Daddy Day

For, oh say, eight years, we’ve had what we call “Daddy Day” in our family. It started way back when Alyssa was about eight months old. She’d been cared for by mom from the time she was twelve weeks old, when I had to go back to work. My mom had to go back to work and so A was going to start daycare. I was riddled with guilt at leaving my super special snowflake in the care of strangers. The only thing that eased my guilt even a little was the fact that Tom was going to care for her two days a week.

At that time, Tom was still working as a manager at that big blue store. He was working third shift, ten hours a day, Sunday through Wednesday nights. Thursdays were hard for him, coming him to a baby and no sleep. But he came through.
Thankfully, that schedule only lasted a few months. My mom’s work let up again and she was able and willing to take care of Alyssa for us again. But by then, we realized that we liked giving Tom and Alyssa that time together. And my mom liked the idea of a longer weekend. So Daddy Day continued. It just became one day a week, which was good for Tom, he could rest up on Thursday and be ready to give Alyssa all the attention she needed on Friday.

Along came Olivia, and by the time she was born, Tom was no longer working at that store, he’d quit and was self-employed. Which was a good thing since he ended up being the one home for two of Olivia’s four therapies that began when she was a year old.

I always wanted Daddy Day to be either Monday or Friday so that the girls had a longer weekend at home. With our commute, I hated to drag them to my mom’s, home and then back again too often each week.

Since our move last August, Daddy Day seemed to be a thing of the past, especially the first five months while Tom was still trying to sell our old house. My mom was carrying for the girls five days a week while I worked. She seemed okay with it, though because at the end of the day, we actually LEFT. Ahh, peace and quiet.
Then summer arrived and I suggested we resume Daddy Day. At first he was less than enthusiastic. He’s gotten quite used to having Monday through Friday free to work as he pleased.

My mom, on the other hand, was tired. So back to Daddy Day we went. This summer, Wednesdays worked best. It was the only day my mom was guaranteed not to have my nephew, thus giving her a whole day without a children in her house.
School starts next Tuesday. This week Tom realized that it was the last Daddy Day of the summer. He also realized that he hadn’t really made the most of the Daddy Days gone by.

So he made up for that. He packed up the girls and headed to the beach. He went late enough in the afternoon that I was able to join them there after work.
What a great way to end a work day!! The welcome I received was so sweet. The water was on the verge of being chilly but we swam anyway.

It was one last Hurrah to summer. Yes, we will probably have more hot weather for another month or so before fall hits with a vengeance but school and homework and activities are going to fill our days, evenings and weekends.

I know I’ve complained (often bitterly) about my guy in the past, but he really is one of the good ones. We’re lucky to have him.