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Perspectives on Time and Fatherhood

Each day has 24 hours and there’s a certain period during the day that I look forward to.

• Five o’clock end-of-workday whistle? No. I love my job.
• Bedtime? Nope. Although I do enjoy sleep.
• Cubs/Bears/Tech/Mavericks game on TV? Surprisingly no.

Monica leaves for work between 6:45 and 7:00 each morning, therefore; I have between 30 and 45 minutes with Katie Lynn. Just her and I. I feed Katie Lynn her morning fruit, get her dressed for daycare, and play with her in the living room. I have her undivided attention — unless Wrigley walks by, or she spots her favorite toy(s), or sees that one random piece of lint on the carpet. But that time is our time to bond. This special father-daughter time is invaluable. We “talk” to each other in the car as I drive her to daycare each morning.

I’ve always heard the phrase that babies are only “this” size once, and it’s so true. Before I know it, Katie Lynn is going to be feeding herself and dressing herself for school and riding with Monica. She won’t need us to do any of that for her.

On a somewhat related note, it’s amazing and refreshing to see fathers involved in raising kids. Each morning I see a good amount of fathers dropping kids off at Katie Lynn’s daycare. In Lubbock, I rarely saw any fathers at the daycare. Maybe that’s a geographic differentiation or something; I don’t know.

What I do know is that I value every minute I spend with my daughter, and the day just doesn’t seem to have enough time.