A couple of weeks ago I was talking with a friend of mine who lives in the Midwest. It had been a few months since we had last spoken. I asked him to update me on the status of things—his job, his family etc. … I reciprocated. Fortunately, things are going good for both of us. During the conversation we discussed a number of things and past experiences. What was most interesting was the fact that he brought up the summer when he was a stay-at–home dad.
He further discussed how it was such a defining moment for him. The ups and downs as well as his likes and dislikes about his experience. He also discussed the challenges that such a role presented. As he further reflected on this earlier chapter of his life, it reminded me of a letter I received from an editor who was working with me on one of my previous books several years ago. The editor in question mentioned the fact that my manuscript was being transferred to another person due to the fact that he (yes he) was taking a leave of absence to be a stay-at-home dad for his two young daughters.
I must admit, at the time I had to look at the letter again to make certain that I read it accurately. I did. The fact is that my eyes were not playing tricks on me. My soon to be former editor was about to become a stay-at-home father.
He was/is not alone. According to the most recent 2010 census data, there were 158,000 stay-at-home fathers. This number was up from 140,000 in 2008. These men represent all races and socio-economic classes. The reasons for this phenomenon vary. Many economists argue that the faltering and sluggish economy disproportionately affected male dominated industries such as construction and manufacturing, thus such situations made it more likely that men who would not ordinarily consider, let alone dream of being in such a predicament nonetheless found themselves in such a role.
My friend was only in such a position for a brief period of time. He admitted that while most people were very supportive of his and his wife’s decision, there were some individuals who questioned the idea of a man staying at home while his wife went to work. Truth be told, there are more than a few people who harbor the idea that “real men” do not behave in such a non-traditional manner. David Worford, a blogger for about.com listed some of the most common misconceptions in his article about stay-at-home dads.
