Sports guy wears out his welcome as a stay-at-home dadLast fall I made a decision to end my 18-year run as the sports editor of the Rock County Star Herald.It wasn’t that I didn’t like my work. In fact, I think my decision to leave was partially based on the reality that I enjoyed my job too much.In the world of a sports scribe, duty calls on nearly a nightly basis, with occasional weekend tournaments also requiring attention.I enjoyed watching our area athletes in competition, and considering the sacrifices each of them is asked to make on his/her team, I did my best to give them the press recognition they deserved.Unfortunately, juggling the hectic schedule began to catch up with me last fall. Instead of being excited about my nightly photo assignments, I found it harder and harder to leave my family (Astrid, my wife of 11 years, my 10-year old son, Nick, and my three-year old daughter, Melanie) behind. Like the athletes we cover at the Star Herald, the members of my family deserve attention, too.Realizing this, I gave up my position at the paper, and I entered what proved to be the most relaxing 2 1/2 months of my life. Instead of hurrying to meet deadlines, I found myself accepting the challenges of a stay-at-home dad.My wife’s view might differ, but I saw myself in charge of 80 percent of the cooking and everyday cleaning, and 95 percent of the dish washing. I entertained hopes of doing all the family laundry but was relegated to folding and putting away after I turned a load of white socks and towels into off-green colored ones.As comfortable as I was in my new situation, I knew it was too good to last. I couldn’t seem to crack the code of the lottery, which would have kept me in permanent retirement, and I began to sense I had worn out my welcome as a stay-at-home dad. When a 3-year old tells you to go to work, (the same one who cried last fall when I left the house without kissing her) the writing’s on the wall.As fate would have it, I ran into a couple of former workmates in a social setting early in January and found out they were in need of a sports editor at the Star Herald. Since I needed to seek gainful employment, and feeling the urge to avoid the prospects of being tagged a deadbeat by a 3-year old, I started to consider returning to my old post.We set up a meeting that resulted in my return to the job last Thursday, and it feels great to be back.Thanks to all of the readers who sent me cards and called on the phone to wish me well during my short retirement. I’ll continue to work hard and give recognition to the teams and individuals you follow, and I promise the rest of my columns will be less about me and more about the happenings on the sports scene in the Star Herald coverage area.
