Work at Home Dads
If you're new here, you may want to subscribe to the feed or subscribe to us on Twitter. Thanks for visiting!
Yesterday was Father’s Day. My husband, daughter and I spent a great day riding our bikes around the old alma mater. My daughter is a huge fan of her bike trailer and loved seeing some new sites. Stopping for ice cream along the way sure helped her enjoyment of the day.
Father’s Day got me to thinking of all the Dads out there that are working from home. I am not sure how many there are but there are an estimated 105,000 men in the United States who consider themselves stay at home dads according to the U.S. Census Bureau.
Being a stay at home or work at home dad can be a very rewarding endeavor. There can be a bit of a social stigma attached though by people thinking you are freeloading off of your spouse or are a bum. This is such an antiquated view of gender roles though.
Men are much more involved with the raising of their children and home life than they were even 30 years ago. They want to be there for their kids in ways that their dads never were.
According to Justin Powell of EntrepreneurDad.com there is much to consider when thinking about becoming a work at home dad.
From a personal standpoint, you need to consider whether you are prepared to be the primary caregiver to your children. You also need to consider how important your career is and whether you can achieve your goals working as a solo entrepreneur from home.
If you do decide to become a work at home dad, then much of the same advice that applies to work at home moms is relevant to your situation. Definitely check out some of the past articles here to help you decide and to choose a direction.
Are you a work at home dad? Is your spouse? Do you have any advice for a dad that is interested in working at home? We would love to hear from you.
Warmly,
Mia
June 18th, 2008 at 8:26 am
I’m a stay at home dad and I absolutely love it. It’s funny, I can’t understand the whole “stigma” thing. There is a question in the book “What to Expect the Toddler Years” that goes something like, “I love being a stay at home dad, but I feel awkward around people when they ask what I do.” I read that and thought “What!?!” It was around that time that I started wondering if there couldn’t be a better resource for real men who are real dads so I started Undefeated Daddy. Hopefully, posts like this one and the stuff that I can post over there can be part of the solution.
By the way, here is the right answer: “I have an amazing new daughter and I get to be with her all day! It’s the greatest thing.” When they say, “Oh, so you don’t have a job?” I say “No. I’m sorry that you have to go to the office all day, though. Bummer.”