7:30p. The Family Room. Two Kids

Posted on Sat 06/14/08 in Fatherhood

Why was my wife passed out in the family room, on the floor at 7:30pm? Short answer would be "The kids got her."

Let's rewind three hours to when I came home from work. Beth was lying half-propped up on the floor in Ethan's room. She had a white rag in one hand and a bottle of Shout next to her. I looked inquisitively at her. She looked up and gurgled, "Ethan came into his room, tore his diaper off, and pissed and shit on his carpet." She was rubbing the spot with lackadaisical effort, and I could see this was just a glimpse into how the day had gone.

I took the reins and bathed both kids, fed them and eventually planted their cute little butts into their beds. How single parents deal with these days is far beyond my comprehension.

Having a two-year-old and now a two month old is challenging. As a "parenting expert" in Parenting magazine said, "becoming a parent is like contracting a debilitating disease." And the more engaged you are, the more draining it is.

Another example... My wife and I enjoyed our third wedding anniversary this past Wednesday. Here's how it went. I came home from work with flowers and a beautiful card. I rebuilt my son's wooden train track configuration (for the 60th time) while my wife played with our daughter (who mostly just smiles, whimpers, eats, smiles, whimpers, eats, shits, repeat. I figured that once the kids were in bed we could have a mini celebration. Well, life would have different plans. We ended up grilling some hot dogs and steamed some cold broccoli and cauliflower. Beth went into Ethan's room with him to put him to bed and passed out alongside of him. McKenzie was asleep and I was running my finger around a half filled wine glass. I went to Ethan's room to wake up Beth. Her eyes opened. Then, her eyes shut. She mumbled "Eyal beout innamin," which I thought meant, "I'll be out in a minute." She meant, "Enjoy your wine; have a glass for me; I'm sleeping right here tonight."