House husband the TABOO!

Below is my first piece that I have written for anyone else and appears on OnInLondon I’d love to know what you think good or bad – please have have a look at their site here

What’s the most rewarding job?
If you’re a parent the answer is pretty easy it’s to be able to stay at home while your children grow up and to see them develop.

It’s often been the mum who stays at home but why? Why is it deemed taboo to become a stay at home dad? For me it would be the greatest job in the World.

When Alyssa who’s now five arrived in the world I booked two weeks holiday from work so I could be there if and when needed and going back to work afterwards was the hardest part of it all. Every day I would leave at 8am and not be back till 6pm and it was like this for almost 3 years and I felt like I missed out on so much of her development. Her first steps, seeing her grow into the girl she is now.

Before Mia came along I left work for a 6 month period which coincided with her birth and a two month period afterwards.

During this time it allowed me and Aly to bond more than ever and also as my wife was heavily pregnant I took her to preschool and saw a whole new part of her life.

Little Mia popped into the world and as I didn’t have to get up for work in the mornings it meant I could do the night time of getting her off to bed and settling her and we bonded in those early mornings downstairs while the house slept.

I’d never say being a stay at home dad is easy as some days you want to get out the house and have some adult contact but it’s by far more rewarding than any bonus from a 9-5 job. Picking them up from school, hearing about their day at school or just picking them up after a fall, even the poorly cuddles on the sofa all have their own rewards.

So with all this positivity why aren’t more dads doing it?
For some reason people see it as a sign of weakness.  I am man I must earn the money. It’s a very medieval thought and in 2013 a lot of women earn the same if not more than men so to use the money excuse it a poor one. Advertisers don’t help matters as they seem to aim at mums and sometimes forget that more and more dads are staying at home.

Then you have the day clubs, the clubs for parents to get together and allow the children to play with each other. Again most of these are aimed at mums and the few times I went people looked at me as if I was at the wrong place.

This is not a dig at the mums all of who do a brilliant job it’s just the taboo that has been attached to stay at home dads. Hopefully this view will change and dads won’t be put off from staying at home and enjoying the benefits that come with the role.

  • Notmyyearoff

    My hubby always says he’d gladly swap with me and look after our son. I loved the whole year off as a sahm and whilst it comes with its challenges it’s really amazing watching your babies grow into little toddlers and then little people!

  • http://www.redrosemummy.com/ Red Rose Mummy

    Great piece. My OH was redundant Just before Bud’s first Christmas and ended up having 3 months at home with us. While redundancy wasn’t ideal it was lovely to have that family time together.

  • http://twitter.com/mummyglitzer Rachel

    My husband was a SAHD for a six month period then again for another two month period and whilst he loved it in terms of spending time with our son he felt an even greater sense of isolation as the groups are aimed at women.

  • http://twitter.com/TheJDaddy Jallie Daddy

    Amen, brother! Going to work & earning money used to be seen as for men only; now no-one thinks twice about women doing so. So why not the same for men staying at home & looking after children? I felt snubbed a lot at the groups I used to take the twins to a lot as well. Attitudes are changing I think – but slowly. Great post

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