Twice a month we interview dads in our “How Does He Do It?” feature. If interested in participating please reach out on Facebook or Instagram.
We are excited to introduce you to Matt from Dashing Dad YYC. He is married and a proud Stay-At-Home-Dad to kids Clara and Ryker.
Are you an urban or suburban dad, where do you live?
I’m a suburban dad. I live in South Calgary.
Tell us about your children?
I have a three year old daughter that is energetic, fearless and SO friendly. I also have a four month old son that is rocking all of the things babies do. Eating his fist, gurgling, trying to roll over etc.
Tell us about your typical weekday?
My typical weekday starts with getting my daughter out of bed. I usually let my wife sleep for a bit longer with our son (assuming he’s not crying/up). My daughter and I head downstairs, turn on some cartoons and make breakfast. If it’s a school day (she does a playschool for 3 hours a day twice a week) I’ll pack up her backpack and get her dressed, if it’s a regular day we’ll take a little more time getting ready for the day. Once my wife is up, I’ll usually go work for a few hours (I work part-time as a freelance writer) then join the family for lunch. If it’s a day I’m not working, we’ll go out and do an activity. It’s then lunch and nap time for the kids, where I’ll continue to work if needed. After nap, we usually go out and play outside or if the weather is too bad, we’ll head to our basement and play some of our instruments. Next is dinner time, then we’ll play, have a bath and get ready for bedtime. My wife and I share the bedtime routine for our daughter and will each do every-other night. Our bedtime routine consists of going potty, getting jammies, brushing teeth, reading books, singing songs and ends with words of affirmation. By this time we have some time to spend alone with our son, before we try to put him down for bed. Then we can watch a show or two before heading to bed ourselves.
Do you have help?
My wife is currently on mat-leave and I’m working part-time. It works out great that we can parent together and pick-up each others slack whenever we need to.
Who cooks dinner?
My wife does most of the cooking, but I’m slowly gaining a repertoire of meals I can put together.
How often do you have date nights?
Since our son has been born we haven’t had a date night without him, but we have gotten out a couple of times without our daughter. Does that count? Lol.
What clothing lines or stores do you like to purchase for your children?
Our favourite is Simply Love, and we make an effort to purchase locally as much as we can.
Do you exercise regularly and if so, what and how do you fit in it?
Before my son was born I was working out every other day. I have a Bowflex at home and that makes it really easy to hop downstairs and get in a quick workout. I feel like we’re just starting to get out of the newborn haze, so am looking forward to getting back into my workouts. Additionally, I like to mountain bike and golf. It takes some forward thinking and planning to get these activities in these days, but my wife is supportive of making sure we each get time for ourselves.
What is your favourite Christmas/Hanukkah gift that you have received as an adult?
My favourite gifts are always activities. If my wife or a family member makes a plan for us to do something, those are always my favourite.
What are you currently watching?
I’m addicted to Queer Eye and The Curse of Oak Island right now. We also enjoy The Good Place and pretty much anything on HGTV lol.
Thank you to Matt for taking the time out of your day to let us know “How Does He Do It.”