October 27, 2005

Man's work

Jon Absalom writes in today's Guardian on the joys of being a househusband:
It is difficult, being a househusband; certainly more difficult than I had imagined. The practical aspects of parenting - naps, meals, baths, bedtimes - are well established. So are the basics of keeping house. None of it is the least bit difficult, once you know how. But a lot of it is boring. And the hours ... they start when it's dark and cold, and they last for an unreasonable amount of time. There is little time to yourself; no time for mulling over your emails, or surfing the web, or popping out for some pleasure shopping. There's no breakfast and a shower before work. You live and sleep on the shop floor.
I tend to refer to myself as a full-time father rather than a househusband, but the work's the same. And it leaves very little time for anything else.