He is the Fun Parent – and that’s ok.
Often during the spring, summer and fall, my weekends are spent with other beautiful families, capturing their most precious moments. Meanwhile my own sweet children are at home with my favorite person in the world, their Dad. It’s the life of a photographer with kids. I love my job though, it allows me to meet amazing people, be creative, and be very flexible with my schedule. Photography has allowed me the gift of working from home, which has been so great for our family .
The kids for the most part don’t mind my schedule either. Weekends with mom working means weekends at home with FUN DAD.
Let me just be honest, I’m not fun mom! It’s become a little bit of a family joke! I am totally ok though with who I am as a mom, so it doesn’t bother me. When I’m home alone with my fabulous three, I tend to pull in the reigns. The house goes on lock down, and I begin to take on mannerisms of a drill sergeant with one mission; maintain control and survive. After all three against one can be quite the feat.
Their Daddy however? His mission? Have fun, and make memories. And they do just that. I know some working moms complain that when they are gone their home goes into complete mayhem, however I’m not one of those moms. Even though I know that when I am gone that is exactly what happens…
Rules? Optional.
Bedtime? Non existent.
Candy? Mandatory.
Adventure? Abundant.
Structure? What’s that?
And guess what? That’s completely fine with me.
Why?
Because I always come home to happy (albeit a little wild) children who were completely loved and taken care of all day. It feels awesome to leave the house in the morning knowing that my kids are going to have an awesome time at home. I never feel guilty walking out the door, only excited for them, and maybe a little jealous that they all get to spend the day together.
But I always look forward to coming home to hear stories about their day:
Sleepovers in the living room? Awesome.
Ice cream for dinner? Why not!
Walks in the rain? Absolutely.
Both of us parent a little differently. I might be a little more rigid and scheduled but that’s ok. We tend to balance each other out. Our kids always have their needs met and feel loved. We just go about it a little differently.
So I want to know, who is the fun parent in your house?
