Stay-At-Home Dad

Before Owen was ever in the picture, Jason and I realized what an important job parenting is. Thankfully, we have had some outstanding role models in our lives to learn what good parents look like, for example: each of my parents & Jason's mom, Josh & Kassie Sikes, Scott & Jackie Jones, my brother & Alicia, and Jason's Aunt Judy & Uncle Craig, just to name a few. So, when we began to look into our crystal ball and saw kids in our future, we had a lot to talk about. One of the things we realized was how much we wanted to raise our kids. Not the day care. Not the television, computer, or latest gaming station. Not their peers or the parents of their peers.

Considering both of us also have careers, we began to discuss how we could accomplish this. After all, being a parent takes time, a lot of time. One option we considered was having one of us take a break from our career to stay at home and be a full-time parent. That isn't so easy in my profession, but Jason's may be little more flexible. So, we imagined what it would be like if he was a stay-at-home dad. In our minds (or at least mine), it didn't seem too bad. Not only would the Jason half of our "we" constantly be present for parenting duties, but we also wouldn't have to worry about paying for daycare, driving Owen to and from daycare, or Owen getting sick more often because of daycare. We would be able to see each other more often because our work schedules wouldn't constantly be conflicting; and finally, we wouldn't have to hire a maid, lawn service, dog walker, or cook.

Like I said, that didn't seem like too bad of a plan. When this summer rolled around and Jason had a couple months off, we were able to give the "stay-at-home dad" thing a trial run. We are just over half-way through the summer, and I have never been more impressed with the man I married than I have been for these past few weeks. Although he still hesitates to carry the diaper bag because it gives the impression of a purse, he has been an amazing dad. He's stepped up to that plate and hit an out-of-the park grand slam. Owen is lucky to have him as a dad, and I hope he realizes that sooner rather than later. Not only has Jason been changing dirty diapers, he's also been taking care of the house. I can't count the number of loads of laundry he's done, but I can guarantee that it is more than I have done. He also has been working on getting some more graduate classes finished, helping out with the youth group, and still managing to play softball as often as he can. Sorry all of you single ladies, I landed the perfect package! If I could be jealous of myself, I would be.

Now, I can't say that he's enjoyed all of what he's done, and I'm not sure that being a long-term stay-at-home dad is in our future or his personality. It may work out better for us to both work and just prioritize the remaining time to be dedicated spouses and parents. Obviously, I don't know the future, but I do know that I have been beyond impressed by my husband. I know I have an awesome family!