It's In The Bag

By Rebeldad Brian Reid

Unpacking my primary business bag/laptop carrier/backup diaper bag after a recent overnight business trip was a veritable archaeological dig into the past year of my life. ... Amid the papers, file folders and power cords were a diaper -- two sizes too small -- smushed at the bottom, a small tube of pre-packaged powdered infant formula, a couple of plastic stars, some doctors bills, corrected homework and a maraca.

It's clichéd to talk about how silly the "at-home" prefix is nowadays. No parent, regardless of whether they're in the work force, is centered at home. The big bag is the new office, a place to stuff all the fragments of life we need to get through the day.

There seem to be so many tiny spaces of time in the course of a day (waiting for school to let out, waiting for potty breaks, unexpected stroller naps), that I have come to believe that a well-packed bag is the key to stealing those moments for some sort of productive endeavor. But as an on-again, off-again slob, I'm having a hard time following through.

At a minimum, I usually stuff a pen and some note cards to capture all of those things that I really need to do once I get back to the home/office/kid-free zone. Stationary is nice -- I chronically run months behind on my thank-you notes. I've been painstaking sticking phone numbers into my cell phone so I can make the hair/car/dog appointments on the run.

There are the kid-related accoutrements: the diapers, the extra sweatshirts and the burp cloths (which never seem to use their utility, no matter how old the kids get.) And then there's the phone and wallet and keys. Oh -- I can't forget the bags upon Ziploc bags filled with Cheerios, the ultimate travel food.

Finally -- of course -- there's the Aleve, for the mysterious shoulder pain, which is due either to hockey or the fact that I'm lugging around an 85-pound bag. I'd like to blame the ice time, but it's probably the bag.

(I can't be the only one searching for the perfect bag. With apologies to Lifehacker: What's in your everyday bag?)

Brian Reid writes about parenting and work-family balance. You can read his blog at rebeldad.com.

By Brian Reid |  September 27, 2007; 7:27 AM ET  | Category:  Tips
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