I know there are more stay-at-home Dads these days, especially in Portland (natch), which obviously means more workin' mamas who bring home all the bacon. As someone who brings home only part of the bacon, I had never given much thought to how stressful it might be to be the sole earner, the one covering all the bills. I can swing some, but all???
And about these stay-at-home dads: how do they feel about this whole business? What does society think of them? Do they care? How does it affect the balance of power in the marriage? I know, I sound like a therapist. But this is all part of the puzzle of the new parenting paradigm, the myriad ways people combine work & family these days. So much has changed. Much as the working mothers who came before us (bless their padded shoulders) subverted the norms and forged the path for todays' working mothers, today's stay-at-home dads are doing the heavy lifting, they're going first. Men in the generation before us simply did not grocery shop on Wednesday mornings with a 1-year old in a sling.
If you didn't see the NYT article, Breadwinner & Mother: Adjust to It, a few weeks back, check it out. What occurred to me, but wasn't mentioned, is how these families handle unpaid maternity leave - I mean, who pays the mortgage when the sole breadwinner is home, UNPAID, feeding a baby every three hours and getting no sleep?? Yikes. I am hoping, so hoping, that we come out the other side of all this craziness with some balance to offer our children when they attempt this work-family feat.
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