Strollerderby

Dads? At home? Inconceivable!

Posted by mike adamick on June 18th, 2009 at 4:31 pm

homer simpson Dads? At home? Inconceivable!

You know Father’s Day is right around the corner when the traditional media begins focusing on the fact that one half of the parenting team actually, well, does stuff. This year stay-at-home dads seem to be in the news quite a bit, and while there have been some truly ground-breaking stories on this rising trend — take Jeremy Adams Smith’s “The Daddy Shift” book for example — mostly the media take on the subject has offered just more of the same tired, wide-eyed, who’d-a-thunk-it-ness.

Dads? At home? Go figure!

Rebel Dad Brian Reid exposes a funny bit of lazy reporting by the Today Show — which ran pretty much the same segment on stay-at-home dads this week as it did just months before, even using some of the same dads — and the same title! In Smith’s book, he points out that there is a generational shift happening underfoot right now, pushing young fathers to be more involved than ever in their families — even dads who work the nine to five. There’s a movement to reject the sideline idea of fatherhood for something more meaningful, and yet if you take a look at the Today Show’s segments, it’s all one big running gag — complete with Mr. Mom references and B-roll of dads trying to feed their kids. Happy Fathers Day all you 1984 Michael Keaton look-alikes! Here’s to another 25 years of the same story.
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Dads? At home? Inconceivable!
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[...] opting out has become so common, in fact, that news producers hoping to mail one in are going to have to come up with a less [...]

Dads: The New Moms | Strollerderby commented on Jun 20 09 at 3:27 pm

25 years ago, my FIL was a SAHD, not necessarily by choice but due to the economy. He has said that it was an awesome time, and he was very happy to do all the “at home” things, including chaperoning field trips (one of his fave parts of it). I credit the fact that my FIL did this with why my husband is such a good husband and father.

PlumbLucky commented on Jun 19 09 at 7:40 am

I am a stay at home dad, because of the economy, and for the most part, it’s great. it’s a LOT of work, the kid (15 months) keeps me running around, I only have his 90 min nap as time for myself to think, but I am grateful for getting the chance to spend this much time with the kid at such an important time in his life. The only problem is that other than my wife, I never get to talk to adults anymore. I am desperate to have real conversations with other people, too. I even get too chatty with people I run into while walking the dog and the kid…

Chips O'Toole commented on Jun 19 09 at 11:40 am

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