Is it Possible For the Father To Be the Stay at Home Parent?

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More and more fathers are making the decision to stay at home with their children these days.
This situation can be a bit trickier than when the mother stays at home, simply because of the conflict of traditional gender roles.
However, many fathers have made it work, and view it as the most rewarding 'job' in their lives.
Generally, men do not envisage themselves becoming stay-at-home fathers but, rather, come to the decision after honest and open communication about their circumstances with their partner.
Here are a few things that you should discuss with your partner when making the decision of who should stay at home with the children: Who earns more? Which person has the better health insurance policy? Who stands to loose more from taking time of from their career? Can either of you switch to part-time or a more flexible schedule? Can either of you work from home? Which person gain the greatest enjoyment from their work or identifies with their work more? Interviews of 70 stay-at-home father's in Canada found that many fathers already felt accomplished in their careers and appeared ready for a change.
Many fathers were simply taking a break due to some extraneous circumstances, such as planning to go back to university.
Finally, many fathers were either working part-time or from home while providing full-time childcare.
Another study found that the most common reason that men gave for staying at home was that they did not want someone else raising their children and the man happened to be the better fit for being the stay-at-home parent based on personal preference, personality, or skills.
Some said that their wives were the ones to work for pay mainly because work was an explicit and strong part of their identity.
They described their wives as finding work fulfilling and being highly successful in their career.
Men will experience a range of both positive and negative emotions after making the decision that they will be the parent to stay home.
They may feel excitement, confidence and relief, but they may also experience fear and trepidation.
One of their reasons that mean may experience fear and trepidation is that they do not have role models when it comes to being highly involved in their children's lives or have never taken care of children for extended periods of time.
Because of the low numbers of men that do stay at home, stay-at-home fathers tend not to have a very large network.
Men reported that interactions with other women, particularly stay-at-home mothers, were particularly alienating.
The lack of interaction with men in similar roles may lead to feelings of social isolation.
The online world can be a solution to this.
There are many online groups for stay-at-home fathers.
Many stay-at-home fathers report a stigma towards their role.
Research has shown that people respond negatively to both men and women who do not conform to traditional gender roles.
Many stay-at-home fathers describe incidences of perceived joking or kidding from friends or family members.
Fathers were teased about having nothing to do as full-time fathers and about not being men.
They will often feel as if they need to constantly justify to others their reasons for being a stay-at-home father.
The biggest benefit of being a stay-at-home father is developing a closer relationship with your children.
The men interviewed reported a higher overall level of satisfaction and often described their role as the most enjoyable work in their lives.
Research suggests that although fathers serve primarily as playmates and mentors, they are also highly nurturing and emotionally responsive to their children.
Furthermore, fathers who are sensitive and encourage their children's autonomy tend to have children who are more socially competent.
Lastly, if you and your partner do make the decision that he should be that stay-at-home parent, then it is important to encourage him to keep his skills up to date and to keep in touch with what is going on in his field of work.
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