I missed International Men’s Day.
The irony is not lost on me.
Why? I was focused on being a provider all day.
Before your hypocrisy meter spins into red – not the type of provider that men have historically been forced to embrace. No, the type of provider that we’re pushing for at The Company of Dads, where we work to help families fulfill their full potential.
So on #IMD2024 I did some of the most masculine stuff a man who calls himself a provider can do in this still-evolving world of work and home.
My wife was in the city all day. My dad wasn’t available to come down. And our beloved caregiver was away at a family memorial. I was it.
So I provided for my family.
How did it go? Here’s the day.
I was up early to let the dogs out and get breakfast ready for my youngest daughter. By 7:20 we were in the car for the trip to her school.
At 8:30 I rolled into my driveway to get the second set of daughters for school drop-off – calling ahead so one of them could put a piece of bread in the toaster and swipe peanut butter on it when it came out.
I was back home at 9:05, found the dog’s leashes for later, and went up to my office for our regular 9:15 team call. That rolled into another call at 10:15, which was fun and fascinating.
I caught up on emails at 11:15 while eating an early lunch. I was out the door at 12pm for PT – pinched nerve from last week’s work-trip.
I was back home at 1:15 in time for a 1:30 call. At 2, I left to get in the car line with my laptop to keep treading water with work. I’ve learned to make good use of the wait time.
At 3, the two older daughters got in the car. I dropped the oldest off at an activity at 3:15 and bought some gum with the middle one a few minutes later. We then embarked on the hour-long trip to get the youngest. My middle used the hotspot on her iPhone to do her homework; I listened to the news.
We got home at 4:40 and this is where the plan nearly fell apart. I had too much time to get back to work with any focus but not enough time to get dinner ready, plated and eaten before I picked up my oldest daughter at 6. I supervised some homework. I did a quick walk with the dogs. Some more emailing. And then I put my middle in charge of finishing up the dinner. She loves setting a timer – ideal for pulling food out of the oven before it burns!
By 6:30 we were eating. And then my youngest asked her oldest sister to put her to bed, leaving me to clean up with the middle one.
Success!
What’s the lesson for Lead Dads?
1) Provider is an expansive term.
2) Planning is key.
3) Delegate to kids; it’s empowering.
4) Anything is manageable for a short period, but help is crucial.
5) Know tomorrow will be different – for better or worse.
