Hello Fellow Dads! My name is Scott- I'm 27- and today is my first official day as a stay at home Dad to my 3 awesome kids- Aiden (3), Ava (2) and Evan (6 months). Long story short- I've been a working Dad from day one, my Wife of 5.5 years also works. She recently returned to work (as planned) after her maternity ended with our third. The kids all returned to day care and we thought all would be back to normal. Both my Wife and I have equal jobs working for the same company- managers in the human service world- though I have returned to school 3 years ago and have 2 years left until I graduate with a degree in nursing. So any ways- as I was saying- my Wife returned to work and life was normal- for about a week. Returning to day care all 3 of my kids got sick. As you Dads probably know- this is typical- but what wasnt typical was how severely our youngest, Evan, got sick. He got RSV and ended up being hospitialized. It just got worse and worse and worse. Work began to get completely overwhelming for both of us- we were very stressed. We knew we needed to make some drastic life changes because it was clear Evans respiratory issues were a bit more severe than we originally thought (since being out of day care he is doing just fine). So- the decision we made was I would step down at work (I did 4 weeks ago) and be a per diem staff person there (which I love)- and I also will work 3 nights per week at my father-in-laws restaurant- just for some extra money. And now- I'm home with my kids for the next 2 years while I finish nursing school. Today is my first official day- so I thought I would look for some resources and found this site. So here I am- would like to introduce myself and I look forward to looking around here. Nice to meet you all!
First day as a SAHD- introduction
Hi Scott,
Welcome to the board. You are in for a dynamite experience being your children's primary care giver. I know that I am grateful each and every day that I have been given this luxury to be at home with my twins. Sounds like Evan had a bit of a rough time to start and glad to hear that keeping him home has helped Evan to get better. Also it is nice to see when a dad is still able to work part time at least to have some adult interaction because just being with your children can be taxing at times however, it is not something I am willing to give up either. Also check and see if there is a local At Home Dads play group that you are able to get involved with. I know for myself that the Dads Night Out and weekly play groups were quite the savior for me and I am grateful for the friends I have made that way as well.
I also want to invite you to come to Omaha Nebraska the weekend of October 2nd for the 15th Annual At Home Dads National Convention/Conference. It is very informative, educational and a lot of fun. For those who are able to make into town on Thursday September 30th, we have a Dads Night Out event that is scheduled and there are other things to do on that Friday prior to the Meet & Greet Friday evening. Saturday itself is the event itself and then there is a dinner for all on Saturday night at a local eatery. Hopefully you may work it out to attend and I am glad that I have attended a couple of them myself and look forward to attending the next one as well.
Again Scott, welcome to the board and I look forward to you adding your input to all the great topics of conversation as well.
Robb Midwest Regional Coordinator
Daddy's Home INC - The National At-Home Dad Network
Hi Robb- thank you for the welcome and the invitation. That would be fantastic if I could attend. It would be nice to be surounded by other Dads who know what I'm experiencing as well as being around Dads who love thier kids so so much. I will certianly see what I can do!
I do enjoy working part time- but also like that it is flexible and I dont have to if I dont want to! Ive has a really good time so far and I am looking forward to getting out there and see what opportunities there are out there for my kids and I to experience together!
Joined: 2010-02-22
Dad Points: 7