Dad Enters Non-Traditional Role Of Stay At Home With Downturn In Economy
W. BLOOMFIELD (WWJ) - This Father's Day finds a growing number of dads who are choosing to stay home.
WWJ's Sandra McNeill reports with the job market still not good -- and the cost of child care on the rise -- 20 percent of American men are now the primary caretakers for their children.
Bret Panter of W. Bloomfield is a graphic designer who chose to stay at home when the job market dried up.
"Four years ago I definitely wasn't wired this way ... I was all about work, myself, you think differently, you act differently - life changes when you have a child," he said.
Panter runs a part-time business out of his home and takes care of 3 year-old Zoey. His wife works full-time at night.
He said that some men do envy his lifestyle while others .
"Sometimes (other men envy my role) and sometimes I think a lot of them look down on you ... it's a double edged sword," Panter said.
And what about the housework?
"We try (to do as much as women) after a while I don't think we are as nit-picky about it - today - this morning - I had to mop the floor."
"I'm so used to wearing so many different kind of hats," Panter said. "It's a little change of pace. Not only do I do graphic design and then for a while I was the official diaper changer."
Panter says he'd like a full-time job but right now he relishes the chance to be a critical influence during his daughter's early years.
"My father was always kind of in and out of my life ... so that's one thing I always kind of said to myself - I just want to be a better father," he said.
"Happy Father's Day," said Zoey to her dad.
