The life of a Dad on Shared Parental Leave
It’s now around seven weeks since I donned my suit for the first time in 13 weeks and hopped on a train to Manchester to return to work after my shared parental leave. After a little round of applause as I walked back into the office (nice touch!), it didn’t take me long to get … Continue reading Parental leave shared – a look back on my time off
The difference between my childhood and that of my children in many respects is staggering - in particular the advancement in technology and the onset of TV on demand, wi-fi everywhere you go, tablets and smart phones. The children of today have everything at their fingertips and don't really have to wait for anything. All … Continue reading Keeping in touch with the ‘Golden old days’ – outdoor play!
As you all know, this Sunday is Father’s Day. Dads around the globe will be expecting lies in and to wake up to various presents, from 'best dad ever’ socks, personalised mugs or pint glasses, or handkerchiefs to join the others unused in the sock draw.... In reality it's another commercial day and for that … Continue reading A Father’s Day letter to my children …
Playgroups … an enigma to all non-parents and also to many Dads who haven't had the opportunity to attend them. When asking such people about playgroups you might be met with such stereotypical responses such as: 'just a mothers' meeting and chance for a cup of tea and a natter''people charging over the odds to … Continue reading Men at work and Dads at play (group!)
Taking shared parental leave has allowed me to experience first hand what is entailed with being the primary carer for a child. In my case, it's three children - Tessa, who is at school, Tilly who goes to nursery a couple of days a week and has time with both Grandmas too, and Toby, our … Continue reading Parental well-being – battling the mental and physical devils on your shoulder…
As I sat with Toby for 45 minutes or so at around 3am the other night, my sleep-deprived mind began wandering. It was during this state of semi-consciousness that I had an epiphany - I realised that my son had superhero powers. I also realised it wasn't just a single superhero power, but a conglomerate … Continue reading Baby Avengers Assemble – my son’s multi-superhero personas
If I'm honest, shopping is pretty down my list of fun things to do - particularly clothes shopping. I tend to go about twice a year - a summer clothes/winter clothes type arrangement. Karen will often buy me bits on-line to keep my wardrobe topped up too (although I will reject some stuff after I … Continue reading Shopping with kids – the devil’s work, or is it?!
Under the birth stories section of this site I've included our birth stories for our girls, Tessa (https://bethedaddy.blog/2019/02/17/where-it-all-began-a-birth-story-from-a-dads-perspectiveno-1-tessa/) and Tilly (https://bethedaddy.blog/2019/02/28/where-it-all-began-no-2-our-little-tilly/). This now completes the set, with the birth story of our most recent arrival, Toby, 10 months ago. The time before the birth - last days as a four ... Late Spring 2018 and … Continue reading Where it all began – a birth story from a dad’s perspective – no.3 – Toby
A couple of months ago when my @bethedaddy Instagram account was fairly new, I did a post about bunk beds and what an absolute pain it is to change the top bunk! This set me thinking about the differences between how I perceived various things in my childhood as against how I view them now … Continue reading Childhood vs Parenthood – changing perceptions?
"Who Dares Wins". The motto of the world renowned Special Air Service, the S.A.S. The most fearsome fighting unit of the British Army. These are armed forces personnel of the highest calibre, displaying an array of skills including: extreme fitness and epic endurance; mental toughness and the ability to think under the highest degree of … Continue reading A tough gig – why parenting is like being in the S.A.S. (well, almost)
It's a familiar setting to many families across the land: early morning and Daddy (or Mummy!) is up and dressed for work as the kids surface for the day ahead. On some days Daddy may see them for a brief hello, hug and a kiss as they shuffle in for their breakfast; on other days … Continue reading Books and bedtime stories – much more than words on a page.
Dadmin, Dadmin, everywhere ... Well, week 1 of my Shared Parental Leave proper is now complete. I've still not been fully unleashed into the sole parent at home camp as Karen has also been off for 4 of the 5 days ("fraud" I hear you cry!). She's also off next week as we try to … Continue reading Planning & preparation permits plentiful participation & playtime (and prevents p*ss poor parenting performance)!
As this blog is about my life at home with our three children, I decided to write a piece reminiscing about the birth of each of them. I've already done part 1 dealing with the birth of my eldest daughter, Tessa, which can be found under the Birth Stories section of this website. And here … Continue reading Where it all began no.2 – our little Tilly
As the title suggests, week 1 of my shared parental leave has been a bit of a false start. It coincided with half term and a trip to Centre Parcs in the Lakes at Whinfell, so more like a normal holiday than me being left to fend for myself with 3 kids. We went with … Continue reading A false start to shared parental leave – let’s talk about holidays – heaven or hell?!
Given this is a blog about shared parental leave and therefore by its very nature is linked to parenting and my children, I thought I'd better set out my experiences at the births of my three kids. It will also act as a bit of a memory bank for me and the kids when they're … Continue reading Where it all began – a birth story from a Dad’s perspective…no.1 – Tessa
Be The Daddy 