PST: Parent Standard Time

Art Eddy
July 26, 2012

Art Eddy

Lives in: Stanhope, NJ
From: Hampton, NH
Birthday: May 6, 1979
Occupation: Stay at Home Dad, Podcast, Writer
Web: http://www.mastersofnone.com
Twitter: @DadatworkNJ

View profile »

 Growing up as a kid I felt as though I was on someone else’s timetable. When I was in school I had to report to school at a certain time. In high school it was the same thing, but I had a part-time job too. So I was at the mercy of the schedule my boss made for me. Back then I worked in a produce department at a grocery store and I had to get up at 5 AM to get to work because of the early delivery of the fruits and vegetables.  (And yes I had to walk uphill in the snow to work and uphill as well to go back home. Just to complete my sob story.) I do have to say in college it was different. I made my schedule so I was the only person to blame if I had to get up at a certain time.  When I got married the schedule was similar to college. My wife and I both liked to sleep in when we could so there were no issues at that time in my life. That all changed when I became a father.

While my wife was pregnant I remember people telling me, “Get your sleep in now since you won’t be sleeping when the baby comes!” Granted I knew that was going to be the case, but I did hear that once your kid becomes a toddler it gets easier and luckily it did turn out that way. Sleeping through the night does happen and I am thankful for that being the case.

Yet when your child becomes a toddler there are more things that you are doing with your kid. There is preschool, dance classes, play dates, and naps. Plus your life seems to revolve around when your kid will have a meal. We were finishing up lunch one day and I asked my wife what we should have for dinner and at what time. My sisters laughed and said you are thinking of food even after we just finished lunch. I said for me that is how my day is structured.

I no longer plan around the hours of the day, but what I will be doing with my children. I call it Parent Standard Time or PST. Not to be confused with Pacific Standard Time, my PST helps me know when and where I need to be at a certain time. I had this revelation one Saturday morning. It was about 6:30 AM, and my wife and I want to stay in bed even though we heard our two girls say that they wanted to get up and eat breakfast. I wanted to stay in bed, but I knew that would not happen. So I got out of bed and started the day on my new time zone. I am still trying to figure out if I ever have to fall back or spring ahead on Parent Standard Time. Any thoughts?

[Back to Ramblings]