Had a few things this past week that all came together to make me realize all the subtle ways that being a parent has influenced my perspective.
- Purchases
Instead of scouring the fitness and electronics section during Prime Day, I found myself prioritizing “Watching” kid items and lightning deals. We got a kid gate, a few random toys, kid consumables, etc. That’s not to say I didn’t also grab some one off tech items, but I was definitely spending more time looking out for kid related deals and jus relying on sites for the “best” tech deals. - Work Schedule
Staying late for a team dinner means planning ahead. I also piggy back on and silently appreciate that folks finish around 8 so they can catch the CalTrain to SF. As a whole I try to leave work at a more normal time, which means fighting traffic for the 40% chance of seeing P before he goes to bed. - First Dad Moment with the slangs
My first moment of not understanding a term/saying as a Dad. This particular term is an adaptation of “It’s been a minute”. My buddy used it to replace “in a while.” E.g., “I haven’t had it in a minute.” or “I haven’t been there in a minute.”
Wait you say! How is this related to Dad life and not just you being lame? I admit, I may…nay probably would have also not understood had I not been Dadlife, but I realized that we’ve cut back on screen time since having P both to spend more time with him, but also to be more present/not get him too curious yet (he’ll have plenty of screen time in his life haha). This means I miss out on the terms being used in more recent TV shows. In an effort to catch up on interesting topics and maximize my time, I also do less music listening and more podcast listening or reading (I am told that “been a minute” is a common term in some new songs). So…verdict: Kinda #Dadlife related - P makes another land grab
My space is really just his space that I’m currently borrowing. We’ve been through a couple phases of his encroachment, but this weekend due to his increased mobility we decided to up the amount of space he can utilize in the family room. This meant moving out all computer/electronic equipment that used to reside there. - Weekend Past Times
What constitutes “going out” on the weekend has definitely changed. This weekend we went to Lemos Farm. I’ve driven by many a time, but never gone till now. Petting zoos, choo-choo rides, hay rides galore, and apparently a killer pumpkin patch in Oct I’m told.
Advice I got early on was “Go out while you can.” We still try to go out and while we find our timing and options to be more limited, I’ve found our definition and appreciation of going out has broadened. For better or worse going to get coffee, going to Costco/Target, eating AT a restaurant (not takeaway), etc now all count!
