Why I Wouldn’t Stay Home With My Kid
We never ask men whether they plan to stay at home once they become fathers
I didn’t grow up wanting to be a mother. I never felt maternal and couldn’t envisioned taking care of a newborn. I was driven and ambitious at work and quickly climbing the corporate ladder. My days were long and full — once the office day ended, there was evening schmoozing.
I was in my late thirties when I changed my mind. And now, I am sitting at home on maternity leave with a newborn on my lap wondering what to do and who I am now that I’m not working.
There’s a lot to do with the baby, sure. The days cycle quickly from dawn to dusk. But compared to the pace of my pre-baby life, it feels odd to have an empty calendar yawning back at me. And I am realizing just how much of my identity I used to derive from work.
There are a lot of articles and opinion pieces out there on the role of the traditional family. So many seem to think that the old model worked. One person (usually the mom) stays at home with the kid(s) and one person goes out to earn a living and put food on the table and gas in the car.
There are many reasons why this model no longer works, not least of which is the staggering cost of living amid the breakneck pace of inflation. I mean — who…
