So, What’s it like?
Have you ever wondered what it’s like being a stay at home dad? … if you’re already a stay at home Dad I guess you know what it’s like. However, since the majority of the people that follow me on Instagram are Moms, I’ll assume you’re a Mom … I’ll also assume you’re reading this to take pleasure in my daily Dad suffering …
Okay, enough guess who is reading this and why. What’s it like being a stay at home Dad? Well, to me being a stay at home Dad is a little bit like the TV Series “Last Man on Earth”, except, unlike the show, I really do feel like the only man on earth. (That show has like 30 men on it?)
Where Do They Go?
Every morning around 8 am, I see all the men of the world get into cars or buses. Some are walking or riding their bike but, regardless, they are all leaving to go somewhere.
All that is left is Moms and their babies, and Benny and me.
Everywhere I go; the park, the mall, SpaLady, Happy Nails, and Ikea, its all Moms. According to Stats Canada*, stay at home dads represent 1 out of 10 families where there is a stay at home parent.
If this is true, where are they?
Don’t get me wrong. I do see the odd Dad at the park. But they never want to chat about our Dad life problems. Moms, on the other hand, are much chattier. (Is that a word?)
My Throat Hurts from Talking
I never considered that, when I became a parent, people were going to talk to me more. I know that, in some cultures, people talk to one another at bus stops, grocery stores, etc. However, that is not the Canadian way. Canadians seem quite content standing in awkward silence. I bet a Canadian person right now has the cures for all the world’s diseases but is too scared to talk to anyone in case they might come across as a chatty weirdo…
Surprisingly, though, all the awkward Canadian silence vanishes when you have a baby. People break the ice by talking to your baby in the form of questions that can only be answered by the parent. As in, “How old are you, cutie?”
I jump in, “34, Thanks for asking!” Ok, not really, but most conversations do start with “How old is he?”
We all Feel the Same
When I start talking to another stay at home parent … mostly moms … I find the same thoughts, struggles, and problems are discussed. Is my baby getting enough sleep? Will I ever get a job in my field again? How many donuts can I eat in a day and still lose my baby weight?
When my wife went back to work and it was just Benjamin and me, I thought it was going to be weird to be a stay at home Dad. Honestly, it’s only weird if I let it be weird. Whenever I tell another parent that I’m a stay at home Dad, I always get a “Right-On!” Never once have I felt unwelcome at the mom dominated play groups or play centres.
It seems to me that, in the end, we’re all bonded by the same goal: raising a semi-normal human being… and that is something worth talking about, even for Canadians.
(If you happen to be a stay at home Dad, let me know if you feel any different!)
* http://www.statcan.gc.ca/pub/11-630-x/11-630-x2016007-eng.htm