Paternity Leave

As some of you know I am in the middle of my paternity leave. It's only 4 weeks and 2 weeks are already gone. It has been fantastic to spend time with the girls. Iris still goes to the nanny share so I have most of the day alone with Viola. It's been good for us to have that time to bond. (That is what the paternity leave is for after all.) But I have not spent all my time with Viola. Since I am not working it means my evenings and weekends are free also so we have family time too. But the reason for my post today was my experience at the park today with both girls. Recently, there has been a lot written about stay at home parents and working parents including a couple in the NY Times here and here.
Until today I didn't think much of either of those. But today I experienced what it is like to be the only dad in a park full of moms. Now, to be fair, this was a fairly defined group of moms and kids. But Iris didn't care. She saw kids playing in the sand box with toys and wanted to play too. She walked right into the pit and started playing. I followed Iris (wearing Viola on my chest in the Ergo no less) telling her to ask to play, be nice, etc. The women in the group didn't acknowledge either of us. I am not sure that it was because I am a man or it was because I wasn't in their group but regardless this is my rant for those mothers.

1. I know that as a man I can never understand what childbirth feels like, what breastfeeding feels like, and therefore will never understand the connection between mother and child. That does not make me less of a parent. Just a different one. 
2. Men are still looked at differently when they are the primary care giver. When a man shows up in the park with his kids by himself he is already swimming upstream.  Give him a break. He is intimidated by you and your friends and probably insecure. 
3. Kids don't know the "politics" of the playground. If they want to play then they play. Please just let them.
4. Most importantly, if you want men to be better fathers (and I think you do), stop treating the stay at home fathers like the outsiders. 

Ok. I will get off my soap box now. 

The latest update to the girls. Tonight we discovered that Viola is ticklish and has a great laugh.
Iris climbed out of her crib for the 1st time. The good news is that she didn't fall. The bad news is that she did it multiple times until Alisa stayed with her until she fell asleep. We'll be converting her crib to a bed tomorrow. I am sure their will be stories to tell about that . . .