If you knew of a family in which the mother worked full time and the father stayed at home with the kids?

Question

Would you criticize them?

I have an acquaintance who is a stay-at-home dad. The other day, I was at the grocery store with him. He struck up a conversation with an older woman in line behind him in which this fact was brought up. She said that he should be a man and take care of his family the way a man should.

Answer 1

I wouldn't. If a family is running their household like that, it is none of my business. As long as they are taking good care of the kids, it's all good.

However, in the older woman's defense, she was probably just speaking from her generation. When she was coming of age and starting a family, that sort of thing was practically unheard of. I won't say that it NEVER happened back then, but it was pretty rare. That still doesn't give her the right to be a hag about it, though. It's still not her place to criticize.

Answer 2

"She said that he should be a man and take care of his family the way a man should."

Well, he is taking care of his family isn't he? He's there for the kids when they need an adult to talk to. He's there for when they come home from school and the like. Moreover, his wife is perfectly fine with this arrangement, right?

My personal opinion is that men shouldn't be confined to the workplace anymore than women should be confined to the home. As long as the family is supporting itself, I don't see any problem with that kind of thing. A man should have just as much right to stay at home and take care of things there as a woman has the right to go out and get a job. That's what true equality is.

By the way, did the older woman that your acquaintance talked to explain WHY she felt the way she did? If not then she had no right to ridicule him. It was none of her business anyway.

Answer 3

I wouldn't, if that's what was working for their family.

People will never cease being lured into bigotry due to stereotypes.

There is no difference between a man being a stay-at-home dad or a woman doing it, if it is a status agreed upon by both parents. Better than contributing the the next generation of latch-key kids.

Too often people automatically want to peg such a father as a 'deadbeat', because historically that's what they've been. But this is the twenty-first century, and the old rules are being broken all the time!

Evolution takes no prisoners!

Answer 4

That's crazy! I would love it if a man stayed at home and took care of the kids.did chores, or at least shared in the chores,and I could concentrate on work for once instead of doing it all. My uncle worked the first part of his marriage so his wife could go to school for accounting, then when she landed a great job he stayed home with the kids till they were in school full time. It actually saved them money because sitters are so expensive,not to mention the x-tra gas money spent,etc. the children turned out great.I just wonder what that woman in the store thinks about a woman that worked,would she tell her to stay home even if the woman was the sole supporter of all the children,hmmmm.

Answer 5

She really had no business sticking her nose in their family matters. There was a small period of time when my brother in law was a stay at home dad, the house ran better when he was in charge. Now my sister is the stay at home parent and he brings down 6 figures a year. Another thing, did she ask if he worked from home, or did she just take it upon herself to criticize without knowing all the facts?????

Answer 6

I would say that man or woman, the parent working is taking care of their family as is the parent who stays at home.
It's a shame, but some people still stereotype. Personally, I would never criticize a man for being a stay-at-home dad.

Answer 7

A working dad could be his sales, plus in spite of the familiar time he spends doing maintenance around the homestead on the familiar handiman cost, as properly as what a backyard provider could cost - and all this is everyday.... my hubby does not do homestead maintenance, I do. And he does not mow, I do (he has allergic reactions).... in spite of this, he's a stay AT homestead DAD.... and an awsome one! So, you paintings, in my section, a backyard provider is going to cost you on the low end for a small backyard, $40.00 according to mow, two times a month, that's $80.00/month. Then the familiar guy could spend 10 hours a month doing maintenance - except there's a challenge, and that's on the extreme end anyhow, yet our community cost is $30.00, so as this is $3 hundred.00/month.... they do no longer discern in babysitting expenditures for evenings & weekends on the SAHM's, so we can't for working dad's, the two. So, what, $4 hundred.00 plus what they make?? it may be thrilling. i think greater of an concept or what a working dad could do could be greater efficient, huh? What am i leaving out?

Answer 8

Not at all. I think it's rather nice in this day and age to see the men willing to step up and take this responsibility when their wives are able to get a well-paying job that will support both of them. I am sure the men aren't choosing not to work because they are "lazy," but rather, so that someone will be home to parent their children, rather than having both parents work and the children in care all day. Kudos for the dads who are manning up for the job!

Answer 9

I do have friends that operate in this way. What's the diff? If she or he makes enough money to support the family, why shouldn't the other be a stay-at-home parent if they so choose? I think it is great for the kids to have a stay-at-home parent of either gender instead of being in a nursery school.

People need to be more open minded, it is the 21st century ya know.

c-ya

Answer 10

My uncle retired from the Army. My aunt continued to work. He cooked, cleaned, gardened, and cared for younger children in the household. This was in the 1970's. NO ONE would ever get away with criticizing him. He was a veteran of Korea and Vietnam. He was a proud warrior who valued his God, his family and life. He was a better man for the time he devoted to his family.