Day 81
Parenting is hard. It’s great, but it’s hard. Again, I can’t imagine what it would be like to be a single parent. Today, the wife had to go to a party for a coworker. It would be my job to pick up the boy (I normally do this, so no big deal), do dinner, bedtime, keep sane.
I ended up having to leave work early because of something at his school. So I ran to pick the boy up, took the wrong subway. A few months ago, the only train on the express side of broadway was the my train. Now it’s the my tain and one other. They take you to different places. If you’re rushing, and have been doing the same thing, basically for years, it’s easy to get on the wrong one. And then not notice it until you’re way far from home, having to ride the train back to a hub, and transfer.
Still made it to the boy about an hour early, so that’s good. We went to the park and found sticks, and drew letters in the mud. The boy doesn’t like mud. It’s yucky. I agree. We looked at birds. We went home.
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I’d decided earlier in the day that we were going to do special daddy, the boy, dinner. The plan was to go to a restaurant, but today was not going to work out like that. So I ordered in pizza. The boy loves pizza. Who doesn’t. But man does he love pizza. We split a small pie, almost finished it too. Probably could have, but I was deciding to be “healthy” and only have 3 slices.
We had some dessert, some milk, brushed teeth, did stories and then bedtime. It actually went kind of smoothly. After two george and turtle songs (george and turtle are his stuffed animal friends)…wait I’ll come back to this. When I used to put him to bed, I’d sing to him after story time. A made up a few songs, and they were pretty good, and I used them for over a year. Actually close to two years. At some point the wife took over doing bedtime. She started singing a george and turtle song. When I took bedtime over, he’d ask for a george and turtle song, and i’d make one up and sing it. But apparently, sometime when the wife was doing bedtime again, geroge and turtle song morphed into just a story about george and turtle and the boy. no song. they still call it george and turtle song, but there is NO SONG. So when I go back and do bedtime, and I’m asked for a george and turtle song, and i start singing and i’m admonished by a toddler: No Singing Daddy. George Turtle Song. I’m just confused. And yes, I have a problem with it. Not a big one, just it nags at me. a song is sung. a story is told. argh. can’t argue with a toddler.
Anyway, right after two george and turtle songs, I told the boy that I had to use the bathroom. It’s a white lie, and I hate telling them, but I really wanted him to fall asleep by himself tonight. He was out in minutes. But I’m exhausted. My plans to do some housework and dwindling by the minute. I need to move my car because of street cleaning, but that won’t happen until the morning.
How do you single parents do this? How do you stay sane? I’m giving you all a shout out because I couldn’t imagine this being my life.
Remember, tomorrow is Transgender Awareness Day.
