My husband is a stay-at-home dad. There I said it and I am not embarrassed.
I should not nor have I ever been embarrassed by my husband's occupation.
However folks with what I call 'old-fashioned' thinking certainly don't mind sharing their opinions with me when I answer the proverbial questions, 'What does your husband do?' or 'Who keeps your children?"
It's fine if they think the man should work and the woman should stay home. If it works for them, kudos.
My family set-up works for us and I have learned a lot of lessons from the past seven years, lessons only my husband could teach me.
While staying home with the children may be emasculating for some men, it's not for my husband. He is the epitome of what you expect a stay at home dad to be.
He plays, he helps, he nurtures, he rough-houses, he does projects with them, he teaches them life lessons, breaks up fights, fixes lunch and snacks, watches cartoons with them, reads to them, plays Hot Wheels and more.
He tells our children he loves them all day long, randomly and in different ways.
The love he shows them on a regular basis, demonstrates how they are to love their families and children in the future - unconditionally.
In addition to his duties as a father he's completing a degree and strives daily to reinforce the value of education to our children.
It's hard to go back to school in your 30s. It's even harder to go back to school while watching children full-time, but my husband does it and does it well.
My children will have memories of being with their dad everyday all day long, when they are older. That's something I treasure for them.
Of course with announcement that my husband is a stay at home dad, I'm also announcing that we are a one income family.
Obviously I coupon but my husband is just as frugal and thrifty as I am. He reuses items around the house and stretches our budget and makes sure bills are paid etc.
Without his compliance and partnership we couldn't be the frugal and thrifty team we are today.
So what have I learned from him?
1. That men can and should be more involved in their children's lives and education.
2. I can trust my husband to understand my children just as well as I can -- you know that's a problem for women. We tend to think the husband doesn't get it, but they do, more than we think.
3. If something were to happen to me, I'm confident my husband would be gentle and loving to my daughter and strong and supportive for my boys.
4. He can cook. Shocker.
5. Sometimes just sitting and watching TV together and holding your kids is productive.
6. Patience. I have none and my husband has it all.
7. Gentleness. If you've seen my husband he's a big guy but he's protective and gentle at the same time. Something I need to learn.
page I asked readers this:
Here are the answers, some will make you laugh and some will make you cry: