What Would Zak Do

I am a father of two amazing boys and I do my best to be the best dad I can be everyday. Someone recently asked me “what’s the hardest thing about being a dad & what did you least expect?” 

I usually answer with “expecting the unexpected” or “the logistics of life & bringing another along with you” but what I forget about most is not the care you do for your child, it’s the care that someone else gives. 

All parents have to make the decision of how to take care of your child, these days, tons of families have one parent stay home while the other works, and there are also still a lot of families where both parents work. We are the latter. 

I’ll save the long story and how our decision was made for another post, but we chose to put our son into Day Care after he turned 1. 

My work schedule is the one that made the most sense for our day care schedule, so I ended up being the one to do drop off. 

It was only until about 1 week before the first day of school that I suddenly became terrified of leaving him. So many thoughts went through my head and if you are a new parent like me you are going through the same. I want to share a few things that helped me 

1. Attitude Adjustment – I was terrified, biting my nails, sweating, not sleeping. But I read some articles and talked to experienced parents that told me their comfort level starts with you. If you are excited, they are excited, if you are in a panic and a nervous wreck, they will be too. I had to put on a brave face and with confidence, show them that everything would be fun and exciting. (This was not easy) 
2. Do a tour day as a family & start the routine – wake up as if it were a school day and follow the same routine you are planning too on these days – eliminates the 1st day “shock.” These days are great to meet the teachers, know their names, have your kiddo meet them and get a peek at their environment for an hour or so together – and as a parent you really get to see the lay of the land.. this brings me to my next point.. 
3. Find a teacher – At 1st day drop off, find the teacher you talked with, and bring them over, teachers use their names and welcome them in and it’s instant comfort because it’s someone they have seen before and it’s fresh on their mind
4. Be Loving, Be Quick – Rip the band aid, give a hug and a kiss and let them know you’ll always be back after the day is done, let go and walk out. 
5. “Let Her Cry” – as Darius Rucker aka Hootie and The Blowfish would say, crying may happen, but 99% of the time, they stop within a minute of you leaving, and they end up having a great day – you’ve done your due diligence, you know this is the right place for your kiddo, trust the process, and you’ll be a proud parent. 

Even after all of these tactics and months of practice, I still ball my eyes out about 50% of the car rides or walks home. I love my kids and I think as parents we will always worry about them, but overtime, the tears have turned from sadness and worry to being so proud of them you can’t help but  think how lucky you are to have the life you do.. and by the way – end of day pickup is THE BEST