Workadaddy.com

We are expecting our second child within the next 4 weeks. I'm excited in some ways and have participated in birthing classes as best I could. However, I think I suffer from a common dad issue - I haven't really shown the type of enthusiasm that my wife would like.

I don't think I'm on my own, I think it's probably a common male trait. I will be a good father and take great care of our newborn, but I don't really know how to do that when our baby isn't here yet.

I try to be supportive of my wife, but I have to be honest in that this is not my strength. I'll wake up at all hours and change innumerable diapers, but I just am no good at showing up for my wife until those talents are needed.

I love road trips, though bringing a small child on a road trip was not something I had fully appreciated. A couple weeks ago I decided to try it out - three days of driving with my three and a half year old son. I knew he had handled several hours in the car before and so I figured we could make it work. I also had my secret weapon of a portable DVD player.

As I moved into the role of being a working dad myself, the term workadaddy started to mean something slightly different to me than the sixties use of the term. I am no longer in my twenties or teens for that matter, though the counter culture still exists in its own forms for these age groups and probably always will; However, I am now part of the culture to which they are rebelling. I am the establishment. I have become the man. I work; I go home; and I enjoy my simple life with my family.

I almost sideswiped a motorcycle yesterday, but it wasn't my fault. Maybe it was, but when I saw these two young adults do wheelies on their bikes at the next light and swerve around cars, I came to firmly believe that it wasn't my fault. Even when they tried to stare me down and make me think it was me that caused the incident.

Over the years, I've had many creative ideas in my professional life, and - as I explained to one colleague - about one out of every ten is pretty good. The thing is that of this ten percent I end up following through on very few. I don't forget about the ideas or stop believing in their merits, I simply run into a lack of execution.

Now, I am the first to admit that my personal lack of execution could be because I watch too much tv, or am not highly efficient in my time working, but I think it is also true that I'm simply drained from all the other things that I do actually do.

Last summer, I took my nephew and son to a little pond and rented a pole to introduce them to fishing. Now, this pond is at a resort and you can see these monsterous fish in the bottom - so it all seemed a little too easy. The guys who rented me the poles also said that the best bait to use is string chees - no wonder the fish are so big.

I would like to believe that I am a fun adult. I have fun with my son, various nieces and nephews - kids in general. I have one niece, though, that I swear doesn't like me. She's 2 yrs old right now and I didn't think it would be possible for a child that young to intimidate me, but it is. It isn't even for the reasons that you might think.

This is the first in a series of things that I believe deserves some attention - safety - in particular, child safety. Now most of us parents will distinctly remember when we were kids and how our parents keep us "safe" in the car. Sleeping in the back of a station wagon on top of all the luggage was my personal favorite. Nowadays, kids have to be in car seats of one type or another until they're 8 or 9.

This week kids went back to school and I am amongst the joyous for the first time. Suddenly I understand why Labour day is a time to celebrate. Granted my three year old has been crying and clinging each morning, but that hasn't stopped me from getting out the door.