wnyc.org / 93.9fm / am 820

My father, an Eastern European refugee who came here at age 16 in 1920, had the benefit of very little societal pressure to be a "normal dad," so he stayed home with us children while my mother maintained a busy professional life. Daddy went to the PTA meetings, drove us to and from after-school events, etc. etc. He cooked our meals and read to us. Guess which of our two parents I really miss?!! I'll always be "Daddy's Little Girl."

This guy sounds like a nerd.

Loved this book--a lot really resonated with me. My wife gave birth two months ago, and I'm going to be a stay at home dad in September, when she returns to work. I've been keeping a blog of my thoughts on fatherhood at http:daddytobe.wordpress.com

What about the point that for most couples that have decided one of them will stay at home with a child/the children, they overwhelmingly make the decision AS A COUPLE, that the mom will stay home with the child? That is, this is a decision that most MOMS agree with and I dare say, for most couples, if the father said he wanted to be the one to stay home, the mother would tell him "no way!"

I've been a stay at home dad for almost four years now and I love it. It's significantly more difficult than any job I've had, especially the early years when they need a lot of help, but I loved every minute of it.

What about Moms who are full time workers and primary care givers when not working?

Ask Mr. Smith what he knows about the effects on children when dads are pushed to the sidelines of the kids' lives when custody is granted to the mother and she uses the kids to punish the father (and children!) by frustrating access to the children by the father.

And the current politcal climate to reform divorce laws for equitable custody.

I find your comments about how you felt, and how many men felt as men - disconnected, etc. at first, as well as "not doing important work" (I don't remember how Mr. Smith stated this).

I think this is really important to make clear for primary caregivers. However, how do we frame this in the context of sexism. How men end up interacting with children and their feelings about it directly reflect are the labor women put in to care for young ones is so deeply disvalued in a sexist society.

Thank you.

Just finished reading his book The Daddy Shift - a powerful book that highlights some really involved fathers and includes interesting reasearch. It did not read as a textbook which I have seen in some previous books on daddying!

If NYC Dads are interested in learning more about a group I organize, check out our group's blog site at www.nycdadsgroup. Our aim is to offer content, experiences, news, and playgroup info to involved dads in NYC.