DAD HACKS!
Dad Hack #2: Get a Kitchen Whiteboard
Much of the stress and frustration of childcare emerges not from the behavior of kids, but rather from the banal, day-to-day work of coordination and forward planning. As we’ve talked about here and on my insta, that work is often called “mental load,” and is a domain of childcare that dads, stereotypically, ignore.
As you know, though, our great crusade at Spinning Plates is to shatter the shackles of obsolete parenting norms: being an involved dad means being involved in planning. The last Dad Hack was a simple tool - the “shared note” - which my family uses to coordinate with our pediatrician.
Today I’m sharing a complementary tool that you will use literally everyday:
Dad Hack #2: Get a Kitchen Whiteboard
In our case, we used a $25 can of white board paint to turn an entire wall of our kitchen into a whiteboard, a project that took a total of 15 fifteen minutes. You can also just, you know, buy a white board, literally anywhere.
We use the white board for lots of stuff. In the image above, there’s a section to capture when we’re traveling for work or pleasure; who takes care of the dog when that happens; and how often our neighbor waters plants in those instances. In the chart below, we look at a two week window of intense work travel to make decisions about childcare. (NB: There’s also a sick drawing I did of Bapi.)
On most mornings, though, Azad and I use the available space to make scribbles, draw crude animals, and learn letter sounds.
You know, classic white board stuff.
There are lots of ways to share basic, daily information. You should do whatever works for your family. But a whiteboard, situated in the most highly trafficked area of your house, will offer accessible, visible reminders of important tasks and decision points … and the most complicated technology involved is the elusive dry-erase marker.
DAD HACKS!