As a child, I always felt in my father's way. Specifically, in the way of his freedom and his peace and quiet. He seemed like a man who felt chained down by his kids, who would rather be out drinking and gambling and catting around (which he probably did anyway) than trying to teach his kids to read or fish. His freedom, his precious freedom was gone! Traded in for kids! And what did he have to show for it? A job, debts, responsibilities.... 

I'm here to tell you that once you internalize it, this is a damn hard attitude to shake. Yet it's one that, if I want to be a true father and not merely a biological and legal one, I need to continue scraping off the surface of my skin every day. Because it's deep within me and it rises up. In the machismo attitude that dealing with young kids is women's work. In the moldy remains of a cultural belief that a man's place in the home is to be outside of it, hunting things down to bring back to it for others to consume. Or, better yet, in some pack of wild men causing havoc to law-abiding citizens everywhere.... 

But there's another reason for the title of this path than the fact that children are inconvenient truths that change your life. Children also reveal inconvenient truths, such as things you'd rather not know about yourself. For this alone, I highly recommend it. 

1. OVER MY HEAD
2. THERE GOES MY SELFHOOD
3. THE EARPLUG PHASE
4. THE BATTLE OF MY LIFE
5. WRITERDADDY