If there is any “secret” or strategy to being a work at home dad, it would be to take advantage of every free minute you have. I am able to spend more time on my business than most at home parents as I neglect things like personal hygeine and cleaning the house. It is a daily battle to keep the boys entertained and still dedicate time to business.
There are occasions that I allow the boys some “lattitude” in what they do during the day. Perhaps I need some extra time to set up my Twitter Account, make a business call, or just post on my blog . . . so I will let them watch a movie or cartoon for while to buy me some time. Television has been the baby sitter of choice for more than 50 years now, so I figure why mess with tradition.
However, I am sure your parents didn’t plop you down in front of TV while a show about Nuclear Weapons was on. As my wife, Mary, knows very well, I tend to watch nerd TV quite frequently; she views my habit with as much disdain as you might have towards using public toilets. So in this afternoon’s quest to become an expert on fission, I forgot to change the channel when Vin and Simon woke up. Not only that, but I also served them lunch and promptly when back to business as usual. It was only when I became distracted my the show did I realise they had been watching for a good 10-15 minutes. Sadly, I can say that this is probably not the worst thing I have let them watch – not that I can remember any particular show right now – I am just sure there has been something worse!
Come to think of it – Vinny yelled out “Stupid Jackass!” yesterday which I believe he got from Shrek. Perhaps not the best cartoon for a toddler.
Any confessions of terrible parenting made here will be kept in strict confidence – just let me know with some comments below!
{ 4 comments… read them below or add one }
My kids have seen Supernatural enough times that my oldest (3) knows the names of the main characters and yells, “SuperNacho!” when he sees photos of them. :S
That’s fantastic! You actually reminded me that my boy, Vinny (3), is a fan of The Office. Even if it is just a commercial or another show/movie that Steve Carell is in – he shouts “Hey, its Michael!”
My son (4) has a favorite saying he got from his dad. “What the hell?” is heard frequently when he can’t figure out what to do on a game or where his sister hid his toys.
Meta – good to hear from you!
That’s a good one – funny thing is that we as parents usually don’t realize how often things slip . . . and it just takes one slip for a toddler to pick up on it.
Just last night my 23 month old Simon blurted out “Son of a bitch!” when he got frustrated with a toy!