Transitions
Posted on 16. May, 2006 by Brian Reid in General
It’s been a bit quiet around here lately, and I wanted to you you all know why:
Almost two weeks ago, I accepted a job offer, and I gave notice to my current employer last week. Those who have closely read this blog for the last couple of years know that I’ve been working a full-time but flexible schedule for the past 16 months, a schedule that has allowed me a fair amount of freedom when it comes to family time. With the new gig, I’ll be trading a great deal of that flexibility in. I thought
you all should know.
I’ll be working from home, which is nice, but I’ll be moving out of the primary caretaker role and into the I’ll be the primary wage-earner role. The change is exciting (and a bit terrifying).
One of the accidental advantages of the name “Rebel Dad” is that there’s nothing inherent in the term that disqualifies go-to-work dads from adopting it. I’ll keep up the site, and though I’ll probably talk a bit more about paid work, I plan to continue to write about at-home dads. I think it’s important that someone keep an eye out, and it’s a topic that’s close to my heart. But you’ll also probably get more stories about go-to-work dads and the ways they struggle with work-family balance.
As most of you know, there is real at-home dad news from the last 24 houts. The Today Show did a relatively long segment on at-home dads, talking to RebelConventionRoommate Chris and some of the other Seattle dads, plus an extended one-on-one with Peter Baylies and Ann Curry. I haven’t been this exited about a.m. television since my mother was on with Matt Lauer.
chip
16. May, 2006
good luck with the new gig! As someone who also went from SAHD to GTWD I can say it’s a transition; the hardest part for me was making sure I had more time with my kids. But that’s part of the Rebel Dad piece too isn’t it.
Chag
16. May, 2006
Good luck and congratulations!
Asha Dornfest
16. May, 2006
Congrats on the new job — I hope the transition goes smoothly for you and your family!
Mark
17. May, 2006
Best of luck with the new gig!
stephen
17. May, 2006
Life is change, and all that rot! Good luck with your new gig.
I saw the Today Show bit. I thought it was pretty exciting too. The Today Show seems to always be super mom focused, kind of like the parenting magazines.
Natalie Morales, one of the new hosts, annoys me with her Moms Moms Moms all the time routine. She needs to get a clue. It’s like, hello, I’m a man and I buy strollers!
Even Ann Curry seemed to feel the need to ask Peter Baylies if his kids did alright with him staying home. Hmm. Pretty insulting, although he handled it smoothly.
Was it just my imagination or did they use the favored stats of 1.2 million SAHDs!
Family Man
17. May, 2006
Congrats and good luck RebelDad. It sounds like I’ll need to watch this board for even more topics, and we’ll have even more subjects to discuss, as you balance more work and dad duties.
Good luck
Seattledad
18. May, 2006
Your Today show link was not a permalink. Try http://video.msn.com/v/us/msnbc.htm?g=912d2d2c-5b95-49c6-95a6-7cfeca55a491&f=3d00&fg=copy
amy
19. May, 2006
Good luck, and I’ll be interested to hear how it goes.
I’m also curious about what kind of a time you had moving back to work — what you went through in interviews, how potential employers have reacted to the non-theoretical commitment to fatherhood. We hear a lot about the troubles people have going from SAH back to work, and it’d be nice to hear how it worked for you, and why you think it worked that way.
KZ
20. May, 2006
Congratulations and best of luck. Ditto to Amy’s comment. Hubby, worried about his retirment benefits, is considering going back to work once all the kiddos are in school. It would be good to hear about the transition… and, of course, how you’re doing.