Dad@Home: Fully Domesticated by Gregory J. Tysowski

Dad@Home: Fully Domesticated by Gregory J. Tysowski is a kind of “Mr. Mom” for the current generation, a time when stay-at-home fathers are becoming more and more common. Tysowski’s wife was working as a high-powered, and well-paid, lawyer, so it was decided when their first child was born that Tysowski would stay at home. The purpose of Dad@Home is not only to share his own experience, but to also show how stay-at-home fatherhood is completely normal. It’s difficult, to be sure, but so is parenting for anyone.

The book is full of amusing stories, and the common trials and stay-at-home dad must face, including some that are completely surprising and unexpected. Tysowski covers every possible insecurity and difficulty, many of which are entirely unique to dads. He is candid about the doubts and struggles he has with this new arrangement – but much of this has to do with how stay-at-home dads are perceived, rather than how he perceives himself.  The great strength in the book is that his stories are at once personal and universal.

There may be a bit too much about the pregnancy and birth to start the book- after all, that is not the focus of this book and what makes it unique. What Tysowski could have done instead was begin the book with some stories about being a stay-at-home dad, and then rewound to the beginning. Overall, Tysowski is an engaging narrator of his experiences, and thoroughly reliable, as he has truly walked the walk.

At some point, stay-at-home dads will be completely normalized, and books like Dad@Home will be instrumental in making this the case. For anyone who’s a stay-at-home dad, or for a couple looking into the prospects of such an arrangement, Tysowski is an empathetic and informative voice. As he says, it’s not a “how to” book, but it is still plenty instructive.

Links
Author Site
Twitter
Amazon
Goodreads