What’s it like to be a SAHD?

I got an e-mail the other day that asked exactly that:

“My wife and are are twenty weeks pregnant, and she thinks I should stay home when the baby is born. I’ve found a ton of stay-at-home dad sites, but no one jsut answers, What’s it like to be a stay-at-home dad? I like kids, but I never ever thought I would be the Mr. Mom or anythig. What do you think?”

Well, you know, he’s right: that’s a really hard question to answer with just an adjective or two — it’s kinda what this whole blog is about, and a whole lot of others, too. And there’s overlap, too: I have a lot of experiences common to at-home moms and working dads, just as the particulars of my at-home-dadness might be completely unlike another at-home-dad.

Still, though, I want to answer the question, although I’m not sure I can. But I’m going to try — once a week or so. Here’s what I’ve come up with so far:

1. Lonely. On having a social life as a SAHD.
2. Creative. Every day is different — and that’s not always so great.
3. Scrutinized. Everyone’s got an opinion, all the more so when you’re a SAHD.
4. Taken for Granted. In which I’m forgotten when dessert comes around.
5. Liberating. I can be goofy — really goofy — and get away with it now!
6. Replaceable. What’s with this idea that just about anyone could do our jobs as well as we can?
7. Popular. Yeah, as rarities, dads have an automatic leg-up on playground popularity. And we love it.
8. Unrelenting. Duh.

in stay-at-home dad ·