Nat's turn - thoughts of a full-time dad

After more than a month of being a full time dad, I have to say that no amount of business school training would have ever prepare me for this role. I have had my fair share of managing people, managing multi-million peso projects, beating very strict credit report deadlines, speaking to corporate big-wigs, analyzing financial data, .... yada, yada, yada, but I honestly have to say that managing both a house and a 20-month old son takes the cake !
In my life as a corporate slave (no pun intended), I had to make decisions which would result in the survival or financial viability of a project, of a department much more of a company. That was then, fast-forward to today, all my analytical prowess takes the back seat as I have to make decisions based on my son's survival. What food to give him, how many times I should change his nappies ('pampers' in the PI), what television shows he should and shouldn't watch, what medications to give him in case he catches the flu...well those sort of things.
Trivial as it may sound but for someone who has been immersed in the corporate nebula for more than ten years, all these child-caring basics have sounded alien to me until the birth of our little (well, he's not as cuddly and serene as before) bundle of absolute joy. One other important thing full-time fatherhood has taught me is personal time management. Sure I was a sucker for work-related deadlines but I confess to being the exact opposite when it came to either personal or family time. I now have to wake up in the morning ahead of Maku and do all my personal business so by the time he opens his eyes, I am all set for the day. Otherwise, I wont be able to take a bath till mid-morning when he's taking a nap. It is simply amazing how my mom did it ! Having three kids to care for and kept such a big house spic-and-span (we grew up in my maternal grandparents' home which was a huge house) is simply...'awe-inspiring'. My day is relatively full of challenges, one of which is what meal to give Prince Maku which he would ultimately finish. You see, our toddler likes to spit-out food which doesn't go very well with his palate and my mission everyday (which I am compelled to accept) is to prepare something much to his liking. Trial and error has resulted in (a) alot of leftovers for the fridge or (b) daddy having to finish them all up. But who's complaining? As long as the little person likes what I prepare and finish it to the last morsel, I can shout to high heavens in ecstasy (which isn't very often, trust me)!
I am also a self-confessed neat freak. I like my button-down shirts wrinkle-free, my handkerchiefs neatly folded, my white undershirts, collared shirts, and crew necks segregated and neatly staked and folded in the same widths, my shoes likewise segregated by office/leather, casual sneakers, running shoes, golf shoes, etc. So for those of you who have toddlers of their own can comprehend where I'm coming from. Life has been a whirlwind when Maku arrived, much more now that he can get his own toys and play with them wherever suits his fancy and scatter them from here to Timbuktu (oh, and did I mention that he indeed has a separate play area for this specific purpose?)! I have been patient in tidying-up after he's decided to move on and do some other stuff (like messing up the kitchen's utensil drawer) and I tend to do this each and every time he messes up which makes me think about changing my strategy....let him play with all his toys during the day and teach him to put everything in their proper places before going to bed. It may sound like a very nice idea, but on second thought, being the smart kid that he is, I might (just might) end up doing this myself (patigasan nalang siguro).
Ah well, C'est la vie ! as the French say. It is not and never will be my intention to complain, in fact I consider this more of a personal accomplishment rather than a burden. For a word as ubiquitous as child-caring, I do believe a have earned some brownie points.