Please don't read this and let it put you off being a House Husband but please take it into consideration. Don't just take it for granted that "this would never happen to me..."
And the cat's in the cradle and the silver spoon...
'Twas a quiet mid October evening in 2004 when I first performed one of the most important rituals all fathers must under go as they raise their children. The Pulling of the Finger. I recall the events of that magical night...
After we had discussed the goings on of Day care that day, (apparently the oldest got into trouble for pulling his pants down and pointing his bum at a group of girls), I decided it was time. There was just some primeval 6th sense inside of me that told me "now is the time".
So I pointed my finger at him and said the words that will stay with me forever;
"Son, pull my finger".
Thankfully I was able to perform with perfect timing and the look on his face was priceless. He didn't know wether to look amazed or laugh or both. In fact he took my hand to make sure I didn’t have anything in it and when he couldn't find anything he said;
"Dad your finger is magic! Can you do it again?"
"Sorry boy. The magic has worn off for now. Maybe in the morning".
Sadly like so many childhood mysteries, the magic faded and they discovered the secret behind this mysterious event. But today brigs a new joy. As I'm trucking the boys and their mates to soccer training I hear from the back seat, "Hey pull my finger and see what happens."
From Father to Son it passes and so it will continue throughout the ages like a farmer handing over his land to his oldest son or a Mason sharing the secret handshake and the names of the next 4 American Presidents.
Sorry to all the people who have entered comments here recently. I've decided to start using blogger's comments instead of teh HaloScan comments since I seemed to lose the old ones after a few weeks.
I'll investigate a way of bringing them across to the new system however I'm not sure if this is going to be possible.
As my kids get older I am finding more and more restrictions placed on my Easter Egg eating habits. You see ever since they’ve been available, the Easter Bunny has always brought me a 1kg chocolate egg and in the glorious years Nestle made them, I was showered with a 1.2kg whopper. On top of that is all the stuff I get from the rest of my family. When totalled, some years it will equal the land mass of a small Pacific Nation. My problem now is that with my kids at ages 4 and 5, I have fewer and fewer opportunities to actually eat it.
The first encroachment on my Easter Egg eating rights came 3 years ago when we were at my parents house for the holidays. As usual, I received a gluttonously large amount of chocolate and so did my Father. The problem was that for the first time, we were unable to wallow around the lounge room groaning under the weight of our sweet, sweet bounty. If we did, then by rights the boys should be able to have some as well. In case you're not aware, 2 year olds and large amounts of chocolate don't mix very well and it’s quite impossible to hide it from them.
At first we tried to trick them.
“Dad, what are you eating? Is it chocolate?”
“No son it’s just a carrot.”
“But Daaaaad carrots aren’t that colour! Show me the carrot you’re eating! Hey you’re eating Easter Eggs aren’t you!! Where’s my Easter Eggs?! I want my Easter Eggs!!! EEEEEGGGGGGSSSSS!!!!”
After being outsmarted by 1 and 2 year boys, we were forced to indulge in hiding. No longer could I laze on the lounge, lovingly cradling an Easter Egg bigger than my own head. Instead, if we wanted any of the good stuff we were forced to hide out in our rooms and lock our doors as if we were 14 year olds armed with an underwear catalogue and a box of tissues.
And so it has been from that year to this. While kilos and kilos of chocolate lay hidden in my wardrobe, mocking me from the musty darkness, I'm constantly monitoring the boys for the slightest sign of tiredness. If only the boys had a sleep I could have some chocolate.
“Don’t you feel tired boys? Wouldn’t a sleep feel so good? I wish I could have a sleep. Sleeps are sooooo much fun. Hmmmmm sleeeeeeep."
But no. Of course even the small amount of chocolate they are allowed to have is more than enough to keep them wide awake.
So now every Easter for the foreseeable future, I’m forbidden to eat Easter Eggs in daylight hours and am instead destined to scarf them down during the night like some kind of Vampire with an eating disorder.
I've always wanted to do an audio entry on House Husband Diaries but never in a millions years did I think the first one would be a recording of my 4 and 5 year old boys singing My Hump by Black Eyed Peas!
I've put this up so everyone can hear what I have to put up with every day because of Saturday bloody morning TV music shows!
November 18, 2008 Anonymous Damn...it's horrible when someone takes advantage of this sort of vulnerability, especially when she put you in that position. Hope you can bounce back and find a new groove. Best of luck.
March 06, 2009 Unknown Hi...I'd like to interview a recent SAHD who made the decision to stay at home with the babies due in part to having difficulty in the tough job market.
I'm working on an Associated Press story about the economy. Thanx!
March 20, 2020 Anonymous 由公關承擔部分費用，實屬無奈)，與酒店公關們有關的，舉凡從年初就開始的「春酒、西洋情人節、白色情人節、端午和中秋等連假、七夕情人節、周年慶、聖誕節、尾牙、外加如夏季海灘或馬甲之夜」，幾乎每隔1~2個月就會有中大型活動，且公告千篇一律是禁休禁下，與多上且酒店S早到的天數限制，除了髮妝要做特殊造型外，必要時還要購置單一活動服，最怕是賣3~5000元禮券，和幾大框、幾小框的節數壓力。 重點是把消費者胃口養大後，店家與公關再怎麼努力，也滿足不了客人的比較心態，最後壓力還是會落在最基層的公關身上。網路世代，每位客人認識3~5個幹部以上是常態(同桌3人就有10幾個幹部資訊可比較了，還不包括外圍小蜜蜂們)，而幹部隨時有固定3~5家類似店的帶桌去處，店家為了爭取業績，往往只能無奈配合客人單方面無理的要求。《目前市場類似超商模式》 目前市場制度已屬僵化，舉凡回單金額、看檯模式、1節10分鐘、包廂小費等，都不會有大幅度的改變，就如同我們之前文章說到類似「全球化、WTO模式」，簡單的比喻就如同5大連鎖超商(小7、全家、萊爾富、OK、福客多)，其中產品價格和酒店花名服務沒有太多差異性，櫃台人員的工作內容也一樣，所以超商櫃台人員，很像公關的處境，雖然容易跳槽但薪資僵化，即使遇到奧客也都是第一線的公關來面對，即使做再多折扣與額外服務，客人也覺得是應該的。所以公關遇到瓶頸即使換店，也難有太多的突破。 有沒有辦法改變這僵化的狀態?有的，我們以【舒壓館】為例，提供其他方向來擺脫此窘境。《開心快樂賺到錢》我們團隊提供2個改變方向，一是酒店文化傳統方式為自我成長與突破(我們文章很多，可以往前看或到我們官網了解。)，二就是創新模式(更換到不同類型)，我們這裡說的換跑道不是單純換同性質店，如同現在的電商模式取代實體店面，uber顛覆計程車的運作。也就是新的遊戲規則，店家才有正常利潤，公關們才可以雨露均霑，把利潤其大化，把資源重新配置，錢花在刀口上。以下以【舒壓館】說明:1.裝潢極簡化(客人是找公關不是找裝潢)，可降低成本，店家回收率快，經營壓力小，更不會轉嫁給公關。2.包廂數降低至一半以下，以往業績店要衝高酒店工作時間生意量，相對要更多的行政、更多的包廂，在生意流量不夠時，反而造成店家龐大的成本開銷。(據聞有店家勉強開設午
April 23, 2020 Love Spell/Genuine Spell Caster I am a very happy woman with the help of Lord Krish Spiritual who helped me restore my relationship with my ex husband. My name is Agnes Smith and I am from Alaska, USA. I met Lord Krish Spiritual through a testimony online and I never thought I would have my ex husband back after 4 years of separation. After my contact with his email, he told me not to worry and I would really be happy as I am now. Trusting in his words was a right decision for me. After 2 days, my ex husband called me that he wants to return back to me and live with me forever and I was very shocked. This made me believe in Lord Krish is really a very great spiritual man. Today, I am very happy to write this testimony about him and want others to testify to his power as I am currently happy in my restored marriage. Contact Lord Krish Spiritual through his email at lordkrishshrine@gmail.com to help you solve that relationship problems in your marriage.
May 10, 2008 Anonymous Aww honey. I'm sorry. I am about to be an ex-wife so I feel your pain.
July 01, 2008 Anonymous Oh my god, I am so sorry this has happened to you. I can't even imagine the kind of pain you must have felt, and continue to feel. To be honest, I can't think of something to say that would amount to anything at all. Just know that you have wonderful children that will always bless your life. I am not married, but I think if I were and this happened, that holding to my children would be the thing that kept me going. I will keep you in my thoughts, and hope for the best for you. Best of luck, hang in there.
I'm so sorry to hear of this. I can't imagine how you must feel. This really sucks and I'm sorry to hear of it. Hang in there it does get better.
I'm divorced and remarried about 7 years ago. The divorce's pain was impossible to fully describe and the pain incomprehensible unless you've gone through it.
Therapy and time and God's Grace. It's almost insulting to say that's how I got through it. But that's how it happened for me.
We didn't have kids so it wasn't as obnoxiously complex as other divorces I've heard.
To her great credit my ex apologized for the three (3) affairs she had (eventually I discovered and deduced a pattern) and did everything she could to salvage a relationship with me as a friend. So there's that.
I learned a ton and it shaped me in a way I'm grateful for, though I'm none too excited about going through such a searing experience like that again.
It made me a better dad and husband the second time around. I have a hair trigger on the Therapist's speed dial number. No screwing around with that stuff anymore.
Hang tough. Your kids and your friends love you. Seek out and pay for help because you may be, well, kinda crazy right now. I was.
February 04, 2011 mewmewmew Oh my god, I am so sorry this has happened to you. I can't even imagine the kind of pain you must have felt, and continue to feel. To be honest, I can't think of something to say that would amount to anything at all. Just know that you have wonderful children that will always bless your life. I am not married, but I think if I were and this happened, that holding to my children would be the thing that kept me going. I will keep you in my thoughts, and hope for the best for you. Best of luck, hang in there.
April 23, 2020 Love Spell/Genuine Spell Caster I am a very happy woman with the help of Lord Krish Spiritual who helped me restore my relationship with my ex husband. My name is Agnes Smith and I am from Alaska, USA. I met Lord Krish Spiritual through a testimony online and I never thought I would have my ex husband back after 4 years of separation. After my contact with his email, he told me not to worry and I would really be happy as I am now. Trusting in his words was a right decision for me. After 2 days, my ex husband called me that he wants to return back to me and live with me forever and I was very shocked. This made me believe in Lord Krish is really a very great spiritual man. Today, I am very happy to write this testimony about him and want others to testify to his power as I am currently happy in my restored marriage. Contact Lord Krish Spiritual through his email at lordkrishshrine@gmail.com to help you solve that relationship problems in your marriage.
September 21, 2006 Anonymous Your blog is very interesting. I will visit again Vegas Vacation Package It's that time, folks. You hop in the car with your buddies and a bottle of Jack Daniels and you're set for the highway. Yeah, that's right; don't worry about the law.
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June 21, 2007 Anonymous I love it, your entry is a crack up. However I am looking at the blog entry from 2006, are you still continuing. Would love to hear more of your antics.
February 06, 2008 Anonymous haha "son, pull my finger". that's awesome. i can't wait to hit my boys with that one. my oldest is 8 and i hope that someone else doesn't beat me to it. the ones from the top, however, are - by far - louder than from the bottom... ahem*
April 23, 2020 Love Spell/Genuine Spell Caster I am a very happy woman with the help of Lord Krish Spiritual who helped me restore my relationship with my ex husband. My name is Agnes Smith and I am from Alaska, USA. I met Lord Krish Spiritual through a testimony online and I never thought I would have my ex husband back after 4 years of separation. After my contact with his email, he told me not to worry and I would really be happy as I am now. Trusting in his words was a right decision for me. After 2 days, my ex husband called me that he wants to return back to me and live with me forever and I was very shocked. This made me believe in Lord Krish is really a very great spiritual man. Today, I am very happy to write this testimony about him and want others to testify to his power as I am currently happy in my restored marriage. Contact Lord Krish Spiritual through his email at lordkrishshrine@gmail.com to help you solve that relationship problems in your marriage.
February 04, 2011 mewmewmew Oh my god, I am so sorry this has happened to you. I can't even imagine the kind of pain you must have felt, and continue to feel. To be honest, I can't think of something to say that would amount to anything at all. Just know that you have wonderful children that will always bless your life. I am not married, but I think if I were and this happened, that holding to my children would be the thing that kept me going. I will keep you in my thoughts, and hope for the best for you. Best of luck, hang in there.
April 23, 2020 Love Spell/Genuine Spell Caster I am a very happy woman with the help of Lord Krish Spiritual who helped me restore my relationship with my ex husband. My name is Agnes Smith and I am from Alaska, USA. I met Lord Krish Spiritual through a testimony online and I never thought I would have my ex husband back after 4 years of separation. After my contact with his email, he told me not to worry and I would really be happy as I am now. Trusting in his words was a right decision for me. After 2 days, my ex husband called me that he wants to return back to me and live with me forever and I was very shocked. This made me believe in Lord Krish is really a very great spiritual man. Today, I am very happy to write this testimony about him and want others to testify to his power as I am currently happy in my restored marriage. Contact Lord Krish Spiritual through his email at lordkrishshrine@gmail.com to help you solve that relationship problems in your marriage.
February 04, 2011 mewmewmew Oh my god, I am so sorry this has happened to you. I can't even imagine the kind of pain you must have felt, and continue to feel. To be honest, I can't think of something to say that would amount to anything at all. Just know that you have wonderful children that will always bless your life. I am not married, but I think if I were and this happened, that holding to my children would be the thing that kept me going. I will keep you in my thoughts, and hope for the best for you. Best of luck, hang in there.
April 23, 2020 Love Spell/Genuine Spell Caster I am a very happy woman with the help of Lord Krish Spiritual who helped me restore my relationship with my ex husband. My name is Agnes Smith and I am from Alaska, USA. I met Lord Krish Spiritual through a testimony online and I never thought I would have my ex husband back after 4 years of separation. After my contact with his email, he told me not to worry and I would really be happy as I am now. Trusting in his words was a right decision for me. After 2 days, my ex husband called me that he wants to return back to me and live with me forever and I was very shocked. This made me believe in Lord Krish is really a very great spiritual man. Today, I am very happy to write this testimony about him and want others to testify to his power as I am currently happy in my restored marriage. Contact Lord Krish Spiritual through his email at lordkrishshrine@gmail.com to help you solve that relationship problems in your marriage.
September 11, 2006 Anonymous Oh, that was so cute... and slightly disturbing. They are going to kill you in your sleep when they're old enough to realise just on what degree you've humiliated them, you know.
April 23, 2020 Love Spell/Genuine Spell Caster I am a very happy woman with the help of Lord Krish Spiritual who helped me restore my relationship with my ex husband. My name is Agnes Smith and I am from Alaska, USA. I met Lord Krish Spiritual through a testimony online and I never thought I would have my ex husband back after 4 years of separation. After my contact with his email, he told me not to worry and I would really be happy as I am now. Trusting in his words was a right decision for me. After 2 days, my ex husband called me that he wants to return back to me and live with me forever and I was very shocked. This made me believe in Lord Krish is really a very great spiritual man. Today, I am very happy to write this testimony about him and want others to testify to his power as I am currently happy in my restored marriage. Contact Lord Krish Spiritual through his email at lordkrishshrine@gmail.com to help you solve that relationship problems in your marriage.
