Saying goodbye to Jon Stewart (so we both can spend more time with our kids)

It was announced yesterday that Jon Stewart will not be staying on with The Daily Show after this year. Having seen every episode except one of the sixteen years of his tenure and an avowed fan (I've mentioned it in posts more than a few times) I will miss him, but I understand the desire to move on.

But I'm not as sad as I would be were I not a parent.

As it stands, since our son came along, I have found myself often recording a week's worth of episodes and having to squeeze them in on the weekend. When Stephen Colbert stepped away from "the Report" last year I was sad, but that was time I would need to devote to other pursuits.

I have been recording The Nightly Show, the Larry Wilmore show that took over the timeslot. I like him very much and root for him to have a nice long run, but it's not quite proving to be the essential viewing of Stewart or Colbert (at least not yet); I can see a time when circumstances make it such that I'll catch it when I get the chance but not strive to catch every one. And that is undoubtedly largely due to my priorities as a parent; were I a younger, single guy I'm sure I'd be taking it in the same way I did his predecessor.

Whether someone else takes over the anchor chair (the way John Oliver did last summer, leading to him getting his own HBO show—which has proven to be essential viewing, but luckily for me is only one episode a week and thus easier to fit in) or TDS gives way to another new late night show on Comedy Central, I suspect it will fall into that same Nightly category: what I'll see when I have the chance.

As much as I've enjoyed TDS under Stewart, I really need a break—not as much as he must, but a break nonetheless. And moving on when he does is the best way for me to make the transition. Not that we don't have many months left (and I'll relish each episode), but there is some modicum of relief at knowing the end is coming.

So I have to hope, in a completely selfish way, that whatever or whoever comes after him, isn't as good. I can't keep fitting shows into my increasingly small free time.

It's lucky our son is so adorable; we gave much for him.

He's more than worth it.