Lawrence's blog: Living for the weekend

Like most within the city rat race, having had a long, deadline infested week at work, I awoke on Friday morning with optimism about the forthcoming weekend. To do: 1) spend time with partner and daughter who (as is often the case) have seen next to nothing of the man of the house this week, 2)  chores (including hanging those pictures that have been sat in the corner of the living room for weeks now), 3) do some form of exercise - the BMI results from a recent doctor’s visit have confirmed the long standing prognosis that I no longer have a teenager's metabolism and need to do something about what is fast becoming a ‘daddy gut’, and if time allows; 4) try to get some form of rest……. I’m knackered.

Friday morning started well enough, I left the house vowing to be home early for a tea party with daughter and her teddies, a take-away and maybe even an episode or two of a box-set! That was the intention…….

Friday at work became what I call a ‘Fire-Fight Friday’ and I am not home early; (luckily this is the Partner’s off-day so no-child care issues). I return home at 8:20pm (a personal best for the week); but not the 5pm I was hoping for…….Cue partner groan. I break the news that I also have to take a conference call that evening at 10pm…..the groan deepens.  Teddy bear tea party is postponed, as is the take-away and box set.  Pillow talk that night involves the ‘actual’ plan for the weekend, wedding planning and venue visiting on Saturday (cue my discreet groan) and then out with childless friends on Sunday. Talk ends with the debate over who is getting up at 6am on Saturday to take the early rising child; a small victory for me on this one, I get Sunday’s early shift.

Saturday goes well, the planned activities do not take as long as expected and aside from trying to explain to a 2 year old that Christmas isn’t an actual person (in response to the phrase “Daddy, Christmas going to give me presents for Christmas”), the day goes well. I even squeeze in some daddy-daughter playtime; using bicycle lights we turn the Cosy Coupe into a police car and chase make believe monsters around the house (we agree this is better than a teddy bears tea party). Turns out I’m a pretty handy monster catcher and what makes this better is that the playtime doesn’t come to an abrupt end due to daughter not looking where she is going and running into some furniture (this is a first). Saturday night comprises of picture-hanging and some prep work for Monday’s meetings; this is partner’s night out and she is off to the theatre.

Sunday with child-free friends is as expected, full of envy and disbelief that we once used to have that much free time. I also take on the task of trying to schedule a time when I and child-free man friend can go for a beer (which we have been trying to schedule since March).

Skip to daughter's bath time on Sunday, she runs into our bedroom to tell me she has just ‘trumped’ but it’s okay because she said “pardon-me”, this makes us all laugh out loud.

Needless to say the daddy gut is expanding, I have a rain-check for the take-away and box sets, oh and I’m still knackered. But, would I have it any other way…….no. I’ll take the fatigue if it means I can be a Monster chasing policeman each weekend - and the pictures on the wall don’t look half bad either.

Lawrence is father to a cheeky yet beautiful two year old girl. He works full time at a City accountancy firm and occasionally works from home.