Part 2: Yes, I’m Living Vicariously Through My Son
I. Was. Right. Right AF, as the kids would say, and here’s video proof… Read Part 1: Yes, I’m Living Vicariously Through My Son
Yes, I’m Living Vicariously Through My Son
You can read all the books you want; parenting will still be a series of surprises with varying degrees of jaw droppage. For example, I haven’t used a semicolon since high school. Sorry, Vonnegut, I’m a dad now. I can no longer discriminate against well-intentioned punctuation. Most of the education leading up to your first go round as a parent comes in the form of warnings. Travel now, because you won’t be going anywhere for years. Sleep when the baby…
The Curse Heard Round the Parking Lot
Keen observers, toddlers are not. Or so they would have us believe. Con artists, I say. They trick us into believing they lack any measurable attention span by effortlessly ignoring our pleas to wash hands, to stop eating the dog food or to give the poor Christmas tree at least a fighting chance at staying upright. From what I’ve seen, it’s just a long con. It’s a toddler game of lulling us into a weird sense of parental apathy that…
A Basketcase of Thankfulness
Regular readers of this infrequent blog might be under the impression that I’m good at sharing my emotions. False. In real life, I’m more Spock than Troi. I tend to speak only when spoken to, and even then I use as few words as possible. Without a keyboard under my fingers, I’m really quite bad at expressing myself or what’s going through my head. So, allow me to get something off my chest here in a space I feel most…
When family’s away, Dad will… clean, apparently
Before the snow started flying on Sunday, I found myself home alone for the first time in about a year. Totally alone. My wife, Emily, was in New York City being a fancy grown up with a job, and my son, Macklin, was enjoying his first sleepover at the lake with grandma and grandpa. It was 3:30 p.m. on a Friday and I was entirely unencumbered. Yet, all I could think about was cleaning the house. So that’s what I…
Raising a Celebrity Baby
The following was originally published in “The Good Life Men’s Magazine” Photo credit: Urban Toad Media A few months ago, I noticed a peculiar phenomenon starting to take shape. Whenever I would take Macklin out on the town, we’d get stopped mid-errand by folks who wanted to say “hi”. But not to me. No, they weren’t interested in me. They wanted a piece of the Mackman. I was nearly invisible… just the guy pushing the stroller. The peculiar part was that…
‘The Look’ Makes Its First Appearance (And the Battle of Wills Begins)
It came out of nowhere. One morning, I was sitting on the lone remaining spot on the couch left unclaimed and uncluttered, trying to guzzle down my first cup of coffee before my 15-month-old son, Macklin, discovered I had something he did not. For unimaginable reasons, his main mission in life right now is to sneak a sip of scalding hot coffee. Me, being the adult in the relationship, consistently denies him the opportunity to experience second-degree burns. I know,…
10 Things This Stay-at-Home Dad is Thankful For
The following was originally published in “The Good Life Men’s Magazine” Photo credit: Urban Toad Media Ahh, Thanksgiving. A time when families gather into confined spaces and around overcrowded dining room tables to stuff their faces, give thanks and air their grievances about politics and their employers. It’s dinner and a show, and you don’t even have to tip. Two weeks after the most ridiculous presidential election we might ever see, this Thanksgiving promises to be particularly enjoyable. I’m already thankful…
A Dad in a Mom’s World
This post originally appeared in The Forum. When I signed up to become a stay-at-home dad late last year, a few friends and family members (and a surprising number of strangers) took it as an invitation to warn me about the consequences of my decision. On a professional level, I was told the gap in my work history might mean a lifetime of unemployment. On a personal level, I was risking the complete loss of my manhood — I was…
The Cutest Instagram Video You’ll See All Week
I promise, Mr. Full-Time Dad is not giving up on blogging. But… it has already come to this. I’m recycling content. I’m sorry, but at the same time I’m not at all sorry, because I everyone needs to see this clip. The payoff at the end is exquisite. If this is the first time you’re seeing it, lesson learned: follow me on Instagram. Wait for it… #fargoparks #sundayfunday #delayedgratification A video posted by Ben Hanson (@mrfulltimedad) on Aug 14, 2016 at 12:06pm PDT