In the city (our old life) my husband worked full time, and I parented fulltime (oh, right, while working from home full time) . This meant I had massive contact day to day, hour to hour, minute to minute with our three kids.
I raised the kids, as I would raise kids. I liked them… my hubby had the odd complaint.
With the 2 girls, it wasn’t such an issue
When our bouncing baby boy came along, it became more obvious
I am nurturing to my kids. I snuggle and hug them when they cry (even if they are being pathetic sissy’s by my man’s standards.)
In our new life, hubby is home. He is doing school drop offs. He is spending hours a day at daycare adjusting our son to a new routine. He is taking a full time roll in parenting (don’t worry, I am still parenting full time too)
This evening as my eldest and I were doing the washing up, he and “the boy” took the truck-tor down the big, big hill. As the dishes lay drying and the bath was running I heard the truck-tor start back up as they made their way home.
I took my glass of wine out on the deck and there they were… my men.
Son on dads lap, driving the truck-tor (which is really just a riding mower, but what the hay) smiling and pointing at things. Then my boy, my 2.5 yr old boy took the wheel. With gentle nudging my hubby helped him steer straight, he didn’t hit the tree, he didn’t even hit the blind dog.
It is one of those moments when you see your baby become a boy, and you see the manly man your boy may possibly become.
And it is because my hubby is here with him. This gentle moments of riding the truck-tor( seriously I do not want to drive that thing). It is catching snakes (blech) and mice (OMG) and all things icky.
I remember a quote, a mother is a safe harbour and a father is the open sea. I will always be here to nurture and love my children, and will adventure with them in my amazing ways… but my husband adds such another level to their lives and their experiences and I am grateful he is here, devoting this time to building our children as I am.