Balancing Act: Husband, Daddy, Writer, Regular Guy

Few things are more rewarding than being a parent. Children know virtually no fear, love unconditionally, and can make you re-think your whole outlook on life with the flash of a smile.

A day doesn't pass that my oldest daughter, Emma, doesn't utter something that hits me square in the heart. It's usually something funny or profound – a word, a phrase or simply a question – which makes so proud to have created something so amazing and intelligent that I completely lose track of everything happening in that moment. 

Then, two minutes later, I'll find her on the kitchen counter, having scaled the recliner to reach it, unintentionally dialing Dubai on my phone, with an uncapped ink pen in her free hand, and a mouth full of pennies.  And that's when I come back down to earth. She'll be mumbling some incoherent explanation for her actions as I haul her down, digging the pennies out of her mouth, and extracting my BlackBerry and the ink pen from the vice-grip of her hands. In situations like these, I just shake my head, and ask myself the same, vexing question: How do parents manage to survive 18 years of days like this?

There is no formula, I suppose. But I hope this column can serve as a forum to find those answers and I welcome your comments and ideas.

For the record, I am a stay-at-home father, husband to my beautiful wife, Corinne, who is a nurse, and I enjoy every minute of my life. I am also a part-time writer, which helps me maintain my sanity. I enjoy mowing my lawn, football on the weekends (go Chiefs!), braised corned beef brisket, and the smell of new books – I can routinely be found at the on Ford Road, with my nose in several of them. These things balance me out. But they are of no concern to my girls, so I have to take whatever time I am given to enjoy them.

I've only been at this fatherhood thing for 2 ½ years, and have applied every single piece of advice I've been given to my approach to my children -- I also have a 2-month-old daughter, Avery.

What I do know: No one method works in every situation; children are too smart for that. It takes creativity and patience to manage, and endure, the onslaught of begging, screaming, throwing, and crying that parents will invariably encounter – day in and day out. Children will not be denied, so it behooves us to constantly be thinking two or three steps ahead of them.

I expend most of my energy keeping the house in order, making sure my daughters get the attention they need, and trying my best to give my wife the support she deserves as a mother and a career woman. These aren't always easy tasks. I know all of you parents out there can relate. But my wife and I have lived in Canton for a little over a year – south of Cherry Hill, east of Lilly (a stone's throw from ) – and are both in agreement that it's one of the best communities in Southeast Michigan to raise kids in.

The schools, from what we hear, are great –my mom is a preschool teacher, and, I swear, she knows everyone in every district – kid-friendly activities abound (the Summit, the Canton Sports Center, and the B.L.O.C.K, which offers numerous programs for kids ages 11- 17) and we encounter young families like us everywhere: At the grocery store, in restaurants, or any number of the city's retail outlets. So, the aim of this column will be to reach out to you, my fellow moms and dads. My column will run once a week, in the hopes that my own experiences as a father, and my knowledge of the city, will help you discover everything that Canton has to offer.  See you next week!

If you ever have any questions or ideas, by all means drop me a line. I can be reached at s.flynn75@yahoo.com.