Dialogue

I, as usual, enjoyed the Zinsser reading this week.  I enjoyed the practicality of his advice on not beginning with a notepad, and then bringing it out once the interviewee is comfortable and loosened up.  I was relieved when he suggested that we shouldn't be using a voice recorder, as I think that tenses people up even more than a pen and a pad of paper does.  I appreciated his advice on how to weave an interview into a piece without overwhelming the reader. I'm hopeful to do this in my own piece.

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My husband, Matthew, has been a stay-at-home dad to our daughter for almost two years now.  He's absolutely wonderful at it, but we've never really talked about what he thinks of it, or how other people view him.  So, I asked him.

"I love being home with her.  I get to see and interact with her in ways other dads don't get the opportunity.  I get to see all the crazy annoying things she does and also get to see the amazing progress she makes daily," he responded.

"What do your friends think?"

"Half of them think I'm lazy and lucky to be home to play video games all day.  Most other dads say, 'Dude, you have a harder job than I do!', but I think the truth lies somewhere between those. I'm definitely not gaming all day, but hanging out with her all day is mostly fun."

"Are you ready to get back to work or classes?"

"Absolutely.  I wouldn't take back this time with her for anything, but you should get a chance.  And, that Master's program isn't going to finish itself,"  he replied.