When I decided to take an extended time off work so my partner could return to her work my overarching emotion was one of excitement. However, I must admit there was a slight feeling of apprehension. Could I do as good a job as my partner had done for the last 9 months in keeping our daughter fed, cleaned and entertained? What would it be like being one of the few blokes at the various parent and baby classes?
And my experience now I’ve taken on the baton? It’s one of the best decisions I’ve ever made. Although sometimes it’s felt like I’m running a hotel restaurant – prep for breakfast, serve food, clean down the mess and then repeat again for lunch and dinner – it’s been amazing to see our daughter grow day by day, learning new skills gradually and experiencing new things all the time. Has it been hard work? At times, but not nearly as hard as it would have been for my partner during the first 9 months.
The other mums have been really friendly and open to having a dad within their midst. If anything, the main disappointment has been seeing that more dads don’t take up the option of shared parental leave or similar opportunities to be more hands on. All the other dads I’ve spoken to who have similarly taken time off to become the primary carer have shared the sentiment that if your employer is supportive then it’s definitely worth taking the opportunity to spend unparalleled time with your child.