Becoming a school gate dad

Last month I ranted about the school run. This month I have decided to write about a few observations I have made based on my recent experiences of becoming a school gate dad. I’m sure they aren’t that dissimilar to the experiences of school gate mums but please have a read and let me know what you think. Can you relate to what I’m talking about?

This is a real commitment – The involvement and commitment expected from parents is greater than I expected. Be it simply providing milk bottles so the kids can make Elmer the Elephant models to giving up a Saturday to weed the school grounds, the expected commitment is huge. Not that I’m complaining, I think it’s great this input is asked for and delivered and it’s good to see parents supporting the school. Unfortunately this doesn’t seem to be universal.  I’ve heard a few horror stories from nearby schools, including one where the parents have launched a social media campaign to oust the head in what seems to be a very petty dispute. I feel for the children and teaching staff caught in the middle of this.

The playground is a daunting place for an adult – As the weeks go past it gets easier, but the playground and school gates are daunting when you don’t know anyone (possibly even more so when you’re a dad). Learning playground etiquette is also a tough one. I mean, what is the etiquette on allowing your child to ride a scooter in the playground before the school day has begun? What is the correct way to retrieve your child when they’ve tried climbing a tree and got themselves stuck? You can’t get this kind of advice in Debrett’s.

I can sew (badly) – I’ve found my non-existent sewing skills are being put to good use. Prior to starting school all those dreadful name tags had to be sewn into all those clothes and just last night I found myself stitching up a hole in a ripped skirt (“How did this happen?” I asked my daughter. “I don’t know daddy,” came the reply). I may have to go on a sewing strike in a bid to persuade my wife to take on a greater part of this burden.

I enjoy polishing shoes – As a school boy I took great pride in polishing my shoes. As an adult I became more relaxed about this. This recent #SilentSunday picture on my blog demonstrates the shoe polish comes out almost every day to clean my little one’s shoes and I find it oddly therapeutic. It is my intention to pass this role on to my daughter when she’s a bit older and who knows, maybe in time she’ll even polish my shoes.

Sorry Polar Bears – My mother declared that with a child at school we’d need a tumble dryer and insisted on giving us money towards the cost of buying one. I like trees, rainforests and polar bears so felt this was a highly dubious suggestion. Despite this we bought a bottom of-the-range dryer and I regret to say we’ve made good friends with it. I’ve been staggered at our daughter’s ferocious appetite for clean school uniform so the dryer has proved necessary.

There we have it, a few thoughts from me. What are your experiences of having a little one start school? Am I well off beam or can you relate to this?

About John Adams

John Adams is a married with two young daughters. He has been a stay at home dad for almost four years. John started blogging back in 2012 after being invited to one-too-many "mother and toddler groups." This inspired him to write about the issues he faced as a stay at home dad and the gender barriers men face as parents. John continues to write about lie as a stay at home dad. He also writes about every aspect of parenting; schooling, education, pregnancy and birth, childcare and so on. Over time he has broadened the focus of his blog so he now writes about family finances, photography and occasionally covers men's style and fashion. John was originally a journalist. He concedes, however, that was a long time ago.

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