Looking for tribe: SAHD

[theatredad]

Since there are so few of us out there (or just a few out and about) I would really like to start this thread looking to meet and discuss SAHD's issues, mental state , or anything else one would like to discuss.


Would like to hear bout yourself, your kids, your situation, how it is unique, how your kids are unique !!!

I am SAHD for the past four months with dw working in the mortage industry while I go to school part time at night.
I am a father of dd 8yrs old from another marriagewho lives with us in the summer and once a month for a weekend also ds 10 months old who is a handful and maybe a leg full

Life here is crazy but we manage and I do not know what I would do if I wasn't with Myles everyday now that I am. My life has changed in so many ways

Anyway Myles is about to insert a teething biscuit into the VCR so I shall go and check back as often as possible

[jfatton]

Count me in...I have been staying at home off and on throughout Autumn's 9 years. Sometimes I work at home freelance copyediting and proofreading (as I am doing now) and sometimes I work in a "real" (irony alert) job outside the home (guess which one I prefer?). I *really* enjoyed it when my Rose worked outside and I got to stay home and care for Autumn (she was 2 at the time...we had such a blast!). You say life is cray? That's a redundant statement in my view (ha ha). Looking forward to hearing more from you. Joe

[theatredad]

Great to meet you Joe!!
Are you homeschooling as well?

Myles our ten month old will probably end up in a homeschooling atmosphere.
My 8 year old daughter (from a previous marriage) goies to a public school and I find myself cringing everytime she talks about "school" and the teachers methods of teaching and the ratio of kids to teachers and how much Saige actually gets one on onet time with her teacher.

So what road shall we take in this journey of the conversing SAHD world?

What interests you Joe? Waht amazing, samll or interesting or otherwise noteworthy ideas have you come to realize on your planet?




Hope to talk to you soon!



ERich

[jfatton]

Well, we homeschooled until last month...it was great and we stopped only for a couple of serendipitous occurrences: I lost my job so we needed to downsize our living situation, which led us to a friend who just bought the house next to hers and offered to rent it to us. Her 4 kids, including a girl Autumn's age, go to a Christian school with 3 classrooms...K-4, 5-8, and high school. She has 2 other kids in her 4th grade, which is taught by a nice old lady (there are 8 kids in the class in all).

She's bright and we would definitely have continued homeschooling had things worked out differently.

As far as what I have learned on this planet (good question), it's that I am luckier than I should be to have hooked up with a beautiful, talented woman who for some reason loves me (almost) as much as I do her.

Also, I need all the little guys growing up to be cool and supportive of chicks so my Autumn won't have to kick their butts when the time comes!:

[Flagger]

I am a planned SAHD from near Charlotte, NC. I am very excited about this new adventure in my life. I hope to find more SAHD's like me as time progresses.

[e&r]

work at home papa

I am the e of e&r (mama) writing on behalf of r (papa) who is presently attending our 3 month old.

We both work at home - we are artisans and have our own book crafts business. We know other parents like ourselves on the crafts "circuit", but we don't know other men where we live who are at home with their children.

I was so glad to see this thread! Good for you, you stay-at-home papas!

We'll check back and see who else replies!

e

[theatredad]

Great to meet you guys!

What topics do you we have in mind to talk about?

Roles for men in an AP approach?

SAHD's role in society?

Role of men? (Seems to be a recurring theme to me roles)

Life's strange stories. Marriage. Education. Love. Flowers.

Any good stories from the front lines?


I hope to hear from all 100 of the viewers on a range of topics and get NITTY GRITTY (capitals for dramatic effect) about all things parenting, dads, staying at home, juggling realtionships with other peoples, spouses, children, and even possibly furry pets!


Comments? Suggestions?

[papachee]

Nice to hear from you all.

I'm a SAHD of about a year. My son is 20 months. This wasn't planned at all, but so far both my wife and I think it is working out great.

I do freelance contract work at night (what I'm supposed to be doing now)

I guess one of our quirks is our bed hopping (nothing kinky). We have always had strange sleeping. We planned on co-sleeping and did for while. This ended up with none of us getting a good night sleep. DW would end up getting frustrated and angry at me if I didn't get up with them, and I couldn't do anything right if I did. So we slept in separate beds, DS with DW.

That worked for a while, then we got into the habbit of me putting DS to sleep, and sleeping with him until about 1 when he would wake up and need a feeding (this gave dw 4 hours of uninterupted sleep). Then DW and I would trade beds and I would sleep alone until 6. When I would wake up DW for work and I would climb into bed with DS. Everyone following so far

But since weaning, and during weaning DS and I co-sleep and DW sleeps alone (she's pregnant and needs her sleep) not at all what we planned but it's what works for now. Sex does happen but not as it used to

Ok now my turn, how do your DWs feel about your playgroups with other moms?

[jfatton]

My Rose is cool with my mothering forum-surfing. She often weighs in with a sharp comment or observation (she's awful smart -- she let ME catch her, right? -- in addition to being gorgeous and sexy...).

She prolly would check in herself here but she's not into the PC as much as I am). She's a real-life gabber, tho, so this is one of the few times I get a word in (ya can tell she's not reading this, right?) <g>

...Waitin on a sunny day....

Peace
Joe

[Dov]

re: playgroups with other moms...

I gave up years ago (dd is 5, ds is 3—was SAHD from dd's arrival on the planet). My experience with moms in playgroups (formal or otherwise) was an exercise in exclusion and passive-aggressive hostility (My wife kept saying it was my beard.. but I'm just too vertically challenged to look like a threat... go figure). Only one mom's-group ever opened to the weird guy from the canyon (that'd be me) but they were hard-core social engineers and my hippie-esque flow-orientation just couldn't deal with it. My brother and his girls have all these scheduled, strategic playdates and all that stuff... I just couldn't do it.. too much work.

The place I feel most comfortable is the beach. For some reason no one feels uncomfortable with a dad and two kids at the beach. Maybe it's the calming effect of the surf... who knows. My kids and I have been stopping off on the way home from school and they spend most of their time bodysurfing well beyond turning blue... dd is talking surfboards already. At the very least she needs a little wetsuit.

What do you other dudes do to get out of the house with your weebles?

[papachee]

the beach ... sounds awful! speaking for those in the snowy-center-of-the-continent type places.

we have to satisfy ourselves with playgrounds, snow shoeing/hiking and frisbee games.

[Dov]

Snowshoeing sounds like a great time indeed! Now if I can just get a chance to go to the mountains....

Dov