by "shop-teacher" (shop-teacher)
Published 12/21/2017 at 22:42
by "shop-teacher" (shop-teacher)
Published 12/21/2017 at 22:42
Tags: Dadlopnik
STARS: 15
Today was a monumental day. It was my daughters’ last day of daycare. My wife’s office is closed tomorrow, and I’ll be watching the girls next week while my wife finishes her last week at work. After that, mama is staying home with the girls. She’ll still do some freelance work from home (she’s a graphic designer), but no more being miserable at a company that’s circling the drain, while our daughters watch TV at the house of a daycare provider who clearly doesn’t want to do it anymore. It’s a happy day!
Here are some Legos the big one was playing with tonight, to make this vaguely vehicular related :)
"Ash78, voting early and often" (ash78)
12/22/2017 at 00:00, STARS: 1
Welcome to the darkside! There’s no going back. For better or worse, my wife wanted to stay at home from Day 1, so it’s been quite a struggle, both financially and for her sanity (the biggest thing: losing all of that built-in adult contact of an office setting, the realizing that entire days go by where you’re only speaking to children).
It’s going to be great, just take the transition slowly! Holiday breaks are a good time.
"E92M3" (E46M3)
12/22/2017 at 00:06, STARS: 3
Good luck! It will be so worth it. I didn’t say easy, but worth it. If there’s one thing children need more of these days, it’s your time. Quality time, not being occupied with a screen.
"Chan - Mid-engine with cabin fever" (superchan7)
12/22/2017 at 00:08, STARS: 1
Congrats on the big change and good luck!
"ttyymmnn" (ttyymmnn)
12/22/2017 at 00:18, STARS: 2
Congratulations. Stopping daycare is like getting a raise. I’ve been a stay-home dad for the last 15 years. It was hell when my younger twin boys were babies, but we made it.
"ttyymmnn" (ttyymmnn)
12/22/2017 at 00:19, STARS: 4
We decided we wanted the kids to be home with a parent, and that parent turned out to be me. It’s been 15 years now, and the day they were all in school together was a glorious day.
"shop-teacher" (shop-teacher)
12/22/2017 at 07:03, STARS: 0
We talked about it when our first was born, but I was making a lot less then and my wife was still relatively happy at her job. When number two came along, we discussed it again. I was making a little more, but we were happy with our daycare provider and she decided to stay working so that I wouldn’t have to work longer hours and lose time with the girls. Now I’m making more still, and our daycare situation had deteriorated greatly. It was time to pull the trigger. We’ll need to be frugal, but we can afford what we need without worrying.
"shop-teacher" (shop-teacher)
12/22/2017 at 07:05, STARS: 2
When it came time to choose a career path, I had two options. Both of which I liked. I could go into construction, or into teaching. I chose teaching so I could be with my kids more. I’m really happy that my wife is going to get to spend a ton of time with them too.
"shop-teacher" (shop-teacher)
12/22/2017 at 07:07, STARS: 2
We’re losing an income, so it’s still.a net pay cut, but we’ll be ok.. I make a fair bit more than I did when our first was born, and I can start picking up after school supervisions that I always had to pass on so I could pick the girls up from daycare.
"shop-teacher" (shop-teacher)
12/22/2017 at 07:07, STARS: 0
Thanks!
"davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com" (davesaddiction)
12/22/2017 at 11:44, STARS: 0
Fantastic! What kind of design work does your wife specialize in?
"davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com" (davesaddiction)
12/22/2017 at 11:44, STARS: 1
You’re giving a great gift to your family. Well done, dad.
"shop-teacher" (shop-teacher)
12/22/2017 at 12:24, STARS: 1
She’s a digital designer. She’s been working in the toy industry mostly for the last 12 years.
"shop-teacher" (shop-teacher)
12/22/2017 at 12:24, STARS: 1
Thanks! I’m excited to be able to do it.
"davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com" (davesaddiction)
12/22/2017 at 20:26, STARS: 1
Awesome! What’s her coolest client/product so far?
"shop-teacher" (shop-teacher)
12/22/2017 at 22:16, STARS: 1
Up until recently, her company designed most of the Happy Meal toys and manufactured a lot of them.
"davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com" (davesaddiction)
12/23/2017 at 00:06, STARS: 1
Nice - that would be a fun challenge to make something a kid would enjoy but that costs almost nothing to make.
"shop-teacher" (shop-teacher)
12/23/2017 at 09:35, STARS: 1
That’s just a fraction of the challenge. Since it’s a free toy for the consumer, it has to pass through much tougher safety standards that a retail toy. And there’s a whole different set of challenges that I’m actually not sure I’m allowed to talk about. Let me just say .... Executives
"davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com" (davesaddiction)
12/23/2017 at 13:14, STARS: 1
Haha, I’m sure.