ABOUT AT-HOME DADS

When fathers are involved in their children's education, children are more likely to get A's and enjoy school.[1] Also violent crime, drug use and teen pregnancy are lower with involved fathers.[2] To put it succinctly, Dr. Kyle Pruett, Yale University Child Psychology Professor, in the upcoming documentary “The Evolution of Dad,” says, “If you want to reduce gang membership, teen pregnancy, dropping out of school, abuse and neglect of children and substance abuse, you can do it by engaging fathers early and often in the lives of their children.”

At-home dads, as the daily, primary caregivers of their children, are very involved fathers. These fathers, in the most extreme way, are proving the value of fatherhood. And, what’s most exciting, the trend of men choosing to be at home with their children has grown by 60% over the last 4 years[3], meaning more and more fathers are realizing how positive of an influence they can make upon their children.

In a 2007 study on Stay-At-Home Fathers, Dr. Aaron Rochlen, Associate Professor of Counseling Psychology at the University of Texas-Austin, found that, “Men who reported high levels of social support reported higher levels of relationship satisfaction, psychological well-being (i.e., less distress), and overall were more satisfied in their lives.” However, a good social support network can be hard to find for an at-home dad since family and friends may not agree with his non-traditional role and there is often not an at-home dad group nearby.

This is one of the ways the At-Home Dads Convention can help by bringing at-home dads from across the country together to support and learn from each other.

To learn more about the numbers of at-home dads in the U.S., please visit www.rebeldad.com/stats.htm.