Single Fatherhood 2

It has been nigh a year since my last post, I realized, somewhat aghast. Yet, despite all the time that has passed, I find myself at exactly where I had left off. Sigh.

The missus is off again; this time it is to Japan, on an assignment that she detests. The reason for her dislike of the place, according to her, is that there is too much pettiness amongst the people and a distinct lack of warm food for lunch. Those who have met my wife will agree with me when I speculate that it is the latter that appears more frequently in her complaints.

As for me, her absence has caused my health to suffer somewhat. I am short of sleep (as usual) and short of time (in particular). My daughter too, has begun to exhibit signs of separation anxiety. She has, on occasion, burst into tears for no apparent reason, especially when I drop her off at school. Needless to say, I have had to explain to her teachers that her mother is off somewhere, and that the daughter has latched onto me as a substitute. Worst of all was having to make apologetic sounds as the teachers (women, one and all) nodded in understanding and made sympathetic noises. Sigh.

To distract the daughter from her situation, I have implemented a two-pronged approach:

First, I have begun to bring her to her school a little earlier than she is accustomed to. This gives her opportunity to meet her friends at the entrance and so begin socialising (playing and generally making a nuisance of themselves) before classes start. Sufficient to stop her from dwelling on the goodbyes later on.

Second, there are places that she has visited with me and with me alone. Since her mother was never around when we visited the Botanic Gardens and such, these spots are, in her head, exclusive Father-and-Daughter bonding locales. Revisiting them -just the two of us- has reinforced that, I hope. This should prevent her from the constant reminder that she is one parent short. Thus far, it has been working.

Well, only two more weeks to go. Wish me luck!