My Two Lives

Happy Manufactured Spend-Your-Money Day, people…

Let me spend a moment telling you about my two lives. The absolute best thing I did when I split with the ex was to insist on split custody. My two boys and I are closer now that we have ever been.

Every moment I have with them now is more precious than I ever thought possible. Now that my time with my boys has been cut, literally, in half each moment becomes twice as important. When I was a married man I saw my boys every day and it was . . . routine. I suppose I took a lot of things for granted back then.

So – that said – you begin to realize how deeply I love my boys and how heartbreaking it is when I send them back to Mom. Seven days with my boys. Seven days without.

I live a schizophrenic life, people. On the weeks when I have my boys I work and spend time with my kids. That’s it. I take my boys to the movies, read books with them play video games, teach them how to cook, work out, wrestle, talk, and simply enjoy the company of my children. Sometimes we go see family like my grandparents or my parents.

Then, on the weeks when I don’t have them, I find other ways to occupy my time. I work more hours. I go out with friends. I drink. I party. I have friends – I’m a social butterfly and a workaholic.

My two lives. Single father of two one week. Single man the next.

It’s really weird, people. I can’t seem to reconcile the two lives. With only a couple of exceptions the activities and associates from one week are not the present in the other. Sometimes I resent that – imagine how hard it is to start and maintain ANY life in 7-day alternating increments.

None of my friends have kids or are family-oriented. Not a single one of my wonderful friends have indicated that they DON’T want to see me on the weeks when I have my kids – but our standard activities are not kid-friendly. Drinking, partying, riding motorcycles, etc. Things I can’t do with my kids.

I suppose I enforce this schizophrenic lifestyle by not inviting my friends over when I have my kids. I just never stopped to think my friends would come over and or do kid-friendly things with me on my kid weeks.

I have a schizophrenic life, people. Now you can officially call me crazy.