The Trend Continues: Another Dad Stays Home

The books are short with big print and lots of pictures. The stories are in rhyming verse. These are not the typical fare you'd expect from a former Mercer University political science professor who specializes in mega-cities and urban poverty. But with three children's books under his belt and another on the way, author BC Dee (the pen name of Dr. Bryan Williams) is winning the hearts and minds of young children around the world. He is also one the small population of stay at home dads (SAHD) in the US.

"I felt like I was missing out on my daughter's life," says BC Dee. "Her first two years flew by." Changing careers to become a stay at home dad "has been the third-best choice in my life, after marrying my wife and having a child."

In the United States, there are around 425,000 fathers who stay at home primarily to care for their children and family. In comparison, there are more than seven million mothers (more than 18 times as many) who are making the same choice. Of the nearly two million at-home dads, the percentage who specify that they stay home to take care of their children has risen from around 5% in 1989 to around 21% in 2014. Nevertheless, stay-at-home dads fight a social stigma.

In a 2013 Pew Research Center survey, 51% of the respondents felt that children would be better off if the mother stayed at home. Only 8% felt that the father would have the same, positive effect. "I had to work hard with the change in my identity," BC Dee said. "I was transitioning from a well-respected profession and moving into one that is often referred to as 'babysitting,' when fathers do it."

"I suppose I became an author so that I could feel like I was contributing to the family, which is silly because my biggest contribution is the time I spend with my daughter." BC Dee cites his daughter as his inspiration for his stories such as The Girl Who Drank the Moon, The Hiccupopotamus, and The Celebrated Jumping Frog.

He is currently working on a middle-grade fantasy novel that is "based on unanswered questions in Disney's fairy stories. For example, why do fairies use pixie dust? Where do they keep the pixies? Do the dust-keeper fairies only package the dust, or do they have more nefarious tasks." BC Dee has turned to the crowd-funding publisher, Inkshares, to launch his first novel: The Pixie Wars.

"I'm also trying to contribute to the at-home dad community," BC Dee said. "The National At Home Dad Network holds an annual conference. I went to the twentieth in Raleigh in October. It was eye opening and life changing." With plenty of humor, this community is very active on social media, and in local meet ups. BC Dee says "the ideas and education we trade is helpful, but the moral support is priceless."

Source: Gretchen Livingston, 2014. “Growing Number of Dads Home with the Kids: Biggest increase among those caring for family.” Washington, D.C.: Pew Research Center’s Social and Demographic Trends project, June.