In which we get to know the Coast2Coast Dads.

Question 1: Who?

Describe, to the degree of personal detail that you are you most comfortable, your current dadly situation, and optionally how it affects your personal time.

Dickie, East Coast Dad:

I’m a not-quite-forty-year-old with a fifteen year old daughter and a 9 year old step son. I have a strong family, but we have been through some external trials and tribulations that most families never go through - all within the span of 6 years. As my daughter begins to come into her own, it takes an ever-increasing amount of time to coordinate her social/extracurricular life, especially since (being a teenager) she often as little idea of the impact of her schedule on her parental chauffeurs, or exactly how much work it takes to coordinate…anything. I truly marvel at those families who have many children; their to-do list must look like the schedule at Grand Central Terminal.

doctorfrog, West Coast Dad:

I’m the recently minted and mildly anxious father of a small female person. Her mother, a woman to whom I am married, fortunately seems to know what to do most of the time. I’m living where I’ve lived, in the Bay Area of California. I’ve entered my late 30’s, which is a little later in the game for fatherhood than some, but ready or not…

I spend mornings to early afternoon with the kid, and afternoons-to-evenings working. I come home and usually prepare dinner as well, just barely kissing the kid good-night (until she wakes for feedings). After personal necessities, that tends to boil down to around to 1-2 hours of leisure time at the tip end of the day. Which I realize can be a luxury, but I’m not in competition with busier parents: to me that’s not a lot of time. I read, sometimes I write, I play a few video games, and I waste time on the internet in half-hearted pursuits of useless knowledge. I tend not to get very deep into anything in that amount of time, and spread my time among those activities pretty thinly. Often with one ear cocked for a hungry baby cry. That’s today. Next week? Hard to say.

You know what, though? It’s not terrible.