Diaper Dudes

If the growing trend of stay-at-home dads continues, the Asbury Park Press may have to change the name of its parenting Web site to Jersey Shore Moms and Dads.

I read an article today that says there are 159,000 stay-at-home fathers in the United States, according to the Census Bureau. That figure is up three-fold from 1996, when there were only 49,000 of them.

It's not really a startling statistic considering many women earn more money than their spouses these days. What heartens me is that these men are willing to do a job that requires them to become financially dependent on their spouses. It also helps breaks down the mindset that a man must be defined by his occupation and how much he earns.

Let's face it, men were always capable of child rearing but society told them it wasn't their job. Now a good number of men are proving they can keep house, while women are proving they can keep up everywhere else.

This, I believe, is progress. It furthers feminist goals by allowing both men and women to explore roles that traditionally were assigned to one gender. How wonderful it is to be able to cross that line and still feel comfortable and accepted by society.

If there are any Diaper Dudes out there who read this blog, please let us know. I'm sure my readers would love to hear how you cope with some of the parenting issues we've discussed and what obstacles stay-at-home dads face.

Here's a link to that story I mentioned:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20070409/ts_alt_afp/lifestyleusmenchildren_070409031806