The Stay at Home Dad Blog

My wife & I just had or second son. I have been a stay at home dad for about 18 months. We thought that since we had gone through the motions already that we could put it on cruise control and enjoy family time while she was home from work. Wrong again!! Everything from sleeping and eating patterns to demeanor did not follow what we expected. Adaptability was called for. So, we just stepped up to the plate.

Well, we can start with the labor. My wife was scheduled for a Cesarean section for a Monday, but our son wanted to come out on Sunday. The labor lasted only a quarter as long as with our first child. It was such a whirlwind; the baby appeared before the paperwork for admission was finished.

Our new son eats more frequently than our first and for a longer period of time. With son #1 his schedule demanded feeding every 2 hours or so. The second time around, hourly feedings are very common. Also, breastfeeding seems to be easier. The baby seems to have taken to breastfeeding with less difficulty and no need for supplemental formula, compared to his big brother. My wife can be credited as well, having more experience in breastfeeding this time.

His sleep patterns are wild. 

The experience of having two kids highlights the unpredictability of child rearing. It bears repeating, that every baby is his/her own individual. My expectations were way off as I was almost hoping for an easy transition into a new schedule. To be a good parent, one needs to be prepared. As it turns out, my wife and I are splitting the responsibilities quite nicely. In this earliest of stages, the baby needs mom more for feeding. At the same time, mom needs her time with the baby because she will have to go back to work. Meanwhile, I continue my previous job of raising my first born, teaching him how to be a big brother and generally helping my wife in any way I can.

I’ve become a proud dad, again. I take my job seriously and consider it my profession, now. I am blessed and happy. Just as in life, raising children is unpredictable and should be taken on a day to day basis.

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  The news of our time is atrocious.  Newspapers and news organizations are owned by large companies more interested in making money than disseminating information to the masses.  The 24/7 news cycle has reduced the news down to just filling time and not deciding what’s worth reporting.  The internet has made these news companies desperate to keep their shrinking markets.  Therefore, journalism has suffered and no longer do journalists research their subjects for accuracy.  Unless you have a few hours a day to check various news sources, you are uninformed.

  The Today Show is ONE news source I watch in the mornings.  The first hour is largely devoted to hard news (poltics, headlines, etc.).   Increasingly, you get more or less than two packages a day about hard news. By forty minutes into the show, the “soft” news or human interest stories have begun.  Twenty-five years ago, the producers of The Today Show wouldn’t talk about Britney Spears.  That wasn’t hard news.  Today, The Today Show has four hours to fill and they blend it nicely so at 7AM you’re watching news and at 10AM you’re watching a talk show.

  Many times, The Today Show has no follow up to their stories.  You can watch The Market Update every morning on The Today Show, but that’s not what it is.  It’s more like here’s the doom and gloom of the economy.  They refuse to give you positive news on the economy.  While watching this market update every day, I’ve noticed they never follow up with the previous day’s update.  For example, the update will say that todays numbers for companies earnings are coming out & the next day, you don’t here what those numbers are. 

  The worst thing a journalist can do is not check his sources.  The one story that comes to mind is a few years ago, a group of construction workers were working on an old building and announced they found hundreds or thousands of dollars in paper money dated from the mid 19th century.  The Today Show interviewed them as soon as the story broke.  Days after the interview, it was found that the construction workers had stole the money and then pretended to find it in the building.  The Today Show never followed up on the story, so if you only watch their show, you wouldn’t know that the construction workers were actual theives. 

  For us stay at home dads, The Today Show is just another sad example of how TV programming is “femmocentric” in the morning.  Their later hours are totally devoted to women’s health, fashion and how moms can best raise their children.  Men are relegated to commercials, where we’re too stupid to clean the house and our wife has to come in on her horse to show us the latest in cleaning techniques.  Unless you like to watch men talk about sports all morning on ESPN (amazingly, some men don’t), a stay at home dad is quite limited in what he can watch.  All they need to do is gear some of their time to stay at home parents and not just moms. 

  Do your research. Be skeptical about ANY news source.  Online, you have to check their sponsors and if they have any political bents.  I don’t want people telling me what to think.  And you shouldn’t either.

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