The man at home, the stay at home daddy, the work from home dad and finally, the househusband are just some names that we have for this particular group of daring men who have taken that bold step to go where few men have gone.
Society has not been kind to the stay at home daddy. They make snide remarks about how the wife wears the pants in the family, bringing back the dough while the man isn't good enough to have a 'proper job. They make fun of the stay at home daddy as being 'feminine' having instead do housework and deal with the kids.
But seriously, is a man who stays home and takes care of the house, does the cooking and raises kids any less 'manly?' Is it fair to consider him a 'lesser-being' just because he is not out there raking in a big pay cheque?
In this day and age, here in the UK the stay-at-home dad is becoming very common and I haven't seen many people ridiculing him. Many women nowadays are earning more than their husbands, so man couples have decided to swop roles.
ReplyDeleteI work for myself from home where my wife has to go out to work in an office. Because I can organize my time better, I regularly prepare meals and tend to generally look after the house. I don't feel silly or inferior, but it felt a bit weird when this situation arose around 20 years ago. I had always been the main breadwinner.
When it comes to "wearing the pants", I don't think either one of us wears them. Metaphorically speaking of course!
Wow...what a topic? This post will surely gonna be one of my favorites as I can relate into this... I am a husband to a Teacher wife who is 5 months pregnant now & a father to my 3 years & 14 months old sons... I've been unemployed now for more than 4 years...& every tasks listed above is the same daily tasks that I do in my home... But I'm still the head of the house even w/out a real job to support my own family...My rules is always abided & My wife had no hard feelings or whatsoever just because she's the one who brings home the bread...I try hard to give all her sacrifices w/ good returns by taking good care of our kids & preparing everything for her like cooking food...washing clothes...helping her in her lessons (I might be out of job, but my wife conceded that I could have been a better teacher than her) & most specially... caressing & loving her for the rest of my life... But honestly...I do earn more than her by just working at home... So, I'm not really less of a man, if money is going to be the measurement in here.
ReplyDeleteIt will be a real tough job if the man choose to be the house husband.Because boys are trained to be the bread winners and girls as home keepers from the childhood and they develop the mind set very early.So,it will be difficult for a man to accept it and if he really accepts it then there should be a strong reason behind.Girls can easily go out for jobs if they can be encouraged.But it is different if a man opts for a househusband.He will be deflated by the society as you have told.Cheers!
ReplyDeleteFirst choice MAN is the one who is supposed to be outside,, and the lady be at home with the kids and the house work,exceptions are there in all stuations,, as long as the man is able to get a job,, let him be outside the circle of the kids ,8 hours at least,,only suggestion I may put is get your kids proper education,,let then be mentally and physically able,so when the time arrives for the responsibilities,, each knows what is best for thier family,and it might be easier for the future generation to pass it on further
ReplyDeleteYou know it’s funny how some men think that staying at home taking care of the children and the home is the easier option! A friend of mine who is a writer made me laugh when he said, upon finding out his wife was pregnant, that he would be the one to stay at home, take care of the baby and everything that goes along with that and finish writing his book...He didn’t understand why we laughed but no doubt he will when he discovers he’ll be lucky to get out of his pyjamas before midday let alone do any writing!
ReplyDeleteAs for all the ‘househusbands’ out there I say what I would tell female home makers and mothers; you have the most important job of all and having made that choice does not de-value you as a human being whatsoever, quite the opposite in fact!
Well...my ex was not very good at dealing with babies that are unable to vocalise what they want...she just really had no maternal instincts whatsoever...so after I was injured in the oilfield, she went to work and I stayed home with the kids and did the housework and laundry and cooked the meals and all that.
ReplyDeleteI always took it as a point of pride that the kids would run to ME when they fell down or needed some attention.
Well dear, you have a LOT of responces to this one as is always expected from your discussions. You open our minds and cause us to think. You stir our emotions and cause us to react in words.Hugs and Bravo to you for doing that for so many! So, with out further ado, I will say my mind.
ReplyDeleteFirst off, how dare someone give a "stay at home dad" crap for doing that. Hasn't anyone learned yet that men stayed working for so long because secretly we KNEW who had the real job? Let's see, work outside or in an office and talk adult talk and laugh and bulls**t with co-workers ORRRRR stay at home, talk baby talk, feed babies, change a nasty diaper, clean up spills and puke and clean the house and wash clothes and dishes and cook and , and, and , and... HMMMMMMMM?? Yea , thats a tough one. DID YOU MISS "Mr.MOM"????? ;)
There is nothing unmanly about a stay at home dad and it is nice for the father to be able to find a spot with his children that is often reserved for the mom at home. There are many things a man can do while at home and his "honey Do" list doesnt seem to get quite as large when he is home 24/7. If you feel less of a man because you are at home, if someone tells you that you are less of a man because you are at home, wait until all of your younguns are sick and crying and then please... invite them to your home. Offer to step out for a lunch with your lady while they do the "unmanly" thing. Trust me on this, they will never whisper behind your back again. You will gain their respect fast. Enjoy and love the life you have... Always, Darrel
I am an at home dad and have been for the last 3 years! I absolutely love it and do not care what anyone thinks! I think most people are a bit jealous, to tell the truth!!! :-)
ReplyDeleteMy wife and I run a business from home, much of which is online. She is the main face of the business, answering emails, phone calls, all the customer stuff. I work in the background doing all the other stuff that needs doing! As well as packing orders for our business, I do the majority of the housework, do all the running around with the kids as well as getting them ready in the mornings and helping with homework etc...
I absolutelty cherish this extra time with my growing children that I never had before when I worked 10 hour days away from home! I still do 'manly' work in the yard!!! LOL :-)
In England it is quite normal for men to be house husbands and bring the kids up.I expect some people might think it is taking his manhood away,but I think it the woman can earn more than the man then all power to them.My husband got the mick taken out of him as he changed nappies and took our son out for the day.We are still married and very happy and our son has grown up to be independant and happy,well balanced.Most of the men who took the mick out of my husband are divorced and living on their own,trying hard to be allowed to see their kids at weekends so who is the real man now if their is ever such a thing.
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