Compassion for others

Could it be me, or has the world become so selfish that human compassion for others has gone out the window? What does this have to do with stay at home dads? Well for starters, I'm assuming that all of us travel to the store to get groceries.

Let's say that one day, while on that quest for nourishment for the family, you get behind someone who is going 35 in a 55, and looking in your rear view mirror you see that there is a line of cars literally five miles long because this person just can't find the gas pedal. Ever been in that situation?

I know what you're thinking... "he's going to tell me that when I'm in that situation I should be patient and compassionate to the person who's traveling 35".

You'd be mistaken. I've been in that situation hundreds of times in my life as the car behind the person going 35. I've seen that person line cars up for literally miles behind them, not caring if anyone else is on the road, not caring if they are holding people's lives for ransom (even if it's for a few minutes), and not caring how angry and frustrated they are making these people. The world is all about them, and no one else matters or exists. The situation that they are putting others in is at least frustrating, and at most very dangerous (people getting frustrated and passing in no-passing lanes to find out that there is on-coming traffic).

Then finally, after a long drawn out eon, the person decides to turn off the road and gives the finger to those who were behind them...WHAT IS THAT!?

We have one life on this Earth, and it's a short one. Be compassionate to the people in your rear-view mirror. Think about their lives, where might they need to go, and care about your fellow human beings. Then act with compassion and understanding.

And if there's one thing that I think epitomizes the ignorance, hatefulness and lack of caring that people seem to have now days it's giving people the finger. Don't lower yourself to that level. If someone is irritating you, remember the paragraph above this one, do it, and repeat.

Self Discipline

It's so easy, when you're at home to slack off on yourself. I'm sure you're taking care of the kids schedule, cleaning house, worrying about the bills, etc. But in addition to doing everything for others, you need to take a long look in the mirror and see if you're slacking off on "You". Are you getting fat? Are you becoming a non-caring person? It's 2:00 in the afternoon, have you taken a shower yet? Have you lost "You"?

What do I mean about that? It's so easy to loose "You". You've got a lot on your mind. You take care of others. Everyone has needs and those needs are taken care of. But what about you? When was the last time that you took a moment for yourself? When was the last time you really got cleaned up? When was the last time you took a walk? When was the last time you turned off the "chores" frame of mind and just sat in a chair to take in the breeze and the sky?

Take some time to pamper yourself in a small way. Take stock in yourself. Take a moment to take care of yourself. Remember who you are. It's so easy to loose "You". If you don't remember anything else, remember that it's "You" that all of these people depend on, and it's "You" that everyone looks up to. Whether they show it or not.

Get your stay-at-home-dad kid story published

Your story could be published in a book! Hello Dads! I've been in the process of collecting interesting stories from all dads at home. Funny stories about their kids (the funnier the better), tips and tricks for stay at home dads. If you have a story please send it my way. I'll look it over, and if it's selected, I'll notify you. I can't promise payment, but I can promise that you'll get credit for the story if it's published, and you'll get a free copy of the book when it's published. The stories will have to be limited to no more than 2000 characters (that's about 2 1/2 pages of text). Just comment and cut and paste your story into the comments area. Oh and I'd like your input on things to put on this blog that would help you in your day-to-day lives (widgets, tools, etc.) Thank you!

Welcome Dads and everyone else! Welcome to the launch of Dads at Home Today! Your resource for everything for stay at home dads. Hopefully this can become your resource for everything a dad would need while staying home with the kids, and holding down a job home. As time passes, I'll be adding new widgets, information and sources for everyone visiting. Please don't be shy in suggesting what you would like to get out of this blog, interesting and useful resources and widgets and other things to make your life easier. Until the next post, ENJOY!