Rebecca Meyer
This 32-year-old woman and her husband, 34, had a son and a daughter. Because she has anxiety and worries about the possibility of their children getting injured, she doesn’t feel like a great mother. She acknowledged that her children would learn from their injuries and struggles, but she wonders if she’s too protective.
In December, her husband became a stay-at-home father. Before he resigned from his position, she earned three times his salary.
Her husband’s earnings went toward childcare and other expenses, so they thought it would make the most sense for their family and financially for him to care for the children while she continued working. He’s a fantastic father and is amazing with their kids.
Now that her husband isn’t overwhelmed with his job, he has been having fun diving back into his passions and interests. From her perspective, her husband is more relaxed and content now that he’s a stay-at-home father. Their kids are also thrilled with the arrangement.
Plus, she feels less anxious because she knows her kids are in great hands, and she feels glad her husband enjoys staying home with them. Her mother-in-law cares for the children twice weekly so her husband can spend time alone.
After she arrives home from work, she cares for their kids while he relaxes. She loves that her husband is a stay-at-home father because it’s helped lessen her anxiety tremendously.
“My family fully believes that it’s the man’s job to work and the woman’s job to care for the family. Several family members have voiced their concerns, and some have downright said he is a bum and abusing me financially,” she said.
In response, she told her family that she and her husband agreed that he’d be a stay-at-home father, adding that her husband can care for their children full-time if he wants. In her view, her husband is a better parent than she is, and since she earned a higher income while they both worked, this arrangement was the most logical decision for their family.
“It is no different than having a stay-at-home mom, and I’d never say something so cruel to my mom, who stayed home and raised us. It’s a hard job,” she explained.
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