One and a half weeks in...

So it's been 1.5 weeks into my new role as the stay at home parent in our household. It's been a huge adjustment for Lauren and I. I see how much Mark2 developes throughout each day and I suddenly feel like I miss so much of Nathaniel's development during his first year. For us the biggest realization is that we both get a taste of what it is the other one did, and how things the kids did affected us both in different ways. For instance coming home from work. Knowing that as soon as I would walk in that front door Mark2's face would light up and Nathaniel would rush to greet me would fill me with so much joy. I could also see how that same scenario may have affected Lauren. Spending your entire day with the kids only to be pushed aside when the other parent gets home (not such a good feeling). That's just one example but there is so many more. I'd like to think that this will give us insight and make us appreciate what the other does and feels, thus hopefully strengthening our love. On the other hand there is also a matter of how other people/parents perceive fathers. When I'm out with the boys women feel the need to do things for me like I'm helpless because I'm a man. Please don't. Do not get me wrong,as a parent I welcome help from other parents because we should have each other's back. There are moments though when people overstep their bounderaries. Just yesterday a grandmother in the waiting room felt the need to aggressively lecture me on properly parent my kids. I wanted to yell and tell her to leave my children and me alone but I remained polite. When it came time to leave Nathaniel didn't want to put his jacket on. She at this point tried to take the jacket from me. When I didn't, she insisted that could do it for me. Once again I politely refused but she kept insisting. All the while her grandchild looked like he was punched in the face and not by another child's fist but by an adult fist (probably hers). I couldn't get out of there fast enough. There are also those moments when we are getting stared at out in public. Not disapproving stares but ones of encouragement approval. Those are very, very welcomed.