Current Events > Would you be bored being a stay-at-home dad?

(+) Yeah! (+)

Your wife makes 6 figures, so you and your child/children live comfortably.
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That's my ideal life, tbh. I'd rather not have to go to work and just do things around the house/do the occasional errand.
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Im already bored working from home. At least with some kids running around itd liven the place up a bit.
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WoIverine posted...

Im already bored working from home. At least with some kids running around itd liven the place up a bit.

Hmm
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bump
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Bored? Hell no. Staying home with the baby is anything but boring.

Emmasculated, though? Absolutely.
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Nope. A kid would motivate me to do a wider range of things and hobbies. And Id have all the time to do it.
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Hell yes lol

It's so boring taking care of my little cousin when they visit. And that's just temporary thing >_>

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I'm already bored when I'm at home and have nothing to do. Mostly grew out of vidya and no money for travelling. Just had a month long vacation from school, nobody'll give me a month long job and just rotted away at home and can't wait for school to start again
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I have so many hobbies, I get absolutely zero satisfaction out of having a job. I'd love it.

I'd do it, i'd antagonize the kids against each other and make them fight, then send them to their room for the rest of the day and play video games.

Every day.
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i can stay at home playing video games and obliterating my spawn with superior skill... hells yeah id be a stay at home dad
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Play video games half the time and do simple household tasks/change a diaper or 2 the other half? Sounds amazing.

Bored? Nope. Hate my life? Absolutely, as I don't want kids.

MagnusX posted...

Bored? Nope. Hate my life? Absolutely, as I don't want kids.

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I do it now, its definitely not boring.
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Surprised its not common af tbh. At least in my city, when Ive heard of these situations, its always hush hush.
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Id 100% rather be the one working. Id get stir crazy real fast.

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Tyrannosaurus posted...

Id 100% rather be the one working. Id get stir crazy real fast.

Hmm
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Why would you assume I'd have a wife?
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six figures is lower middle class
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Svolach

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AlephZero posted...

six figures is lower middle class

999,999 is lower middle class now?

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I am currently on parental leave until the end of the year and its been a great experience to bond with my newborn daughter. Definitely not boring at all but much more tiring and exhausting than I anticipated - and I used to do 100 hour work weeks.

Its really rewarding and I love seeing her smile. Its been tough to be away from work whilst the wife went back to her normal routine but Im so glad I took this time to be with the baby.

As for money though since the topic alludes to it, fortunately both my wife and I had employers offering 4 months paid parental leave and I also had long service leave too (another 3 months). We both are on >$200k each so honestly the finances never really bothered us.

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Tyrannosaurus posted...

Id 100% rather be the one working. Id get stir crazy real fast.

it does do your head in so you need to make sure you go outside regularly and have some me time.

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I would imagine no. You got so much off time that you can do your own hobby or pick up new ones.

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davidg4l posted...

I would imagine no. You got so much off time that you can do your own hobby or pick up new ones.

Thats what I thought but youve always got things to do if its a baby whether it be cleaning, preparing bottles, washing clothes or just catching up on your own basic needs (eating and sleeping). That being said night duty isnt too bad if its a passive hobby like watching YouTube or playing a non time sensitive game (eg FF8 Remaster)

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Being a stay at home dad sounds rad as fuck.
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YoshitoKikuchi posted...

MagnusX posted...

Bored? Nope. Hate my life? Absolutely, as I don't want kids.

Not sad at all when the reason is that I really, really, really enjoy my life. I make a decent enough wage, she makes double, both in our mid 30s. We live a very comfortable life, about 50% higher income than the average household where we live. We have a bigger house than we need, two vehicles, and never really want for anything. I found a passion for music in my mid 20s and we found a shared passion for travel around the same time when travelling for a concert trip she won. We travel often - four times last year but only twice this year - with the express view of experiencing as many new things as possible. I've been front row at dozens of medium to large concerts and festivals and interacted with the bands a ton. I play music myself and recently started recording and mixing tracks with a couple friends at out house. She plays on a sports team, does well in the city league, and always plays in the yearly tournament. She's planning on attending a national government leadership conference next year. We see a lot of local music and plays, do escape rooms and play board games with friends. We just started making an effort to go on more hikes. We have two cats that sleep with us on the bed, a dog that pushes us to walk more, and are thinking of getting another dog.

I have an incredibly fulfilling life, in ways I never could have imagined when I was in my socially anxious and awkward teens or even in my early twenties. I want to spend the rest of our lives exploring and learning together with us a focus, and maintaining a house and just being an adult is exhausting enough. I can't possibly imagine being happy with kids that I've never wanted in my entire life plus removing many of the things that make me the happiest. Between sleep and work, most people only get to spend ~1/3 of a precious short life on what they want. Fuck that noise, comfortable DINKs for life.

^ I used to feel that way too and wonder why would I want to rock the boat and ruin what I have now, but in the other hand we both always wanted kids and we thought now was a good time given our financial situation and we are not going to be getting any younger especially if we want a second later on.

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I love kids, so it's an easy yes for me. I'd be a teacher if that didn't entail horrible wages and depressingly limited options to help students in real ways.
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I make good money, and my wife makes even better money

When we have kids (we're trying to get pregnant now), she will take a year off, then I will take a year off

i can't wait
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Guide posted...

I love kids, so it's an easy yes for me. I'd be a teacher if that didn't entail horrible wages and depressingly limited options to help students in real ways.

On that last point, I think it greatly depends on which country you live in and the society/community. It always amazes me how differently each society/community will treat or view the "teachers". From what I can tell, the US is not too different from Australia in that there's some respect, but it's also largely just another job which appears to have great work/life balance with school holidays and a "9-3" (and yes I'm aware this is VERY far from the reality), and dare I say, it's a career which people often take because of their academic performance (i.e. counter-intuitively, it doesn't require great marks to become a teacher).. Then I compare with how it's viewed in some Asian countries where teachers are respected/revered and kids and parents both want to impress and do well for (and suck up to) the teachers.

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My son is only 2 months old. But my week of paternity leave was a really great experience and I would love to spend more time at home with him.

My wife would get bored not working, but I dont think I would. Though if money werent an issue I would at least work seasonal or part time. I dont want to set an example that its okay not to work.
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Nah, I'd be happy taking care of the house, cooking and looking after the kids. Maybe sneak in some gaming while they're at school-
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LordFarquad1312 posted...

Nah, I'd be happy taking care of the house, cooking and looking after the kids. Maybe sneak in some gaming while they're at school-

If the kids were back at school and I had 6 hours to myself... damn that would be a good gig.

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Can I get some bull shit part time job when the kids are old enough?

Is there a pre-nup?

I mean.. Yes either way, but those are good bits of information to know.
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With the internet, there's basically no fucking way you run out of things to do. Also if you're a "dad" then you probably have a bunch of other annoying stuff to do on a regular basis

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Not in the slightest.
I've told my gf i'd be happy being a stay-at-home dad if it ever came up.

Unfortunately, we need both our wages right now and I earn more, so our financial situation would have to change drastically before we'd be comfortable raising a child on one income.
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thrashmetal14 posted...

Play video games half the time and do simple household tasks/change a diaper or 2 the other half? Sounds amazing.

i do this on a daily basis, keeps boredom away. just spending less time on gaming more on pokemon go (losing weight in a good way because of it) down 7 pounds from previous weight and more stamina than before (no tired from walk).
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kingdrake2 posted...

i do this on a daily basis, keeps boredom away. just spending less time on gaming more on pokemon go (losing weight in a good way because of it) down 7 pounds from previous weight and more stamina than before (no tired from walk).

If we count that kind of gaming, then yes that's very much compatible with being primary caregiver. I even bought a phone holder for the pram to help make it easier to walk and play without having to hold the phone.

But word of caution to other potential Dads out there - it's not a walk in the park (figuratively) and you may think you'll have a lot of free time for gaming, but you won't. (unless you're either not doing much with your kid, cheating and using TV, or your wife is doing more than her fair share even when she gets home from work)

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MagnusX posted...

YoshitoKikuchi posted...

MagnusX posted...

Bored? Nope. Hate my life? Absolutely, as I don't want kids.

Not sad at all when the reason is that I really, really, really enjoy my life. I make a decent enough wage, she makes double, both in our mid 30s. We live a very comfortable life, about 50% higher income than the average household where we live. We have a bigger house than we need, two vehicles, and never really want for anything. I found a passion for music in my mid 20s and we found a shared passion for travel around the same time when travelling for a concert trip she won. We travel often - four times last year but only twice this year - with the express view of experiencing as many new things as possible. I've been front row at dozens of medium to large concerts and festivals and interacted with the bands a ton. I play music myself and recently started recording and mixing tracks with a couple friends at out house. She plays on a sports team, does well in the city league, and always plays in the yearly tournament. She's planning on attending a national government leadership conference next year. We see a lot of local music and plays, do escape rooms and play board games with friends. We just started making an effort to go on more hikes. We have two cats that sleep with us on the bed, a dog that pushes us to walk more, and are thinking of getting another dog.

I have an incredibly fulfilling life, in ways I never could have imagined when I was in my socially anxious and awkward teens or even in my early twenties. I want to spend the rest of our lives exploring and learning together with us a focus, and maintaining a house and just being an adult is exhausting enough. I can't possibly imagine being happy with kids that I've never wanted in my entire life plus removing many of the things that make me the happiest. Between sleep and work, most people only get to spend ~1/3 of a precious short life on what they want. Fuck that noise, comfortable DINKs for life.

Could your perspective change in a decade or so?
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Fuck no. Taking care of kids is way more soul draining than a 9-5
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I'd love it.

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YoshitoKikuchi posted...

MagnusX posted...

YoshitoKikuchi posted...

MagnusX posted...

Bored? Nope. Hate my life? Absolutely, as I don't want kids.

Not sad at all when the reason is that I really, really, really enjoy my life. I make a decent enough wage, she makes double, both in our mid 30s. We live a very comfortable life, about 50% higher income than the average household where we live. We have a bigger house than we need, two vehicles, and never really want for anything. I found a passion for music in my mid 20s and we found a shared passion for travel around the same time when travelling for a concert trip she won. We travel often - four times last year but only twice this year - with the express view of experiencing as many new things as possible. I've been front row at dozens of medium to large concerts and festivals and interacted with the bands a ton. I play music myself and recently started recording and mixing tracks with a couple friends at out house. She plays on a sports team, does well in the city league, and always plays in the yearly tournament. She's planning on attending a national government leadership conference next year. We see a lot of local music and plays, do escape rooms and play board games with friends. We just started making an effort to go on more hikes. We have two cats that sleep with us on the bed, a dog that pushes us to walk more, and are thinking of getting another dog.

I have an incredibly fulfilling life, in ways I never could have imagined when I was in my socially anxious and awkward teens or even in my early twenties. I want to spend the rest of our lives exploring and learning together with us a focus, and maintaining a house and just being an adult is exhausting enough. I can't possibly imagine being happy with kids that I've never wanted in my entire life plus removing many of the things that make me the happiest. Between sleep and work, most people only get to spend ~1/3 of a precious short life on what they want. Fuck that noise, comfortable DINKs for life.

Could your perspective change in a decade or so?

Anything is possible of course but unlikely. I've never wanted kids and the older I get the less I want them. The past decade of happy living has only pushed me further away.

fair Enough. Its not for everyone but Id say a fair number of my friends who said theyd never want kids in their teens and early twenties changed their mind by the time they were in their late twenties.

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watched my dad drink himself to death after his kids moved out because he had nothing to do anymore

people think being lazy is nice. it's meaningless. to be truly rich is the opportunity to keep trying to follow the things that make you happy in life

and they arent the easy things