Stay At Home Dad--------------What Are Your Feelings?

United States
February 23, 2007 2:36pm CST
As for me I think it is great! My son is a stay at home dad and takes care of the kids and on top of that he home schools them. He does a excellent job. For those of you who think school is needed at least for the kids to socialize. He has three kids and when I take my grandkids to McDonalds or to the playground they interact wonderfully. So that is not a issue. They are 9, 11 and 12. Their knowledge is excellent and they far exceed kids going to school. He sets certain time in the day that they are doing classwork and he helps them when they need help. He is constantly looking for things to expand their knowledge. He takes them on trips and asks them questions and they will ask him. If he doesn't know an answer he tells them he doesn't but that he will find the answer for them. I think it is great that he has the ability to do this. The kids benefit from it and he covers a lot of ground with the lessons everyday.
5 people like this
26 responses
• United States
24 Feb 07
I think it's a great idea there should be more stay at home dad's that way they get the time with thier childern.I like to see the dad's in stuff most of them don't even go to the school's for anything so one that takes the time to teach his kids at home I am all for it.tell him to keep up the good work and be proud he does what he does most men don't even want thier kids or care about thier schooling...Great Job I am sure you had something to do with him being a good dad to......
2 people like this
• United States
24 Feb 07
Thank you for the compliment. He is a very loving and caring dad. He thinks about what is best for the kids above and beyond everything else.
1 person likes this
• United States
23 Feb 07
I think that it's so cool!
• United States
23 Feb 07
Thank you so much. I think it is but of course he is my son.
1 person likes this
@jimotman (633)
• Indonesia
24 Feb 07
wow that's wonderful, but what does he do for a living? I mean what's his job? I assume that he works at home, right? I always want to do that..
1 person likes this
• United States
24 Feb 07
No his job is to take care of the kids like take them to school make sure they have transportation to places or to there activity's and buy food for them. He's like a stay at home mom but he's male.
1 person likes this
• United States
25 Feb 07
silver1beans, You are partly right. A home school parent is one that teaches the children at home instead of them going to school. He does all the things that a mom would do but he is Mr. Mom and does an amazing job of it. I am very proud of him.
• United States
2 Apr 07
I think it's great when either parent gets to stay home with the kids. The kids get the best of it no matter which parent is home with them. I think it's great that your son is homeschooling, we officially start today homeschooling our kindergartner so I always like hearing how well other homeschooling families are doing.
1 person likes this
• United States
2 Apr 07
My son loves homeschooling. We have talked about it and it makes sense to me. One of the things he mentioned is how many kids are in each classroom and that there is no way a teacher can know when a child is having a problem. He has home schooled the kids now since they were ready to be enrolled in school. He has down a outstanding job. He sets aside certain times of the day for teaching. The kids have to do school work and he grades it. He has three kids and he has pin pointed each one of their strengths and weaknesses and then teaches them whichever way works for them to learn the best. He is forming well rounded individual people. I can see that all ready whenever they come over to granny and grandpa's house. I am very impressed how well rounded his kids are.
• India
2 Apr 07
I am also stay at home dad,its nice,loveable , words are mere waste to express the real experience we got with out childrens
• United States
2 Apr 07
I think it is wonderful for dads to stay at home with their kids. This is becoming more of a common thing than it used to be. I don't think staying at home should be decided by whether you are male or female. It should be decided solely on what works best for your family.
@Hatley (163781)
• Garden Grove, California
22 May 08
It sounds to me like he is doing an excellent job as a stay at home dad and the kids are thriving under his care as well. He seems to be a really good teacher and knows just what he is about. I think you must be very proud of him.
• United States
22 May 08
I am very proud of him. He was a only child so it amazes me that he is so excellent with all three of his kids. He researchs and makes sure they get what they need to get in the learning stage and even goes over and beyond that. He has them in karate and they have been in that for the last three years. He made sure that they had swimming lessons and when they go on vacation he incorporates something that will be a learning experience as well. The kids are now 10 and he will turn 11 in June. The two girls are 12 turning 13 in October and the other girl is 13 and will be 14 in November. In case you can't tell whenever I talk about my son my chest puffs out.
@weemam (13372)
14 Mar 07
i take my hat off to your son , It sounds as if he is a friend to them as much as a father , it must be hard for him at times to when he has to separate the teacher from the father , you are blessed my friend xx
• United States
17 Mar 07
It surprises me but it doesn't take any problem at all for him to switch to teacher mode. He is a friend to them as well as father and teacher. He and I have had many discussions on his role for his kids. He tells me about the different things he does to accomplish what he needs to for his children. Every time he talks he lists his kids as the highest prorority in getting them ready to go out in the world when it is time.
@nilzerous1 (2434)
• India
24 Feb 07
Nice discussion is going on regarding "Stay at home Dads". This incident reminds me about GURUKUL culture that prevailed in ancient Indian Civilisation. Here the kids' are getting their Dad as "GURU" and hopefully learning faster and lot better than those who usually attend schools. Presently, stay at home Dad is not very common in India anymore as society looks down upon the stay at home Dads. But wish every success to your son's experiment with life... it is cool, exceptional but effective as it is being reflected in your discussion. I really admire such effort.
1 person likes this
• United States
25 Feb 07
The school rooms in America or very over crowded and kids don't get the individual attention they need. If they need help in a certain area generally they don't get help unless they ask for it. My son pinpoints when one of the kids is having a problem with a certain subject and will back track and go over it with them until they get it. He praises them very highly so that they don't get discouraged. Don't get me wrong I don't fault the teachers in school but they are overloaded in the classroom and therefore there isn't time to do one on one with students that need it. My son had researched in depth and discussed it with his wife and decided that was the best route to go for his kids to ensure that they got a top quality education.
@dana234 (2114)
• Spain
24 Feb 07
Great! That´s the first thing that went through my head when I saw the headline of your discussion, before I noticed that you used the same expression. I always thought that a "stay at home" Dad should be seen by society in just the same way like a "stay at home" Mum. I think men can be just as good as women when it comes to educating their children full time. Your son is a clear example of this. The way you describe it your grandchildren are not missing out on anything because they are not going to school. It´s very positive that your son has the ability and patience to give them lessons at home. I think he´s made a good choice.
• United States
25 Feb 07
Oh yes. He has made a good choice. My grandchildren have the greatest dad and teacher. His patience is above anything I have ever seen. He will talk to which one he is dealing with and encourage them to come up with the right solution. He does not give the solution to them. They will be thinking, intelligent adults. Society should realize that it doesn't make any difference what the gender is as long as the kids are getting top notch care and education.
• United States
24 Feb 07
coming from a women's point of view, I think that it is awesome. If you person works and the other one wants to stay home, then they should. I hear a lot of women screaming about womens rights all the time and if we want to put ourselves in men shoes then men should be aloud to stay at home with the kidos. Tell your son that despite what some people may say, he is putting his self in a position that most men would not want to do. Being a stay at home parent can be a very hard job.
1 person likes this
• United States
25 Feb 07
My son is very comfortable with himself and therefore it doesn't matter what other people think. His main concern is that his children are will taken care of and well educated and he is accomplishing both and his children are very well rounded. I can not say enough times how proud I am of him.
@ashjoe76 (1422)
• India
30 Mar 07
Your son seems to have wonderful abilities as a stay at home dad. I believe home-schooled children are smarter than the regular school kids. But this depends on the training they get at home, and that would point to who is teaching them. So, your son really deserves a mylot clap!
1 person likes this
• United States
1 Apr 07
Thank you ashjoe76, My son is very dedicated to his kids. He is constantly looking for things for the kids to learn from. He keeps up on making sure they are right where they need to be when it comes to grade wise. He will go back over something over and over again when he realizes that one of his kids are not quite picking up on something. Perfect example was his oldest daughter could not quite figure out math problems in her head. She had to have paper to do it. My son on the other hand as well as his other daughter can figure in their heads. He would go over and over with the oldest and at first could not understand why she could not come up with the answer for something like 1+0 is what. She would just look at him and could not truly come up with the answer. He told me his wife and he talked about it and finally he came to understand that this daughter needed a paper and pencil in front of her to figure math. So she uses paper and pencil now and his other daughter figures in her head. He looks for the strengths and weaknesses in each child and adjusts his teaching methods appropriately. He is one heck of a dad in my book. Not because he is my son but I have seen how his kids are becomeing well rounded individuals.
• Philippines
24 Feb 07
Hello there. I am currently 6 months almost going 7 months. My husband and I have talked about how we're going to raise our son since I'll be working. He's agreed to be a full time stay home dad. I think it's a very respectable full time job for a dad! It also makes me feel comfortable that my son will be growing up to be a good person since he'll be growing up with my husband rather than with a nanny or something.
• United States
25 Feb 07
fieryfrost, That is excellent. You all will never regret it. My son is proud of the fact that he is forming his children's way through life. And they are excellent children. I asked him one day if he ever regreted staying home with the kids. He looked at me and said that was the best move he ever made. He was totally responsible for the education of his children and he loved it. Tell your husband it is a very fantastic job, and yes it is a job. Don't let anyone tell him anything different. It is the most important thing a man could do is be at home with his kids and prepare them for life. My son said he has had guys tell him oh, boy , what a easy job. It is obvious that they have never been around kids and if they were they just sat on their hineys. It didn't bother my son and he said most of the time guys can't believe that he does that and remark to him that there is no way they could do that. My son the amazing man. I am so very proud of him.
• Canada
24 Feb 07
This is a wonderful thing for me to hear - especially in this day and age. Not many parents would home school their kids way back when. I don't think my parents had ever even heard of it, let alone looked into it. I've found that more and more parents are opting for home schooling, but its mostly the moms. To hear that a guy is doing that I think is wonderful. Kudos to your son for being a responsible parents and teaching his kids everything he knows. What a wonderful learning curve this must be for them.
1 person likes this
• United States
25 Feb 07
He has all kind of resources he goes to on the internet and utilizes chat rooms for home school parents. He is a amazing dad and teacher.
• United States
16 Mar 07
I think that is neat that he's a stay at home father! When I find a job my fiance will most likely end up being a stay at home father for a little while anyways. I want him to though because I want to work and I want the kids to be with family not with strangers until they are in school. I want them to have mommy or daddy home with them until they goto school. Home schooling is good for some kids but, some kids do seem to be better at going to a public school.
• United States
17 Mar 07
Yes, I agree with you. Not all kids are suited to stay at home and be taught. Some kids need the structure that school brings. I think dads should take a amount of time to do this. It bonds them closer to their kids. My son and his kids are really close. He can tell when their is something on their minds and will work with them until they let him know what is bothering them. He tells them he can't help fix a problem if he doesn't know what the problem is. He is very good in math and he does the figuring in his head. He was teaching the kids math and one does great figuring in her head and the other one can not. So he observed both of them and noticed that the oldest one was having real problems when he gave her a math problem. He worked with her for a long time. Then he realized that she has to work it out on paper or the math problem she can not solve. So he now gives her paper when they do math and the middle girl uses her mind to solve them. If he needs to back track he does that also. If he sees that one of his kids are having a problem and he has moved on to the next step he will move back to the previous step until he knows his child has got it. He is pretty amazing. He was a only child and he is excellent with kids. Not just his but all the kids he has ever come in contact with.
@ronita34 (3922)
• Canada
24 Feb 07
I do not think that it should really matter if a child is with his mother or father and as long as both partners are comfortable with this than why not. I am also proud of your son for two reasons and that is for being not only a great teacher to his children but also a wonderful father as well and i think that this is valuable now a days! I think that it is wonderful all together and you should be proud!!!
• United States
25 Feb 07
I am very proud of him. He teaches his children a lot and is constantly looking for more to teach them about a variety of different things. He loves being at home with them and when you watch them together they are tied together tightly with love.
• Canada
24 Feb 07
I say great! It makes no difference which parent stays home, a stay at home dad is just as great as a stay at home mom. All that matters is that you are doing what is best for your child and what works well for your family. I think it is beautiful to see an involved dad, Being a great dad is something more men need to take pride in.I think that home school can be great, today's schools' jsut dont have what they need anymore. Home school is a great option, and as far as socialization I think you have the right idea, take them to resturants parks and museums.
1 person likes this
@byfaithonly (10698)
• United States
24 Feb 07
I've known some stay at home dads that were far better at caring for their children than their wives could ever dream of doing. I don't look at male or female but how they are with the children.
• United States
24 Feb 07
That's how I look at it. In this day and age things have changed and so has the roles that used to be women roles and the ones called mens roles. Those are not the case anymore. I am very proud of my son and he does a above the board job. He has a full time and that is taking care and teaching his children. He loves doing it and the kids love their dad very much. When they are together you can see the way they feel about each other and they have a very close relationship.
1 person likes this
• United States
7 Mar 07
I am more traditional and feel great about staying home myself and having my dh out there working and feeling like the man. However, I actually LOVE LOVE LOVE it now that we are both working from home. We alos both homeschool our girls too. We have a blast! That is awesome that you think what he is doing is awesome too.
1 person likes this
@daycarepal (1998)
• United States
2 Apr 07
I think it's wonderful. My nieces husband stays at home with their young son. He is very good with the baby. He's got the baby on a good schedule, he takes him outside alot and isn't afraid to pack up the diaper bag and go run errands with the baby. It seems to work great for their family and I think that's wonderful.
1 person likes this
@nanayangel (7879)
• Philippines
30 Mar 07
I find it really cool. My son's godfather is a stay at home dad and does everything. All the household chores and more. Washing the dishes, cooking, doing the laundry, helping his daughters with schoolwork, and everything else. I think it's the perfect set-up because his wife works from 6:00 am to 8:00 pm in a factory, sometimes even on Sundays and Holidays too. But she is getting paid really well. She will leave at 5:00 am in the morning and have her breakfast, hot water for her bath and the clother for her to wear to work ready when she wakes up.