Sometimes, when you have something great, you don’t realize how great it is…until you don’t have it anymore.
Returning to teaching on a part-time basis has limited my participation in the NYC Dads Group events as well as limited my quality time with the little guy the past few weeks as I get acclimated to balancing work & life. Don’t get me wrong, I am happy to be teaching again – it continues to be rewarding. As expected, I miss spending quality time with my son on the few days I am at work. Therefore, I make it a priority to be tuned in more to parenting (less phone calls, less blogging during the day, less emails, less “me” time) so the time I spend together with my son is quality.
Today, I got the ultimate combination of bonding time with my son and socialization with some of the caring dads in our dads group. After two miserable days of rain, the NYC Dads Group returned to Battery Park City to join the Battery Park City Conservancy’s play-date for babies, toddlers, and pre-schoolers at scenic Wagner Park. Rangers from the Conservancy bring toys, balls, books, gym mats, water tables, push toys, tunnels, etc. to provide a safe, and very fun environment for children of all ages. The grassy section of Wagner Park is mainly fenced in (only two exits) so that enables the children to roam and explore safely.
I enjoyed the experience of rolling around the grass and acting silly with my son as we watched the boats cruise around the river. After being at work the past two days & my son at his daycare – the two of us treasured our time together. Additionally, eight other dads from the group were playing in the area with their children and this provided ample opportunity to catch up and receive/share some parenting advice. A fun outing is always made even better by kicking back and grabbing a pizza lunch with the other dads & their kids after we were done playing. As I reflect, I realize how fortunate I am to be so plugged into the life of my son…and I realize how lucky I am to be a part of such an interesting, helpful, and awesome community of dads.
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