When Dad Stays Home with the Kids

It may be the best solution for your family, but is the big guy really going to quit his day job to take care of the kids?

And, if he does, what will the neighbors think?

“Yes, from my vantage, there clearly still is a stigma,” says Anna Bourne, Southeast Risk Services Leader for Ernst & Young, whose husband watches over their children while she’s at the office.

“I’ll never forget telling my employer I was leaving my job to be a stay-at-home dad,” says Kevin, who holds an MBA.

It wasn’t easy to walk away from his finance job at a large corporation after the couples fourth child was born – and Anna’s career was soaring. “My parents were not as supportive,” remembers Kevin.

In last decade, the number of men who’ve left work to raise children more than doubled, to 176,000 according to the Census Bureau.

But as gender roles blur to accommodate family needs, and fewer couples adhere to rigid traditions, skepticism remains.

“One mother would not let her child come over for a play date unless I was home too,” recalls Anna.

Support groups for dads are cropping up – like Mr. Dad and NYC Dads Group, and blogs such as Cry It Out.

With the continued economic slump, and 40 percent of women now earning more than their husbands the trend is here to stay – especially if couples can get past the naysayers to focus on a building a happy family.

Says Kevin, “I am having so much fun watching my kids grow up and would not trade this time for anything in the world.”

Bonus PINK Link: Find out how this dad handles all the responsibilities at work and home.

What do you think?

By Cynthia Good

“When you look at your life, the greatest happiness [is] family happiness.” Joyce Brothers