Mr. Mom

Two days after Cordelia's surgery, my mom also had surgery, but this one was planned. I told my dad we could make arrangements for the boys so he wouldn't have them while my mom was in the hospital. He said that was ok, he could watch the boys. The day after my mom's surgery I made my nightly call home. I was trying to have a conversation with my dad, but he kept talking to the boys while talking to me. I could hear the boys in the background and my dad, "watch where you're going," and "don't do that boys." I had a deep satisfaction in hearing my dad trying to deal with the boys and have a phone conversation. Another night my dad told me he was exhausted. And I smiled. Big. Now I never want to hear him ask me why I haven't done such and such or when am I going to do whatever. And yes, I know my house is messy. Maybe now he has an idea why. And he didn't even have all three kids or a job to go to and then come home to another much harder job. My mom is also getting much satisfaction in the fact that my dad has to do laundry for the next six weeks. My mom is under doctor's orders not to do anything strenuous, including laundry. My dad is learning so much in retirement. So when I was feeling down at the hospital all I had to do was think of my dad taking Rion to school everyday, having to buy a birthday gift, taking the boys to the birthday party, and all of the other everyday things that he has never had to do. And it made me smile. Big.