Dad Takes the Caregiver Reigns

My wife handed me the reins this morning.

I‘ve been an at-home dad for two years, but since my wife, Lori, has also been unemployed, she’s been right there with me. She has handled most of the duties with our son, Jake, while I was at NYU studying for a journalism certificate, but when I wasn’t in class or doing assignments, I was her parental understudy preparing for the day that she would find a job.

That day came recently when Lori got the call from her agency saying she had been hired as a designer by G-III Apparel.

She was overjoyed. She cried in my arms for 20 minutes. I’m so happy for her. It’s her first full-time position since she was let go from her previous job five years ago. She wasn’t sure that she would ever find work again.

I’m happy for us, too. We’ll now have a steady income for the first time since I lost my job in December of 2011.

So, now it’s just Daddy and Jake — The Two Musketeers.

I’m really excited, even though at first I was a little hesitant.

Would Jake be OK having me around full time? Would he be OK seeing Lori for just an hour on week days before he goes to bed? Am I ready to handle any crises that might come up? Do I have the patience to handle any monkey business fairly and with a level head?

Others have done this for a long time, why can’t I?

I just need to have confidence in myself and not always think, “What would Lori do?”  I’m in charge.

Who knows — it might turn out to be the best job I ever had.