Single dad loses grip on house

Resslin Around/Casey Ressler

Thank God last Thursday finally got here. I was getting sick of eating Honeycomb cereal, and we were just about out of frozen pizzas.

My wife had to go to Arizona for five days last week, putting me in the role of single dad, which turned into a 5-day lesson in what you can do to appease a 4-year-old who desperately misses her mom. All-night cartoon sessions? Sure! Cheese sticks for breakfast, lunch and dinner? No problem! Sleeping in the big bed with dad? Absolutely!

During the five days of Madison's Reign, as I like to refer to the time we spent alone, I did a phone interview at home, managing to take notes with my right hand as I squeezed a rubber ducky in my left during Madison's bath. I didn't venture but a few inches from her during bath time, but every quick look to my notepad was met with a resounding splash and a few gallons of water on the floor. It was something I've never experienced in the newsroom, oddly enough.

By day three, I was completely exhausted, wondering aloud how single parents can do this. By day three, however, Madison was just getting charged up. By Tuesday, she knew she could do anything she wanted and Dad was going to oblige. We started watching Digimon until 11 p.m., a good three hours after she was supposed to be in bed. We cleaned out the chocolate ice cream for dinner one night. We skipped dinner altogether on Wednesday, instead concentrating on dessert. "Don't tell mom about this," I warned her, "or we're watching ESPN instead of Cartoon Network. And I mean business, lady."

Thursday, my wife's plane was delayed, so Madison and I stayed up until midnight, waiting for her. Expecting an afternoon arrival, I promised Madison she could see her mom on Thursday. With the delay, I was in no position to amend that promise. Thankfully, my wife got home around 11:30 p.m., bearing gifts for Madison. As our 3-foot bandit tore into them, I flicked over to ESPN for the first time since Saturday, a new personal record.

As the first highlight came on, my eyes fell shut instantly. When you are a single parent, I've learned, you take your rest when you can get it.

Casey Ressler (valleylife@frontiersman.com) is the Valley Life editor. He's also a Fruity Pebbles kind of guy.