The sun is radiating through my bedroom window coaxing me from my bed. It is Wednesday morning, half way through an already busy week. On the plus side the boys are back with me for the remainder of the week. With school out for spring break I am happy to be “working from home”. Yes I am on the constant job hunt with interviews, phone calls and many, many emails. And yes I am working on several different initiatives in both personal and professional nature. Yet, I will still be at home and the boys will be here all day. I sit back enjoying my morning coffee thinking about how this will play out.

I also contemplate how it plays out with other single Dads, and so often with families where both parents are working. Just because the kids are not in school does not mean you get time off work. You are required to coordinate time-off from work, if you can, or find some kind of childcare. This becomes more complicated when you are dealing with shared custody as there is another layer of stresses regarding time limits, right of first refusal, child consistency, and parent hand-offs. In days gone by the kids would follow their fathers and mothers to work the fields or learn the trade. They would help and apprentice. I have found it a real blessing today to find a place that is considerate of the family needs, allowing the kids to come to the office or allow you to work from home. Today, I am just at home … but likely won’t be for long.

Summer is coming, what will I do? Will the boys go to camp again? Will I still be contracting remotely? It is fast approaching and I can feel the anxiety building. But I breathe, I will figure something out and the kids will be good.

What I do know is this week I have the control to make the time. No, not enough time to take them camping as their mother did. But I can make some time. Thursday we visit the museum, the day is to be focused on them. Yes, there will be phone calls, and yes there will be emails. But the focus will be on them – meetings, discussions, and outstanding work will wait until Friday.

I take another sip of my black coffee and ease into my patio chair, soaking up the morning sun. “The boys will be here soon,” I think to myself, “and we will make it a great week.” I take another sip as my phone lights up. It’s their mother wondering where I am. Oops! I was suppose to pick them up? Got mixed up with the child-transfer protocol during the holidays. “I will be right there.” Time to go be Dad!