Your day has spun wildly off its course. You woke up to a coughing sneezing child while zipping around getting the others off to school (on time!), tore a nail on the way out the door, forgot your library books that are due today AND your grocery list, which now needs to include any allowable cold medicine for a three year old, meanwhile, the PTA gal is calling to see if you can volunteer for the teacher luncheon they are shorthanded for in three hours! And it’s only 8:25am. Ever had a day like that?
I have. More often than I would like to admit. And here’s where I take my hat off to single parents! I couldn’t do this job without the calm, dependable, stability of my husband, Technology Man. Don’t be misled, I do the lion’s share of the hands-on parenting, but there is something very powerful in the stability he provides to our family that keeps everything on kilter. I can hold it together and be in charge for however long I have to…8 hours, 10, 12, 14, 24, 48, etc. However; when he walks in the door, I feel a wave of relief flow over me because I’m not shouldering this (whatever it may be at that moment) all alone. Right after I exhale and get my hug and kiss, the kids run to him for theirs!
Technology Man is the anchor for our family. His presence is dependable and the kids thrive on that knowledge. They look forward to him driving them to school and his coming home from work. When he travels, they want to Skype or talk. On the weekends, they rotate having breakfast with him. They think it’s super special he gets up early for them and I think it’s super special I get to sleep in a bit, so it’s a win-win-win! Occasionally, we even have a wonderful date night which leaves us wondering why we’re not doing those more regularly!!
Technology Man and I aren’t going anywhere. We’re in this “till death do us part.” That security frees up everyone in our home to live and love and hurt and cry and laugh and learn and try and celebrate. Struggles come and go quite regularly, as do critics and creditors and cross country meets. I am thankful for Technology Man who is by my side in the marriage gig, working shoulder to shoulder in the parenting gig, putting his best foot forward in his work gig, and praying down the road for our future gig. All the while reminding me daily, “It’s going to be all right.”
What character quality of your husband positively impacts your family?
Read Often, Vote Daily.