I don’t know about you, but I feel life trots along quite well when you are confident with what you are dealing with, when things aren’t new, but are routine. Then I find, just as complacency/happiness begins to set in, along comes the curveball. For me it can be illness, not serious illness but just pain in the arse illness, that keeps you/partner/daughters battling on, but seriously feeling like s**t. Change of routine is a killer too. I used to call myself spontaneous, but now I am happy to admit that I like to know what I’m dealing with and plenty of advance warning is preferable.
As we all know, kids are the same. Which is why I grinned to myself at class today, observing a dad dealing with a change of routine, caused by a new baby. When I saw him two weeks ago, freshly on paternity leave, with back-up provided by his son”s friend’s mum, he was decidedly cocky. It’s easy this looking after the kids lark, he said jovially. I don’t think I’ll go back to work. Fast forward two weeks and today he appeared on his own with his son and son’s friend. He looked really worried. I’m on my own with them today, he told me, with a look of dread on his face. I smiled reassuringly, telling him he’ll be fine. After all, they are with me for the majority of the time. I went into the studio to prepare for the class. From here I could hear snippets of conversation: which way round does the t shirt go? Are these your trousers? No, leave your pants on. I breeze out to set up some chairs: everything ok? I ask, smiling. He gives me a withering look. I disappear back into the studio. Squeals of delight are filling the waiting area and they are not coming from the dad. I pop my head round the door, as it sounds as though he might need rescuing. His son is clinging to his back and son’s friend is actually sitting on his head – much to the amusement of the au pair who is sitting opposite him.
As he is leaving after the class, I ask him whether this is to be the new routine. I’m ringing work tomorrow, he said. I need to feel human again.
If only that’s all it takes, I thought to myself, a phone call.