I’m a horrible person. When I found out my brother-in-law, Jay, a decorated combat veteran, and graduate of one of the country’s most prestigious law schools-was going to stay at home with his newborn and toddler while his wife finished her medical residency-I couldn’t wait to pull up a chair and pop the popcorn. Why? Because, as much as I hate to admit, I conformed to the notion that, “men just don’t stay home with their kids.” Sure, I knew it wasn’t a truly non-existent situation but come on…basically this was unicorn-type scenario right? As long as I’m being honest…I can’t believe what I am about to type here…he, yes HE, is probably a better parent that I am.
Anything moms can do, Dads can do…TOO
If you’re a little bit “old school,” you may not like what comes next. Husbands, the ones with the Y-chromosomes, can do everything that wives can do.
I know, your grandma is rolling over in her grave, and at least one person will probably chime in with a SAHD horror story, but it’s the cold hard truth. Remember Jay? He makes bread. He does nature walks. He takes his kids to the library. And somehow he washes a billion sippy cups and bottles BY HAND (I witnessed this first hand). Did I mention that he harvests his own honey from his own beehive? I made bread once and not even my dog ate it, and I religiously stack dishes as high as possible in the sink until the dishwasher is done with its current cycle.
Don’t worry. I’m not going to run for president on the platform that all dads should leave the workplace while women rule the world. What I hope to communicate here is that society doesn’t fully recognize that dads that stay home are not missing their man cards, nor are they unsuccessful in their given career fields. The same goes for moms that rear children from the home. These assumptions are long battled (sometimes internally rather than externally) and often attached to stay at home parents regardless of gender.
