Thanks to David Parmet for pointing me in the direction of an MSNBC report on "Stay at Home Dads" and "Alpha-Earners."

Apparenlty the father staying at home and mom going to work is becomming more and more common. When I first got laid off, there was a lot of denial on my part, so I didn't totally get into the whole "Mr. Mom" state of mind right away.

This time around, I'm apparently doing a much better job of it - but it still sucks to be asked what I do and reply that I stay at home with the kids. It's not the shame of it - thhere is no shame - it just kills me that the economy sucks so badly these days that I can't find work in my chosen field. At least, full-time work in this state that pays me even close to what I was getting before.

When I found out that I had the temp job that dissappeared (here and here), I started to realize what I was giving up - things like my lunch dates with the kids, dropping off and getting :emma: from pre-school - and yes, that includes "bonding" time with the moms while we wait for the doors to open. Going out to the store with two or three kids in tow, always pleased at how they're behaving themselves when others their age are wigging out in the same store.

I can't say that I'm exactly looking forward to going back to work, but at the same time I'm not exactly looking forward to continued unemployment. I enjoy spending time with the kids, and it's tons of fun being there to watch :noah: expand his vocabulary (at last!) and see :abby: working out the kinks of getting around on two legs (she's quite good at it), how this talking thing might be a good idea, and most of all seeing how her personality is changing - even though she's been throwing tantrums of late. Emma's got her own thing going on, and she's quite clearly five years old, but that's to be expected, right?