Any stay at home Dad's out there?

[Mulligan26]

[quote name='LaymanM' timestamp='1437867056' post='12019518']
Interesting...I could find myself in a similar situation, but most likely divorced!. My wife makes 6 figures in her day job and now is working as a multilevel marketing distributor and doing really well. I sell commercial trucks and make around 80k a year.

We are actually down at a convention right now in Florida for her mlm. I am sitting j a bar alone while everyone else is out having fun. Nothing I seem to do is ever right. Kind of concerned when we go home whether we will actually be married. I can't do anything right it seems. If I take a picture, I am not making the right smile...

I am 33 and I have 5 kids. 3 youngest are mine, middle boy is step son and oldest we adopted. Trying to find my place and I'm not sure she wants me to evan have a place.
[/quote]

See a professional asap...

[Redbird]

[quote name='that0neguy' timestamp='1438618424' post='12069914']
[quote name='Redbird' timestamp='1438394630' post='12057620']
[quote name='that0neguy' timestamp='1438178196' post='12040624']
I imagine a 4 year old would be a lot easier to handle than a baby. He/she can entertain himself/herself. But if you have another, I wouldn't advise it.
[/quote]

Babies as in infants? They're the easiest. Basically like a Chia-pet, you feed them and watch them grow. Put them in a swing or a bouncy and let them go, they can't get into anything and you can get a lot done. 4-5yr olds get into EVERYTHING. They're all over the friggin place and they listen about as good as a deaf mute. You watch them and wonder WTF would possess them to do certain things. Sometimes you look at them and say to yourself, "Maybe that one ain't right" even beginning at that age of 2 or 3. I mean the kid should have a higher IQ than the dog but the dog knows not to lick the light socket so you begin to wonder.
[/quote]

Haha - I figured that was the mentality til about 3. I thought around age 4, they became more developed. I guess it takes a bit longer! My 1 year old is fussy always wanting to be picked up and crawling around chewing on the toilet brush and whatnot. From 3-6 months, that was by far the easiest of the 12 months.
[/quote]


Oh they're developed. 4-5 they get into plenty, you tell them don't do that and they respond "why?". Everything is "why", it can get maddening. Don't touch that yellow lever connected to that pipe over there in the basement. Next day I go to take a shower and get about 45 seconds of water pressure and then nothing. Guess who found the yellow lever connected to the main water shut off in the basement?

[highergr0und]

I'm lucky that my 5 year old doesn't get into much. He asks endless questions though. My 18 month old is gonna be trouble. He's the one that will disappear around the corner and be a little too quiet until you find him into something.

[tocino]

The wife and I talked about one of us staying home with the kids. We would love to do it but the financial reality of living in this metropolitan area means 2 incomes are necessary unless the primary money make can bring home well over 6-figures. I would actually love to be a stay-at-home dad myself. I could care less what either my opinionated, Asian parents or my very, opinionated Asian MIL would say if I did stay home. As long as there's a roof over our heads, food on the table, and enough money where we weren't living paycheck-to-paycheck everything would be "gravy" for us.

[PutterHo]

Trophy Husband for the last 5 years. It's the greatest profession I will ever have as long as the 5 year old gets to school on time, the 3 year old stays potty trained, and the 18 month old doesn't draw on the walls.

[ballneverlistens]

Don't have any kids myself, but my best bud is a stay at home dad. I can tell it stresses him at times, but I think overall he's happy with it. He looks at it this way -- after they turn 18, who knows how often he'll see them. Plus, once the little tykes get old enough, he'll be introducing them to golf.

[KLeC]

As a CPA, it seems it would be fairly easy to pick up a few clients and work from home. These are peak earning years. I'd feel like I was letting financial opportunity slip away ... although, spending time with your kid may be just as satisfying. It comes down to what feels right for you.

[kaylor3435]

[quote name='Redbird' timestamp='1437665429' post='12006032']I would rather slam my nuts in a door than stay home with both kids full time. It seemed like it would be fun until I tried it, I will never in a million years tell her that she doesn't "work". Going to a job is a friggin vacation compared to the evil that can spew from those little crib midgets on their off days. I'm not winning dad of the year with those remarks, but it's the gods honest truth. Good luck!!![/quote]

"Crib midgets" bahaha I died when I read the slamming of nuts in the door and that lol

[mflores]

[quote name='Redbird' timestamp='1438394630' post='12057620']
[quote name='that0neguy' timestamp='1438178196' post='12040624']
I imagine a 4 year old would be a lot easier to handle than a baby. He/she can entertain himself/herself. But if you have another, I wouldn't advise it.
[/quote]

Babies as in infants? They're the easiest. Basically like a Chia-pet, you feed them and watch them grow. Put them in a swing or a bouncy and let them go, they can't get into anything and you can get a lot done. 4-5yr olds get into EVERYTHING. They're all over the friggin place and they listen about as good as a deaf mute. You watch them and wonder WTF would possess them to do certain things. Sometimes you look at them and say to yourself, "Maybe that one ain't right" even beginning at that age of 2 or 3. I mean the kid should have a higher IQ than the dog but the dog knows not to lick the light socket so you begin to wonder.
[/quote]


Every so often I come to this thread and laugh my ash off reading your comments - so true? Preach on!

[deetsal]

[quote name='Glaze22' timestamp='1437664688' post='12005964']
I am in the exact same position. My wife has the ability to make and extra $800 - $1000 a week just by working 1 extra day. She works 3 days now, so it sounds like a no brainer. Her parents would go nuts, but who cares. We have a 7 month old baby girl and a 2 year old crazy little girl. 2 is way way way harder then just 1. I would not mind being a stay at home dad, and when I did have free time I could go golfing more. Not sure this helps but I think it would be worth it.
[/quote]You will not be playing golf until the little one is in 1st grade. To add your summers will be a nightmare unless you can afford camp, get use to it, it was either get married and have kids or play golf, we made the same choice. I taught my boys how to play and it was great for about 18 months. The little one, now 8, became obsessed with it and got very good and my older, now 10, hates it because of how much better the little one is. Soon I can leave the older one alone and take thew little creature. This being said enjoy what you have, as hard as it can be you will miss a lot of it in a few short years.

[HackerDave]

Just stumbled on this thread. I am/was a stay at home dad for 20 years (time flies) and enjoyed it a lot. Wife is a doc and I have more patience with kids so it all worked out. I was in finance/accounting and not really loving it when the first was born. Neither of us was thrilled with the idea of a live in and with call and board meetings etc that would have been the only way. We had several friends who did the au pair thing and it was a nightmare. Over the years I was able to participate in all the sports either as coach or manager, taught them to play golf (they are both better than me) and just did all the dad stuff. Oldest will be graduating college this spring and already has a job. Youngest is a sophomore in college and looking to go into medicine. Not bad!

The drawback of course is when they go to college, you are long removed from the job market so jumping back in is a little difficult. It can also be tough on the ego. To be honest, this was the ONLY drawback. After all these years, I still get uncomfortable when guys ask "So what do you do?". Truly, remove ego from the equation and it was great. I wouldn't trade it for anything.

[ZAP]

In today's world raising kids is a tough job. If you are able to raise productive human beings who are capable of contributing to society it's a win. Money and ego be damned.