A note from Mr. Mom

This week Helinda is spending time with my Mom, Sister and Sister-in-laws in Holland, the home country. As a result, I (husband, Bill) get to share the scoop from the coop with you.

As much as we miss Helinda, it is a win-win for her and our family when she goes away for a period of time. Helinda gets a much needed rest, an opportunity to bond with family members, and a chance to have some fun.

For the kids and me, it seems to be an interesting experience where they step up and I end up focusing more on their interests. For example, during the first few days, Liam volunteered to organize the boot room, Joe (5 yr old) made up my bed, Violet started dusting, Anna did the dishes, and Lucy made her lunch for the next day. Helinda has obviously done something right, that or my kids really think that I am incompetent at home 🙂

The other thing that I have noticed is I am paying more attention to them and their needs. Probably comes from have to be sure they are clean, fed, prepared for school, etc. But more importantly, I particularly enjoy listening to them talk about their day and just sharing what’s on their heart.

For some reason, when Helinda is around I must feel she has got it covered, so my mind and attention can gravitate towards what’s going on at work, or planning my schedule, etc.

At the end of the day, the best part of this whole experience is Helinda coming home. The kids regularly ask, ‘how many more days?’. Helinda will certainly feel loved and cherished when she returns. As they say, ‘distance makes the heart grow fonder’.

Bill