The SAHD Apostle

In this text, Paul is acting like a stay-at-home dad trying to figure out feeding patterns and sending kids to time out.

New faces are popping up at weekly children’s play groups and on neighborhood park benches, carefully watching the activity on the swing sets and slides. And quite often, those faces might need a shave or sport a beard or mustache. Yes, folks, the stay-at-home dads (SAHD) are, well, here to stay.

Gone are the days when a child’s birth automatically resulted in mothers quitting their jobs or drastically reducing their hours while fathers stoically headed back to the work routine. Although stay-at-home dads are still the minority, parents increasingly view having a SAHD as a popular option. Many men are embracing the idea and diving into the world of diapers, play dates and car pools with the enthusiasm of an explorer venturing into uncharted territory. SAHDs have responded with all the tools available to their 21st-century fingertips: A new crop of blogs, Web sites and dad-and-child play groups has emerged. An annual at-home dad convention even guides fathers as they juggle the...