An Introduction from author/stand up comedian Joe Sindoni
By Joe | September 21, 2009
Welcome to the first of at least 5 guest Bloggers who will be contributing on a weekly basis to this site. I was lucky enough to draw the shortest straw so I start the week off. I hope you will join me each Monday as I share my experiences as a parent and single dad. But first a little introduction.
I raised two sons as a single dad from when they were in diapers. Two boys, myself, and a male Black Lab. There was enough testosterone in my home to turn Rue Paul back into a man! In spite of that, after ten years as a full time stay at home Mr. Mom I became estrogenized. And I have a lot of fun stories about that whole process which I’ll be sharing with you in the upcoming weeks.
I wrote a book about my parenting experiences – like just about every other parent does these days, and I gave it one of those nice touchy feely titles: “50 Reasons Not To Have Kids.., and what to do if you have them anyway.“ Even though I am a Stand Up comedian and there is humor in my book, it is also very serious and packed with real life situations and lessons.
Like many people, maybe even most people, I didn’t give a lot of thought into the decision to have kids. I gave a lot more thought into preventing them before I got married, than I did to having them once I got married. I just thought it was the thing to do – Get married and have kids.
Most people put more thought into the college they want to attend, or even the car they buy, than the decision to have, or not have kids. This is the single biggest, most life altering decision we’ll ever make. I think we all need to realize that making a baby is easy, raising a child is very hard.
My sons are now 28 & 29 so you would think my parenting days are over. I certainly thought they would be, and hoped they would be. Unfortunately, what I was told by many parents, that “parenting never ends” is true. It only changes. Kids mature emotionally much slowly than they did when I was coming of age, in the 1970’s. I may not have the day to day responsibility and obligations that I had, but there is still parenting to do.
I certainly NEVER thought I was going to end up as a single dad. I was going to be the bread winner and my wife was going to do what she always wanted to, be a full time mom. I was willing to accept the financial sacrifices that are required when only one parent is working. Something that has now become virtually impossible.
Assuming that many of you reading this are single parents, I’m quit sure no one anticipated or prepared for this outcome. Unfortunately, families today are more likely to end up as you did, than the traditional story book family you set out to have. Something I hope to talk more about in upcoming blogs.
During my life I was an ocean lifeguard, did construction work, worked in a factory, and started three businesses – often requiring 16 hour days. I can say without any hesitation that being a single parent is the most challenging job in the world. I certainly never realized that, or gave my wife the credit she deserved for the job – until I became the full time parent.
During my parenting years I became a prolific journaler, so I captured the experience in living color each morning. The challenges, the joys, the frustrations, the pain, the happiness, and more often than I wish, the things I was doing wrong. I stepped in most of the parental bear traps over the course of my parenting years, hopefully I can help you avoid some of them. That is why I wrote my book, and it’s why I agreed to do this when Bill McLeod (creator of Single Dads Town) contacted me and asked me to be one of 6 contributors to this Blog.
There will be days when I will share my actually journal writings with you. Nothing is more honest, heartfelt, or deeply personal than what we write in our journal. I’ve never done this before, and I’ll admit a certain apprehension about it, but if I can help you be a better parent, or even see that you’re not alone in your feelings and frustrations, then I think it will be worth it.
I hope you’ll join me each Monday for what I hope will be a fun, entertaining, and enlightening Blog.
Kindest Regards,
Joe
PS: Forgive me in advance for my grammaticals (I think that’s one), I did very bad in school – especially English, and I don’t have the luxury of an editor before I submit these.
Topics: General | 2 Comments »
September 21st, 2009 at 1:55 pm
Great job Joe..
December 8th, 2009 at 1:10 am
Oh my god loved reading this article. I submitted your rss to my blogreader!