Bay Harbour: March 04, 2020

Wednesday March 4 2020
Latest Canterbury news at starnews.co.nz
BAY HARBOUR
PAGE 11
All good things come to an end
YOU KNOW what they say
about good things and what they
inevitably do?
Well, this week brings big
changes in our house. One being
the end of my time as a stay-athome-dad
and returning to the
workforce.
The other, sadly, being the end
of this column.
It’s been amazing having an opportunity
to share thoughts and
stories like this. It’s also been a
real treat to have people recognise
us (mostly Vittoria) when we’re
out and about. If you’ve been one
of those people, thank you, you
made my day every time.
But over and above it all, the
last 16 months have been something
beyond description in
terms of the privilege of spending
so much time with my daughter.
I was nervous about how I’d
cope going into it, but over time
I’ve developed my parenting skills
so much that I’d be confident to
care for her on my own anywhere
and for, pretty much, any length
of time.
I’ve witnessed my little girl
grow from cute, mumbling bug
to a sassy little speed demon who
loves music, singing and a select
series of bedtime stories. I’ve had
a front row seat to help her grow
into her own little person.
VITTORIA
& Matt
THEN AND NOW: Vittoria at the beginning of the stay-at-home
dad experience, and 16 months later.
There’s definitely been hard
times. Any parent could tell you
that it can be easy to feel cut off
from the ‘adult world’. Being a
full-time, stay home, parent it can
be hard to escape that without
the ‘adult world’ involving only
other parents. Probably with kids
in tow.
Not that that can’t be a great
time, because it definitely can be,
but you definitely find yourself
appreciating any non-kid focussed
events more than before.
•Former Bay Harbour News
journalist Matt Salmons has
spent 16 months as a stay-athome
dad. We have followed
his journey weekly but he
is now heading back to the
workforce
Another difficulty I found was
a kind of guilty feeling from not
financially contributing substantially
to the household income.
I’m not talking about feeling
FAMILY: Laura, Vittoria and Matt.
pressure to be a provider of cash,
that had only lasted a couple
weeks. It’s more feeling guilty
about spending on yourself because
it’s ‘not your money’.
It took a lot of Laura reassuring
me that I didn’t need to feel guilty
before I got myself my first stayat-home-parent
takeaway coffee.
Still, I wouldn’t change anything
about the experience. It is one of
the best things I’ve ever done.
Now I’ll have to get used to
the working world all over again,
including having to be out of my
PJs before 6am.
I’ll also have to get used to the
idea of walking out of the house
most days and leaving my little
girl behind, which is hard to even
think about. So as exciting as
these changes are, it’s sad to leave
the life of the last year behind.
So, wish us luck and I thank
you, dear reader, for all the time
you’ve spent with us over this
time. It’s been an honour sharing
it with you.
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