GAL Magazine - Family

Family

Notes of an Alternadad: An Introduction

Written by Dustin Talley

I hate when people ask me about the marriage ceremony when I mention my “wife”. It’s not that I’m some grump who hates to recall the details or am too embarrassed by what I did at the bachelor party the night before, quite the contrary. I’m usually quite vocal about most aspects of my life (even some aspects that others would rather not know about) which is a good thing when you work at a coffee shop where people are looking to escape the stresses of work and family with a nice specialty coffee drink and a story about how you forgot to peel the shrimp before you put them in the salad. No, I’m not shy about things and I would give every tiny little detail about the wedding except for one small problem; it never happened. Oh sure, I joke. I say “oh we’ll do it when we find the time” or “ well, we just forgot”, but the truth is that we have plenty of time and great memories, we just don’t feel ready and don’t actually have a prescribed religion under which to get married. That is understandable this day and age and would leave us without question from those around us if that were simply the case, but alas, we have a child and that just seems to complicate things. And actually, our child wouldn’t even complicate things too much if it were “our” child. Let me explain.

The Juggling Act

Written by Debbie Panell

Today’s working woman, particularly working mother’s oftentimes qualify as the ringmaster of a three ring circus. And it doesn’t particularly matter if you work in a traditional office, or at home. The days of Donna Reed are no longer here. We do not vacuum in pearls and prepare gourmet meals and open the door for our husbands when they arrive home with a freshly ironed dress on and a smile. My husband would likely have a heart attack if I did that- out of pure shock!

In Ring One we have Work. Whether you have to be in an office at 8 am sharp, or have the leniency to begin your day when you please, you still have obligations to meet. I am fortunate to work from home. As a writer, you would think I sit at the computer when inspiration hits, a profound piece of knowledge that must escape my head to the “paper” and release itself for public approval. This couldn’t be further from the truth. Most days, I am at my computer by 7am. Typically, I don’t get totally off before 9 or 10 pm. I have an inbox full of requests for articles, all with deadlines. Various IM programs flashing their blinking screams with editors checking in on a nearly hourly basis to see how I’m doing. I often feel like telling them every minute I spend replying to them takes away time from writing, but, just as in an office, you can’t tell you boss that! I have phone calls to make, interviews to conduct, and research to do. All while trying to keep the one year old from pulling the keyboard off my desk!