Stay-at-Home Dad
Chris knew many of the other fathers made fun of him. He was pretty sure some of the mothers did too. He was the president of the Parent-Teacher Association at his daughter’s school. He organized all the bake sales, book sales and met with the school principal regularly to share concerns he heard from other parents. This is not why parents made fun of him. Other parents made fun of him because this was all he did. Chris was a stay-at-home dad. His wife Maureen had a demanding full-time job working for an investment bank. She made an excellent salary, but the job meant going in early and coming home late.
rather focus on his daughter and what was going on at her school. He became the main caregiver. Chris handled all of the household duties. He took his daughter to and from school. He did all the grocery shopping and cooked all the meals. He cleaned the house and helped his daughter with her homework. Everyone in the neighborhood called Chris “Mr. Mom”. There were other names Chris heard people calling him, like “house husband” and “house-spouse”.
Chris didn’t mind his role at all. He felt secure as a man. He didn’t believe that a woman’s place was in the home. He was glad that his wife loved her job and worked hard. He worked hard, too. He just didn’t get a salary like Maureen did. He was happy being paid the love and appreciation from his family.
Sometimes Chris felt lonely though. When he took his daughter to the park, there were no other dads around. He felt strange talking to the mothers. He didn’t want them to think he was hitting on them or trying to pick them up.
