four dads in one place!
Fern & I have been going to a music and movement class for three weeks now. It's been a lot of fun, although predictably, I've been the only dad there: it's mostly moms, plus a grandma and two nannies. Today, though, in some sort of freak of nature, there were four dads. My first reaction -- strange, I know -- was to mourn the loss of specialness. There's a "hello" song where we sing all the kids' names, and then "hello to the mommies" and, usually, "hello to the daddy." Today, we had to pluralize it. I used to get that whole line of the song all to myself, and suddenly we're splitting it four ways! Who are these people?
So I chatted with them, a little. Of the new dads, none was a stay-at-home like me. Two were dads giving mom "a day off" (what an odd thing to say, I couldn't help feeling), and one was a dad tagging along with the nanny to see what it was all about. Poor nanny, she looked at a loss for what to do. It's hard to split one kid two ways, especially a 3-year old boy who is more interested in the cool sticks and instruments they bring than sitting on anyone's lap. The other nanny in the class brings two kids; I thought maybe she should share.
Nonetheless, it was nice to be interactive, although I was unclear on the social expectations as we were all leaving. Should I invite them over for beer? That's a daddy thing, right? I'd just read an article someone sent me about stay-at-home dads from the S.F. Chronicle that made it seem like daddy groups should do that: drink beer and talk about diaper rash. I guess I have a lot to learn!
