When looked at objectively, the decision seemed obvious, although that didn’t make it any easier. One of us had a job with good pay, adequate benefits,excellent security, and the esteem of their employer – and one of us didn’t. Unfortunately, I was the odd parent out.
As much as we both wanted Lora to be a stay-at-home mom, our financial situation would not allow it and we were cast into the unknown chasm of Mister Momdom. I reluctantly traded in my reporters notebook for diaper wipes, my pencil for a crayon, and my connections at City Hall for the company of Bert and Ernie,Cookie Monster, and Big Bird.
At the time, we thought that I could use my newfound free time to work at home, writing freelance magazine and newspaper articles. (In my spare spare time, I even planned on writing that great American novel I’ve long talked about.) Of course, that was only the first of many misperceptions we had about househusbandry. This book is filled with the rest.
If the story occasionally seems to report stereotyped relations between men and women, well, it wasn’t supposed to be like that. But what I wrote here is what really happened – stereotypical behavior is what I found. Lora and I were both surprised at the feelings that other people expressed and that we ourselves had. It seems that the world is about as ready for househusbands as men are ready to become them.
While this opportunity has seemed like a great gift most of the time, there are times when it’s been more of a trial. I always thought that I would love being a parent, but I never imagined that it would be such a thoroughly, constantly draining experience. I couldn’t avoid the loudest of tantrums, the dirtiest of diapers, the most nasal of tired-kid whines. I argued about naptimes, agonized over tumbles on the driveway, and locked horns with a stubborn little person about a third of my size. Sometimes, I admit, I even thought of this book as my revenge – it’ll embarrass the heck out of Seth someday.
I also found that being a househusband means more than just being a Mister Mom. Physically unequipped to become a housewife, I still acquired the traditional jobs of one and found myself immersed in a lifestyle that revolved around vacuum cleaner bags, dishwasher detergent, and furniture polish. Househusbandry put a new spin on my relationships with my friends, family, and even my own psyche – all of which confronted me with a lot of questions and confusion.
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