Stay At Home Dudes Being Dads (SAHDBD)

Give yourself a hand for landing a sugar mama gentlemen. Just kidding, most of us would be so lucky right? This no-work thing is pretty nice though, isn't it? Don't let it get the best of you! Before you know it, 3 months have gone by, and you have nothing to show for it. Some of you may be home by choice, some of you may be in between jobs. When people say "being a Mom is a full-time job" they're not lying; I'm at home raising one boy that can't even move yet, and it's time consuming, I can only imagine more than one, and mobile... yikes.

But we're Dudes being Dads. Being a Dad is a lot of what we do, but it's not the only thing we do. I want something to show for the time I have "off." We both know it's not time off, but again, we have to pepper something in the mix... other than your kid of course :)

You just inherited all the duties of kid raising and all the duties of the 1950's woman. Add in your regular chores that women simply don't do like mowing the lawn/landscaping, taking out the garbage (OH CRAP! Literally, just went to bring the garbage cans out), fixing the sink, fixing the A/C, cleaning the outside of the house, killing bugs, opening jars, and keeping up with your friends on Call of Duty. You have a lot going on.

Get a schedule for your free time slots. You'll have several times througout the day when you'll be able to go do something. When your kid goes to sleep, or is occupied with a toy or play chair or whatever... it's GO time. Just plan it out. You have a mix of things that need to be done and things that take a little longer. So if you know that he is going to sleep from 7:30am-10am... and that's the longest streak of the day, you may want to use that time to go stain the cabinet doors because that is something you need a good chunk of uninterrupted time for; you do that even though mopping the floor is more important because you have people coming over for dinner--It's okay. It makes sense, just don't forget to mop later. :)

You don't have to do anything except take care of the kid, and you'll still look like a hero, but i want to make this look good, and easy, because again, we are DUDES. We can't be unemployed, out of shape, unshaven, and unshowered... and then as soon as Mom gets home start pounding beers; if you weren't so pale, you'd look just like a bum on the street. You don't have to be perfect, and you don't have to do more than 1 extra thing, but as a DUDE (not a chick) and a DUDE who is Being a Dad at home for a living---at least for time being-- you need to have something to back you up.

Here are some ideas...
 

Workout

Do some push ups, and sit ups. It's good enough for the military, which means it's more than good enough for you. If you get really serious, get a pull up bar.

 

DIY

You have trim that needs to be painted? Get goin. You have a coffee table that's old and out of date? Get goin. You need a toy chest for all these stuffed animals and toys that everyone bought you even though the kid only plays with one? Get goin. DIY can be inexpensive and rewarding, and it can increase the value of your home in some cases.

 

Learn to Play an Instrument

Guitars can be bought cheap (like 100-200) for learning purposes, and you can serenade your wife/gf when she gets home. Electric drum sets are nearly silent, and can also be bought for a couple hundred--no serenading here though.

 

Work on the Burn

I brought the 4 month old to the driving range yesterday. Crazy? I say genius. Read a book on the patio, keep your shirt off while mowing the lawn... you can't be pale in the middle of summer unless you've been sitting at a cubicle all day.

 

Make Some Dough

I'm not talking about baking, but you can try that too if you want. You can do something a little more risky and skilled like trade stocks/options, or you can take some surveys...Something that's a little more long-term could be planing out a business. Careful when you start risking money that ain't yours though... gotta get the Mrs. involved on those ideas.

 

Start a Blog

Just kidding, don't do that. Big waste of time :)

 

DUDES! Doing one of this is tough, let alone several, I know. Don't overload yourself. However, you can do at leadt one thing. Be a Stay at Home Dude Being a Dad which means increase the value of your home and increase the enjoyment of your living space, and be ripped, tan, fashionable, and play the guitar... that's like the perfect mix of DUDE. If you're a Single Stay at Home Dude Being a Dad (SSAHDBD), watch out ladies.

Being at home myself, the chore list could go on and on: unload the dishwasher, reload the dishwasher, do the laundry, mow the lawn, vacuum, make dinner, etc. All this has to be done in short time spans less than an hour throughout the day when he sleeps... AND! Don't forget you're the one responsible for teaching this little one everything he knows and will know. You and I know that being a "stay at home Dad" is a lot as is... but we're going to be more than that. We're going to be Stay at Home Dudes Being Dads, and have something to show for it. I built some shelves and a toy chest thus far. I'm on a DIY kick, and that's where my time goes. I'm also a recovering addict of Call of Duty, so it's been hard--I don't even have the new black ops! I'm still on MW3... rough life... rough life.

Hopefully ideas help.

Send me some stuff you've done in addition to being a stay at home Dad. Let's see the DUDE part of it! dudesbeingdads@gmail.com

Go be a Dad, Dude.

Joe Gattone