Support
Being an at-home dad can be an isolating experience. There have been at-home parents from the beginning of time. Our culture, though, is still unfamiliar with men taking this role. As At-home dads, we have unique challenges in understanding our identity and connecting to other dads for fellowship and friendship.
Identity
We are a relatively new group in our culture. Most of us did not grow up with a pre-defined understanding of what it would mean to be an at-home dad. As we take on this boundary breaking role, we have fewer tools readily available to forge that identity. It is a great help to meet other dads who are following the same patterns in their lives. It is genuinely validating just to be with other people who are like you. It affirms that we are not alone. When we connect to other dads we validate each other's identity as an at-home parent.
Male Fellowship
Several of our dads were members of moms' groups before our group came into being, and they have continued to stay connected to their friends in those groups. We have a lot in common with at-home moms, but we are not moms. We have different interests and styles of communication. There is something that we gain from fellowship with other men that would be difficult to find in a predominanlty female group.
New Friends
As we get to know each other, as we play and plan, as we make fun of each other and just have a good time, we find friendship with other at-home dads. In our previous roles we may have found friends through work or school. Our group offers a place for us to connect to new friends as we spend time together raising our kids.
Connection for our Wives
Our wives have a unique role as well. Though women are an established and accepted part of the work force, they can still face tensions internally and externally for their decisions to persue their careers. Women whose husbands are at-home parents are all that much more unique. Our wives have enjoyed connecting with each other and meeting from time to time.