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עמוד:18
publishes At-Home-Dad , a newsletter . "Now it's considered unusual . So at least we're making some progress . " I see two stay-at-home dads when I walk my sons to school . They never race for the train , and I know that they ' re not looking at me fantasizing that they were . I have told both men how much I admire them . "Some guys are envious , " said one of the dads , who decided four years ago to stay at It can take a long time to feel comfortable with the new role ... home with his two boys , ages six and nine . "They say , 'If I could stay home , 1 would do it in a minute . ' Other guys think , 'He can't hold down a job , he couldn't achieve . ' I was in a management position before 1 left work and had the love and adoration of my staff . I guess I still do . " The other dad , Kurt Schubert , who has four children , ranging in ages from two to nine , and another on the way , doesn't hear many comments about his ability to hold down a job , but he does get tired of being called Mr . Mom . "There was a very clear routine at work , but over time it was hard to tell one day from the other , " he said . "I felt like I was not marking the days of my life with really important things . With the kids , I don't have that feeling , "I remember a hit * I got during a hi gh school baseball game , " he added . "When I got to second base * , I couldn't get the smile offmy face , I felt that way when I leftwork . " After hearing lines like that , who wouldn ' t be tempted ? But Mr . Baylies , a stay-at-home dad with two school-age children , says making the leap isn't easy — and not just because of the economics . It can take a long time to feel comfortable with the new role , he said , and the isolation can be tough . "When I walked around the block with the stroller * , I would only see moms , " he said . "Pretty soon you're talking about blankets and sippy cups * . " His advice for any man wanting to try this at home is to first consider what kind of dad he is . "Do you have the patience to be with your child all day long ? " he asked . "Are you outgoing and self-motivated ? Are you willing to live with a lower income ?" Although many dads are saying yes , a lot are obviousl y saying no . The Census Bureau said that while almost a half million dads were home taking care of their children , there were about a half million at home who were not . Kristine Smith , a family demographer , said the situation could be attributed to several factors . Some dads were out of the ... some men just weren't interested in taking care of their children ... house trying to find jobs , while some families decided to keep their children in day care . But she said some men just weren ' t interested in taking careoftheir children . In other words , many men are handed the opportunity to be stay-at-home dads , but they don ' t share my fantasy . They would rather go back to school , back to workanything but push a stroller . Many men say stay-at-home fathering is a luxury that only the wealthy can afford , which seems to make sense until you realize how long women managed the same feat . I know an excuse when I hear one . * hit — successfully hitting the ball with the baseball bat . * second base — one of four positions ( bases ) reached by a runner in baseball . * stroller —a baby carriage . * sippy cups — cups that young children drink from .
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