For almost seven months, I was a stay-at-home dad, and for the past five days I have been a working dad. I think I am still transitioning back to my work mode because I heard my boss fart and I involuntarily checked his pants for poop.
I wondered if the kids would be affected because I was returning to work. When I tucked Andrew into bed, I told him I was going to work. He seemed a little concerned and asked me not to go. And when I told Emma, the only concern she showed was towards her Rapunzel doll who did not have her blanket completely covering her. One out of two ain't bad.
After my first week back at work, my 17,366,400 seconds I spent with Emma and Andrew put several things into perspective. I realize that being a stay-at-home parent to toddler twins is much more exhausting and stressful than work. But conversely, staying at home is also full of moments that are much more fulfilling than work such as your child realizing that the toilet seat needs to be up in order to poop.
I also think having the experiencing of staying home for a prolonged period of time makes you appreciate the time you have with your family more and appreciate the work that you do too. Of course, it helps if your job is something that you enjoy doing. I doubt the janitor at a porn theater is thinking, "I love picking up my kids as much as picking up used condoms!"
The bottom line is that I'm really happy and fortunate that I have been able to spend as much time at home with the kids the past three and a half years. Before you know it, Emma and Andrew will be all grown up and off to high school. And I think at that point, I will be really happy and fortunate if I could spend as much time at work as possible.
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