FLIPSIDE PRESENTS : RYANN CAUDILLO

SHIRTS, TIES, AND BABY BOTTLES: My life in corporate America as a single dad.

I was asked by a real close friend of mine to delve within my thoughts and re-live the last four years of my life. It was a ride full of the best times a person can imagine and the worst nightmare brought to life.

It has been fours years since I became a father to a beautiful son and joined the rat race of corporate America. These two worlds of fatherhood and 9-5 -ism have given this young dad a lot to think about, so I am split right down the middle. The basics of negotiation 101 with big time CEO’s or if you eat the carrots you will get a cookie. These are just some of the dilemmas I face throughout my week.

I would be wrong not to acknowledge my son’s mother because we both share the duties of raising him even though we are not together. I know that society uses labels such as “Baby Daddy” or “Baby Momma” to describe un-wed couples these days, but I feel -no excuse me- I know that I don’t fit that term. I would be lying to you all if I said we never argue about his development. That is where we clash like titans over every issue. She has her opinion and I have mine. No one is right or wrong; let’s just say we will agree to disagree until he is old enough to make his own decisions and live with them.

Reading articles, books, or surfing the web I notice one main problem. As single parents we let society force us to take the short end of the stick when it comes to parenting. In no way shape or form am I defending all single fathers in the world, but in essence, this is telling all those single fathers that we have a voice.

I have been given the privilege of writing about my experiences of being a single dad in corporate America. In those four years I have grown as a dad and I have been working my way up the ladder of success making things better for my son and me financially by any means necessary. If I was getting coffee for my boss, staying late to finish my reports or walking my son into school the following morning, each day is a new story. These are my experiences as a single father in corporate America, take a look into my world.

-Ryann Caudillo