---
title: "Seeing the World in Clearer, Simpler Ways"
date: 2009-06-22
description: "$( document ).ready(function() { // Handler for .ready() called. $("
canonical_url: https://idratherbewriting.com/2009/06/22/seeing-the-world-in-clearer-simpler-ways/
---
# Seeing the World in Clearer, Simpler Ways
I am a lot of different things to different people. To some, I'm a blogger and podcaster. To others, I'm an employee and team member. To others, I'm a church member and scout leader. To others, a basketball player. To others, a friend. To my wife, a husband. But to three young girls, I'm a dad.

In the NY Times article, Michael Winerip explains that some years ago, he was putting in 11 hour days with a 2.5 hour daily commute. When he finally arrived home in the evenings, his children would catch just a glimpse of their father before bedtime. Winerip was upset about missing his kids grow up. And his wife felt like her career was suffering due to being off track as a stay-at-home mother. So they switched, and he became the stay-at-home parent to raise their children while she worked. 

A while back I wrote about this dilemma in my post [Telecommuting into Nonexistent Worlds](https://idratherbewriting.com/2009/04/16/telecommuting-into-nonexistent-worlds/). If my wife suddenly wanted to work outside the home and could support us, I would trade roles in an instant. But things being as they are, that reversal probably won't happen anytime soon.

But that doesn't mean that, as a father, I can't get more involved in my kids' lives. Winerip says the great barometer of parental involvement is whether you plan your kids' birthdays or whether you just help out.

A few weeks ago, I had a memorable conversation with my eight-year-old daughter (Sally on [Jane's blog](https://seagullfountainblog.wordpress.com)). Shannon was upset with me for having skipped her brother-in-law's graduation, and for a few days I was in the metaphorical doghouse that all husbands are sometimes placed in.