anyone on here a "stay at home dad"?

[pwilson]

Our Little Man turned 3 months old on the 18th and we decided that it would be more financially smart for me to cut my hours to part time, and stay at home with him vs work full time to pay someone else to raise him. wife makes 2.5X (soon to be like 4X) what i make. So now im an "on call" teller, HR has the days i cant work (days my wife works) and if they need me, they call me into one of the branches.

just wanted to see if anyone else on here had a similar experience

oh, and Happy Holidays!

[swilcher7]

Our Little Man turned 3 months old on the 18th and we decided that it would be more financially smart for me to cut my hours to part time, and stay at home with him vs work full time to pay someone else to raise him. wife makes 2.5X (soon to be like 4X) what i make. So now im an "on call" teller, HR has the days i cant work (days my wife works) and if they need me, they call me into one of the branches.

just wanted to see if anyone else on here had a similar experience

oh, and Happy Holidays!

+++1 here. My daughter is 8. I was in same situation when she was born. Just started new job when wife got pregnant. We discussed it, and also decided that I would stay home and raise her, and I had no issue with that. It was a 1 year vs. 10 year thing, (great job) and it was a no brainer. After she got a little older, I went back to work part time, until I had lower back surgery that put me on the shelf so to speak. (Former LEO.) I'm home with her full time now. And I will admit it, when she goes back to school after summer break, I feel like a lost puppy without her here...(can only wash clothes so much during the week!!) So I wish you good luck and all the best, they grow up FAST!!! Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!!!

[JohnR]

I'd have to find fun stuff to do with them outside the house or I'd go crazy. My wife stays at home with our 3 year old and I don't know how she does it.

[yqtszhj]

I would love to try that. Oh wait, all my kids are grown so its too late. Maybe i can get her to work and i can retire. Wake up and quit dreaming. That aint ever gonna happen.

[swilcher7]

I'd have to find fun stuff to do with them outside the house or I'd go crazy. My wife stays at home with our 3 year old and I don't know how she does it.

AMEN!!! Suffering from cabin fever now... There have been many times where I wished I could go back "on the job." Spent alot of time at the water park, playground, etc. during the summer...Time goes too fast. One more day until Christmas break...Big kudos to all the moms!!!! When the roles are reversed, it really opens your eyes. I grew up with 3 brothers, and we were hard headed. Some of the lessons learned during my days come in handy now. I find myself telling my kids the EXACT same things adults told us when we were growing up.

[deadeye]

Just opposite here. I always made good wages and my wife was a stay at home mom. To this day I don't know how she did it and I have nothing but admiration for her. Her job was 24/7 and she did an outstanding job of it. I worked mostly 7 days a week so she had to take care of the kids, home and finances. Retired at 57 and have made sure she has the freedom she missed all those years. I wish you the best, it won't be easy. She says it was worth it?????

[ripley16]

Almost twenty years ago I did a stint as a SAHD due to a back injury. I didn't enjoy the time as much as I should have, probably due to the forced nature, but I did learn some things.

* Women, (mothers), are very suspicious of SAHDs. We are not accepted easily into their clique.

* Mothers spend a large amount of time making plans to not be with their own kids. They seek "off duty" time aggressively. A mother will say; "how can I sign little Jimmy up into some activity." A SAHD will say; What activity can I do with little Jimmy."

* Mothers are not as nurturing as dads - in general, a false myth of maternal caring, IMHO. A high percent of mothers view their kids as bothersome.

* Health and/or financial reasons, (the most common reasons for a SAHD), are not accepted by a sizable portion of the population. One must be aware of and guard against the stigma and accompanied lowering of self esteeme.

* The requisite duties that go along with being a SAHD, cleaning and cooking, are simply not that rewarding. Do them and do them well... but expect to be bored soon.

* Learn to use the phrase "Wait 'til your mother gets home!" when discipline is called for. Just kidding about this one. Have fun with your kid. Be a good dad.

[Bawanna]

My wife quit when our first was born. That was the plan going in. She stayed home for all three, gradually went back to work part time to coincide with school hours etc but the kids always came first without question.

She's working multiple part time jobs now and adjusting those to be able to babysit my new granddaughter.

We just didn't want other people to raise our kids, just ain't right. World would be a lot better place if everybody else adhered to this plan as well.

Most of the violets at work should stay home with their kids, course those kids ARE probably better off with somebody else.

Constantly eating and moving as little as possible is not a good example for kids.

[b4uqzme]

My sister was planning to quit work after her 6 week maternity leave. Before she even got the chance to tell her boss she was pregnant, she was called into the office to learn her whole department was closing. Everyone was being laid off. 6 weeks maternity leave turned into a 6 month severance. I guess she was unconsciously grinning in the meeting. Her boss asked; "You're not unhappy about this are you?"

Best of luck there PW. It's heartwarming whenever I hear that either parent has chosen to raise their children full time. I know it's a sacrifice...but well worth it. Congrats.

[yqtszhj]

My wife quit when our first was born. That was the plan going in. She stayed home for all three, gradually went back to work part time to coincide with school hours etc but the kids always came first without question.

She's working multiple part time jobs now and adjusting those to be able to babysit my new granddaughter.

We just didn't want other people to raise our kids, just ain't right. World would be a lot better place if everybody else adhered to this plan as well.
.

My 3 were raised the same way. Worked out good for us.

[Armybrat]

My wife was a stay at home mom until our youngest went to 1st grade, then she worked part time for three years before going full time. Kids all turned out pretty good, all married (two with kids, one of those is now widowed, 3rd son has no kids) with their own homes & working steadily - one is with Direct TV, another a house renovator, and the oldest a bank VP (large bank, not a hole-in-the-wall). All three are hard workers with an excellent work ethic & honest. Can't ask for more.

After becoming empty nesters, I retired 8 years before she did and was the stay at home hubby/kept man/boy toy...whatever. Did 100% of the laundry, housekeeping & cookin' until she retired 10 years ago. Now she does the laundry & cooking and I do the vacuuming & dishwashing/kitchen cleanup.

[cobrasjp]

My son-in-law is a SAHD because my daughter is a nurse and makes a lot more money than he could.

He's great at it and my granddaughters love having him take care of them during the day. He's a general contractor and says being a SAHD is the best job he's ever had.

Seeing his situation makes me wish I had been a SAHD for our kids.

[GROTMAN]

Even if I could have been a stay at home Dad.. wife would never have let me cuz I would probably end up doing something like this

[JohnR]

What's wrong with that???

[Bawanna]

I'm not seeing it either, looks all good to me?