DadLife: How weekends change with kids

Video #2: https://youtu.be/5bLQzbRmT1c

Pre-Nate, the weekends were all about things Lauren and I wanted to do. Lauren would sleep in, get her nails done, go shopping and decompress from the week. I usually woke up early, went golfing, grabbed lunch with the guys after the round then heading home to clean-up before heading out with Lauren. Life in Atlanta pre-kids was all about us. Then Nate was born. Weekends were now all about quality time with Nate and Lauren. I’ll tackle the specific challenges of working with an newborn at home (from a dad’s perspective in an upcoming post) so for now, I’ll say weekends were just different. The biggest thing Lauren and I have learned is that weekends are now about taking turns and making sure we get time alone, time together and time with Nate. It’s a fine balance to fit everything in and still get quality time together. This balance takes time to figure out. Don’t rush it. Be patient and make sure you’re communicating with your significant other. Lauren and I definitely butted heads a few times about the approach to the weekend. We’ve figured it out now (or so we think at least) and it seems to be working.

Here is our typical game plan for the weekend:

• One of us will wake up with Nate between 6am and 6:30 am (the other will get to the sleep in a bit). Lauren is way better at waking up with Nate then I am. It’s an area of improvement for me.
• Nate will read with us upstairs for 30–60 minutes then head downstairs for breakfast and play
• Whoever slept in will then wake up and take Nate out for an activity in the morning (e.g. park, walk to the bakery, visit grandparents, jump at trampoline park)
• We’ll meet for family lunch (either at home or a local restaurant)
• Nate naps (12pm — 2pm). Nap time is heavenly bliss. Embrace it. Napping is cool when you’re 2.5 years old…it’s also now cool again when you’re 35.
• Nate wakes up and we do a family activity in the afternoon.
• Dinner time is between 6pm-7pm on the weekend. We try to eat at home most weekends to save some money and make bedtime routine easier.
• After dinner, Lauren or I will take Nate up to get bathtime started while the other cleans up from dinner. (Parenting hack: cleaning up the kitchen right after dinner is key because as soon as your child goes to bed, it’s the last thing you’ll want to do).
• Once kitchen is clean, we all meet upstairs for story time and bedtime routine.
• Nate is usually in bed between 7pm and 7:30pm.
• This is GOLDEN TIME. Lauren and I usually need 30 minutes to decompress (translation: we flop on our bed and don’t move simply enjoying the pure bliss of silence).
• The rest of the night is for us. It’s our slice of US time. We typically go for a swim, hang out in the backyard, watch TV, read a book or do other non-parenting things.
• Sleep is key. If you’re lucky enough to have a 2.5 year old that sleeps in, please share your secret. If you have an early riser like us, getting to bed early is key.

Curious to hear experiences from dads out there reading this post. Was this helpful? Any questions/comments are encouraged.