I don’t know how they do it. Respect is the first word that comes to mind when I think of stay at home Moms and stay at home Dads. It’s the toughest job out there and gets the least amount of appreciation.

Now don’t get me wrong, I love spending time with my son. But could I do it everyday, all day? I don’t know. If I had to, I’m sure I would figure it out. Today I spent the day with the little guy. It’s not the first time that it was just the two of us, but it did get me to thinking. What do people who watch their kids all day every day do to keep them busy? And how can you get anything done that doesn’t relate directly to your kid?

We were out and about several times today, and for several hours… and at the end of the day I am just exhausted. Nothing too abnormal from a typical Saturday, but there is just something, at least for me, that wears me down both mentally and physically. Perhaps it’s being solely responsible for another human being. I constantly feel responsible for Matthew, however, knowing that I have Anne not too far away seems to ease the burden.

The day always seems to start early when it’s just the two of us. Matthew tends to wake up within 5 minutes of Anne rolling off to work on the weekends. It’s like clockwork… I hear the garage door closing… and then I hear him start stirring in his crib. I joke that I haven’t had a good nights sleep since we brought Riley home. And staying up until midnight may not have been the best idea last night. Although I did manage to sneak in a nap with Matthew on the couch in the afternoon.

So tomorrow we will do it again. Likely between 6:30 and 7:00 he will wake, and then we will have a good 12 hours of male bonding time before Mommy makes it home. I have the day planned out until 2 or 3, if all goes as scheduled. I have no doubt that we will manage to keep busy for the remainder of the afternoon. But I’m not sure if it was just the 2 of us on Monday, what we would do.

I feel I have my hands full with one kid. My mom stayed home with 3 kids until we were all in school. My older sister did the same. I get tired just thinking about that. Maybe I’m too selfish. Maybe it’s just not in my DNA.

I use to think that I could be a stay at home dad. I know thousands of people have figured it out and manage it every day. Perhaps one day I could be. For now I’ll stick with making sure everyone in the area continues to get their cookies and crackers.