Are you ready to listen to a podcast episode that's all about positivity, inspiration, and the joys of fatherhood? Well, hold on tight because this week, we sat down with someone incredibly special – none other than my very own dad, Dave Johnson! He spilled the beans on his experience as a stay-at-home dad, and trust us, it's a conversation that'll leave you feeling uplifted and motivated.
We're giving you a sneak peek into Dave's heartwarming reflections on fatherhood, the challenges he faced, and how he found his true purpose in life. But that's not all – there's laughter, there's love, and even a few surprises along the way!
So, if you're curious about what it's like being a stay-at-home parent and how Dave navigated this beautiful journey, read on. But here's the best part – the real magic happens in our podcast episode, already up and running on all your favorite podcast platforms. So let's dive in and discover why this episode is a must-listen!
It seems like being a stay at home dad was a natural fit for you - would you agree with that?
"So I never thought about being a dad - I will be honest. It's not something I said as a kid, I didn't think about it ever really.
Then we had kids and I remember looking at Brock and I am thought - this is who I am, this is why I am here. I completely embraced it - this was my being now and literally to this day
that is what my purpose in life is.
So, the fact that I had that opportunity to stay home and be around them that much, I cannot thank my wife, Susan, enough.
Susan made a lot of sacrifices by making sure that we were supported. I mean work, traveling all over the worlds, and as soon as she would come back she would be feel guilty of missing something so instead of going to sleep from her exhausting work trips she would stay up and be with the kids. Whatever she could do she did."
Did you find it hard to feel connected to society being a stay at home parent?
"I will tell you for the first 6 months I am like, I don't know if it's Tuesday or Friday - this is awesome! Two years into it. I am like, my God, I do not know, it is Friday and
Tuesday morning - this is terrible!
I was in this this cycle that never ended and to the point where thank God Susan talked me to get involved with the local sports that I was able to have some type of adult thing and some type of responsibility because other than the responsibility, the biggest responsibility, obviously take care of 4 kids.
Other than that, I had no other outlets of I felt Like, I was not part of society the last 2 years and I found it really difficult when I started interviewing going back. I do not have a degree and I do not have a trade. That is a really bad decision to take 5 years off to live your career, okay?"
Any advice for the working parent?
"I do. I can honestly say the entire time I was not earning any money and she had all the pressure of supporting the family now to this day, even the stuff that we joke about, the stuff I did not do or the money that I could have put away, that would have set us up better now to this day she 100 % supports what we did.
She never made me feel less than her. She is the reason why it worked, that is the truth. I am not trying to say that to get on her good side. Although that is a good thing.
When we are in a fight or something, she never says you did not work. It is something that she is proud that she was able to do it and that she trusts me as a father to do it on this end.
So you got you have to have the buy in of both people if you have someone who is upset that they are the breadwinner and they think the person at home is having fun or not doing things or not stepping up there is going to be a lot of animosity there.
So there is got to be clear conversations up front and both people are on board because there are 2 completely different lifestyles . Okay, there are 2 different ones and that is the biggest piece. The person who is out working needs to remember that and not hold it against and if they do, they should not they should not do not do it, do not have the dynamic."
What about if the working parent has a lot of traveling involved in their jobs?
"My wife had a job where she traveled a lot, sometimes for extended periods of time. I remember counting down the days until she got back because I was so burnt-out parenting alone.
She would come home, and I would just assume she would step right into the parenting role but that's not fair. She's jet-lagged, she's exhausted, and she is burnt-out in a different way. I mean I used to have the kids make signs and we would be waiting for her in the driveway because I was so excited to see her, but also so excited to pass off the parenting. That was really challenging for both of us"