From Deseret News archives:
Utah stay-at-home dads deal with stigma, stereotypes, no special cards
Hallmark public-relations representative Deidre Parkes said in an e-mail that Hallmark does not make cards geared specifically to stay-at-home dads.
But that's OK.
"The last thing I want to do is draw attention to the fact that I need special treatment," said stay-at-home dad Jeff Hunter, 43, in Salt Lake City. "More than anything it would be the acknowledgment that there are stay-at-home dads."
And in Utah, there are at least three.
"I don't think much of Father's Day," said Jeff Thomas, 33, a stay-at-home dad in the Daybreak development in South Jordan. He said he and his wife, Jolene, pretty much overlook the day. "It's all about marketing."
Hunter said Father's Day generally falls on his birthday, so it is lost in other celebrations.
"Father's Day has a totally different meaning than Mother's Day," Hunter said. "It's not a true holiday; it's an afterthought."
Hunter is not complaining. Being a stay-at-home dad is uncommon in Utah, Hunter said, and he doesn't feel like a victim of stay-at-home dad stereotypes.
Johnson said he and his wife try to stay away from set roles in the household.
"Men and women are seeing marriage more as shared responsibilities," Johnson said. "You come home from work and help with the dishes and with the kids."
But is this shared responsibility perceived on Father's Day?
"The male is perceived and projected as a bumbling fool. I'm right up there with them," Hunter said. "Mothers deserve more of the credit anyway. I'll say two words: birth and pregnancy. We'll never be able to touch that."
Now, stay-at-home dads can move on to other important issues, such as changing diapers in men's restrooms.
E-mail: MBennett@desnews.com
Recent comments
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