Curt here. I’m the guest blogger who gets to talk about DAD LIFE.
I don’t think ahead very much. And when I’m leaving the house, I’m not going to remember what I thought out anyway, which means something is always forgotten.
To counter this weakness, I pre-pack most things in my life. The best example is for work. Everything that is supposed to go with me in my pockets is in a bowl by the door. If it’s not in the bowl, it doesn’t go to work with me. I have to be very conscious when I use my wallet in the house (like ordering things online) to PUT THE WALLET BACK in the bowl. Otherwise, I show up to work without my ID and can’t get in.
Same thing goes for taking my kids out. This is usually a spur-of-the-moment decision on my part. I might decide we’re going to ride the bus after dinner, or go to a park on a Sunday afternoon, or walk to the bakery a mile away because their donuts are sooooo good that kids will walk all day for one.
But you can’t do kids in public without being prepared and forgetting wet wipes a mile away from home could ruin the adventure. So, I pre-pack a Daddy Go Bag for myself. It’s always packed and sits in the closet until I’m leaving with children.
Here are the things I’ve found necessary for my Go Bag:
- Lip balm, sun block, bug spray, hand sanitizer (all seasons)
- Three (3) diapers for each child that needs them
- First aid kit (small for scratches and bug bites)
- Baby wipes (the big pack!)
- Reading material for dad
- Water bottle or two
- Work gloves and garbage bags (for spontaneous Nature Diving. Stay tuned, I’ll be writing a whole post on this later.)
- Snack (non-squishable, like granola or trail mix; maybe an apple)
- Extra change of clothes (for the kids; not shown above)
Do things still go wrong? All the time. Beyond these items, though, if something goes that wrong, it’s good for the kids to suck it up for a bit to get home to deal with it. Good luck, dads, and happy adventures!
How does Marabou support women?
We live in culture where “bouncing back” is more valued than proper rest. As admirable as it may be for a sports star to get back on the field, the same rules don’t apply to postpartum recovery. The traditional resting period has been stolen from women through pressure to get back to their job or simply through lack of presence.
Grandmas, sisters and best friends who otherwise would have been there to help a woman transition into motherhood often live too far away to be of any help. Household chores and caring for older children inevitably fall on the mom. But she just delivered a new life! She needs rest.
Marabou Services is a unique gift registry which provides services instead of stuff. Most mom’s get too many onesies, too many baby blankets and not enough helping hands. Break out of a destructive cultural norm and start a Marabou registry today.
With a Marabou registry you can sing up for any service which will benefit you or someone you know during the postpartum recovery period.
Postpartum doulas for a first time mom
House cleanings for moms of multiples
Childcare for moms with older children!
Once your registry is created, add it to any other registry or post it to your Facebook and ask friends and family contribute to your postpartum service, rather than buying you more stuff.
More and more moms find they have to figure out postpartum alone. Is it any wonder why PMDs are on the rise? Or women are embittered by the journey of motherhood? We can change that by giving the gift of peace.
