to my mental health as is water and food to my physical health. I think most people feel the same way, though they perhaps don't realize the extent to which their professional lives factor in to their emotional well-being.

That said, taking care of a four-month old full-time will present its own challenges and problem solving opportunities, and I look forward to these. I'll be unplugging from one outlet and plugging into another; hopefully this new outlet has surge protection. But what I look forward to most is getting to know my son better.

Wish me luck as I turn the page. And to all you new or soon-to-be fathers out there, I hope you have the opportunity to write a similar chapter in your book.