Essay Example: The Benefits of the Stay-at-Home Dads

In the current world, societal norms are changing. The majority of the fathers are becoming stay-at-home dads. The main reason why many dads prefer to stay at home is that they feel more fulfilled in raising their children rather than going to work. In the United States, the number of the stay at home dads has increased in the families. The stay at home dads do not care how the society receives them. The benefits of stay at home dad are quite numerous. Many dads are preferring to stay at home to look after the children rather than going for work and despite staying at home and looking after the kids, these dads have part time jobs or work from home.

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Stay at home fathers establish fulfilling relationships with their children. Such dads who prefer to stay at the home value the relationships with their children over the financial gains (Kirszner and Mandell 205). Research has shown that majority of the dads value childcare as compared to their paychecks. They tend to claim that they play a significant role in showing love and affection to the children. Further, the stay at home dads argue that the safety and the protection of the children lie in their hands followed by moral guidance. They take the time to teach and encourage their children. The working dads do not have time for their kids.

The stay at home dads influences their children. The majority of the traditional thinkers assume that the mothers are the people who are supposed to take custody of the children, and the role of the fathers is to cater for their families (Kirszner and Mandell 205). Such thinkers criticize the stay at home dads, but little do they know that it comes with its benefits. They play a crucial role in the development of the child. When the father interacts with the child, he affects his or her social and emotional development. This is because he has time to teach his children how to socialize with the other kids and how to control their emotions.

The stay at home dads nurture the skills and interests of their children. These dads interact with the children and can recognize the talents and the interests of their children. The working dads may miss this aspect. Since they do not spend a lot of time with their children, they may not know the talents of their kids (McGonigal 205).

The stay at home dads are active participants in parenting, and thus, their kids grow up knowing their talents and skills. This is of great importance for the kids because it helps them develop more, increases their self-confidence, makes them happier people and can make the kids be an inspiration to the others. Lastly, the stay at home dads tends to have bright children, children with high ambitions, and kids with fewer anxiety disorders. Further, their children are rarely affected by teenage pregnancies and have lower risks of delinquency.

The stay at home dads are also faced with some challenges. Depending on the region, a majority of the people often do not support the decisions made by the stay at home dads. In areas where the traditional roles of parenting prevail, a stay at home dad may be rejected by the stay at home moms (McGonigal 205). These men who stay at home have joined many support networks so as to find support for their choice. Additionally, these dads struggle for acceptance in the societies that do not recognize their decisions regardless of the many benefits that they have made. Many of them worry about losing their professional and business skills. There is a misconception that the stay at home dads cannot find any jobs, and thus, they must modify the typical roles of the family hence forcing the mothers to work. Therefore, when the dad carries the financial burden and deals with the childrens attachment poses challenges to the working mother. The role of the stay at home dad may also be difficult for the men who feel that they have no other option apart from rearing children (Sacks 214). Therefore, it becomes very hard for these men to adapt from being the breadwinner to being a homemaker.

In conclusion, the societies should recognize the stay at home dads. They should realize that they play almost the same roles as the stay at home moms. The only difference is that they cannot breastfeed the children. Societies should also realize that the family roles have changed in the recent decades and change the way they perceive the stay at home dads. As discussed above, the stay at home dads nurture the skills and the talents of the kids, have children with few anxiety disorders, establish fulfilling relationships with their children, and play a vital role in the development of the child. Since the benefits of the stay at home dads outweigh the disadvantages, their role should not be looked down upon.

Works Cited

Glenn Sacks, Stay-at-Home Dads" The Blair Reader: Exploring

Issues and Ideas. Ed. Laurie G. Kirszner and Stephen R. Mandell. 8th ed.

Boston: Pearson, 2014. 185-89. Print

Jane McGonigal, Reality Is Broken The Blair Reader: Exploring

Issues and Ideas. Ed. Laurie G. Kirszner and Stephen R. Mandell. 8th ed.

Boston: Pearson, 2014. 185-89. Print

Menand, Louis. "Thumbspeak: Is Texting Here to Stay?" The Blair Reader: Exploring

Issues and Ideas. Ed. Laurie G. Kirszner and Stephen R. Mandell. 8th ed.

Boston: Pearson, 2014. 185-189. Print