FEEL LIKE FAMILY

Dear Spike:

Your mother goes back to work this week.

I was greatly looking forward to beginning my paternity leave this coming Monday. But with half of my colleagues still hunkered down, down south, waiting for what is almost certainly going to be bad news in regards to the lost miners, my boss has asked me to stay on for a few more days.

I like feeling wanted, so I agreed — though I made him promise not to send me back down to the mines, since your mom’s going to be working and we have no real daycare plan.

Finding someone to care for you is going to be part of my job when my shortly delayed leave finally begins, on the 27th of this month. I’ve already asked around and visited a few places, but I’m having trouble finding the right mix of attributes for our family.

I’ve whittled down what we’re looking for to three things:

• We need to be able to afford it.
• We need to be able to trust it.
• And it needs to be available.

And in this situation, best two-out-of-three ain’t gonna cut it.

For the most part, of course, I’m going to be your daily caregiver. The way I work is particularly conducive to being an ‘at-home daddy,’ and I’m excited and eager to begin this part of my life. But there are going to be times (like last week when I was called to the mines) when we’re going to need to have someone we trust to care for you.

Most of my friends who have children have family nearby. But our closest relative, your Great Uncle Dave, lives five hours away. And though we’d love for Dave to be your nanny (as it happens, he was the first person you ever smiled at) I just don’t think you’re quite ready to smoke, drink and gamble that much.

This much I know for sure: We will never leave you in the care of anyone who doesn’t feel like family to us. You are too valuable and your company is too precious to simply give to anyone.

Love,
dad