Welcome to Weekend Parenting.

I find myself at 46 a single dad with 2 young boys after 14 years of marriage. We were slow starters so our sons are young. Josh turned 5 on Saturday, and Caleb is just under 9 months old. The broken relationship is due to my own actions.

During this period of divorce, I realized two things about myself as a parent. Firstly I took my time with my kids for granted when I was married, and secondly that I have no set plan for weekend activities when I now DO get to see my kids. Hence this blog. Reality about marriages and divorce rates mean I cannot be alone in my predicament, and this blog is an attempt at creating some group-think around appreciating our kids while we have some time with them. Especially if that time is suddenly minimized to weekends only.

The truth is that kids stop needing us far sooner than we'd hoped. Very soon my young boy won't be calling "papa, come look" every 3 mins, and as much as I struggle with it now, I KNOW I'm going to miss it down the line. And I'm probably going to regret the time I spent on my cellphone instead of being fully engaged with him.

So as you browse this blog, you probably fall into one of 4 categories of people. And just so you know, all are welcome:
1) Curious. Just browsing.
2) A parent from a healthy marriage, just looking for stuff to do with their kids on weekends.
3) A parent from a broken union- formal or informal- figuring out what to do with their custody weekend.
4) A single parent looking to make the most of their weekend-time with the kids.

My son Josh turned 5 on Saturday, and I made a vow that I would NEVER AGAIN let time with him pass over a weekend without giving him my full attention and input and teaching and love. Never. Life is just too short. So if no one else joins this community, it will be a chronicle of my weekend adventures with Josh.

This blog is not an attempt to educate anyone. It is a cry for help from those who have done it- poorly or well- and a call for community around those most precious minutes we have with our kids. Let's share ideas and encourage each other to use the time we have wisely and fruitfully. Let's build into our kids a resilience, determination and love that this generation so desperately needs.

Welcome to Weekend Parenting. Come as you are and bring what you have. Introduce yourself below, or follow the page, or share with a friend, or just have another sip of wine. We'll get through this.