Tuesday, May 19, 2009

Union Job

I am so enjoying Spring. It's been nice to be out of the house more. We spend a bit of each week going to the park or biking to the nature center or other parks and taking walks. It's nice because we're not in the apartment all the time, and because we all get more interaction with other people.

We were at a park yesterday where apparently a mother's group meets regularly on Monday mornings (it wasn't obvious that a group was meeting, but I overheard comments about seeing each other next week and sending out emails about upcoming events). I'm not sure that most stay-at-home moms know what to do with stay-at-home dads. I don't impose myself upon them when I'm around them, but I often feel like a pariah in some ways. I've heard other dads say the same thing as well. It's understandable in some ways, but it doesn't make our job any easier.

Thankfully, in my area there is a dad's group. I don't get there as often during warmer weather (mostly because they meet a little further away than they do in the winter), but I still feel connected on some level. It helps to have a few dads in the neighborhood as well.

This definitely isn't a Union job. You've got to make your own support, in some ways. Outside of your spouse, there aren't a lot of people rooting for you. The rewards are definitely worth it, though. Like the Peace Corp, it's the toughest job you'll ever love.