Benefits of SAHM for Dad

Today is another Fatherhood Friday over at Dad Blogs. If you haven't checked it out yet, shame on you. There are a ton of talented dads (and moms) that you should be reading.

Most of my time on here has been singing the praises of stay at home moms and talking about what husbands can do to support them. Because I think that's important. Staying at home is a difficult job and requires as much assistance as possible. And I am more than happy to do my share to make sure this lifestyle works for my family.

But today is about me. After all, this is MY blog. I do all the work around here, so why shouldn't I get to talk about myself for a while. Don't worry, we'll get back to our regularly scheduled programming shortly.

Today we're going to talk about how dads/husbands benefit from the SAHM lifestyle. I think it's pretty obvious how children benefit. And there are plenty of discussions out there about a SAHM's gains from staying at home (and some obvious minuses). But what about the dad? What does he get out of this deal? Obviously I can only speak from my experience, but here is what I see as the benefits for me so far.

1. Less chaos. Especially in the mornings. Granted our kids are not in school yet, but our mornings have gotten considerably easier. We don't have to rush around to get 5 people ready for the day and out of the house by 7:15 in the morning. Which is good because we're not really big on mornings in our house. Now we have the ability to have a more relaxed start to the day, and I think that carries over to the rest of the day.

2. More home-cooked meals. Now before someone jumps down my throat, let me say that I don't expect my dinner on the table when I walk in the dinner every night. Far from it. But staying home has allowed my wife to cook more often. Which is great because my wife is a damned good cook (whether she thinks so or not). So this isn't about me thinking a woman should be in the kitchen, this is purely about my stomach. And my stomach is happy!

3. More time with my kids. Even though my wife is the one staying home, I still get to see my kids more. We have more time in the morning. I get to see them when I go home for lunch (though I do kinda miss my lunch-time runs). We spend more timing playing in the evening as opposed to getting ready for the next day.

4. Most importantly, my wife is happy. And that means the world to me. She loved her profession, but she was ready to stay home. The stress of working and running a family (I have no illusions about who wears the pants) was a big strain on her. That has all gone out the window. She is more relaxed. She is happier. She is awesome. And that makes me happy (and awesome!).