Daddy Goes Back to Work (No, really)

Yes, the time has come.  It was inevitable.  I’m glad for it.  For our own sanity.  You can only sustain so many years as a stay-at-home dad without completely pulling your hair out.  Ernesto will attest to this as he has lost lots of hair over the years.  But he embraced every moment of this joyous yet unpredictable journey.  When Maya starts school in just 10 days, Ernesto will be off promptly at 6am to start his work day.  I’m excited and terrified all at the same time.  This means some changes for this ‘career mom’…as I will need to re-learn how to provide Maya with the same stability, structure and discipline as her dad did all these years.  And please don’t get me started on the cooking.  I don’t remember the last time I turned on the stove.  Maya has no idea what she’s in for.  Anyone who knows us will tell you, I tend to treat Maya more like my BFF than my daughter.  Ernesto teases me often.  “You’re her parent, not her friend” he reminds me as we play on Snap Chat, shop too long at Claire’s Boutique or listen endlessly to Selena Gomez tunes.  Luckily, the new schedule won’t be too disruptive as Ernesto opted to work entire weekends and 1 weekday in order to ease the pressure while still providing a fair amount of daddy duty.  I travel for work, so juggling things will be tricky but we’re up for the challenge.  I’m looking forward to the transformation for Ernesto as he experiences all the facets of a new job, new routine (and non-tween conversation).  This will change the dynamic of our book and blog storylines slightly as daddy starts a new job, but we feel it can be a positive spin on what many stay-at-home fathers contend with as they come to the realization that their children might actually survive without them and they may safely enter the workforce…guilt-free.  This is definitely a new ‘Maya & Me’ tale in the making.  “Daddy’s off to work while Mommy Google’s how to boil water!”  Stay tuned as we prepare for big changes this fall…and hopefully minimal burnt meals 🙂