Five Reasons Being a Stay-at-Home Dad Is Harder Than Being an Olympian
Father and Former Olympian Kevin Hall tells it like it is.
By Kevin Hall
Reason №1.
When you train for the Olympics, it’s all about you.
When you’re a stay at home dad, it’s never about you.
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Reason №2.
When you have a bad day at training you often know why. The results make sense, and your coach’s job is to get you ready for tomorrow.
When you have a bad day raising kids, you seldom know why the results often seem to be the opposite of the input, and your partner needs support at the end of a long work-outside-the-home day, not a session listening to you whine about missing school uniforms and screen time arguments.
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Reason №3.
When you train for the Olympics, you get up early, listen to your body, feed yourself, move through a day’s plan and a controlled environment, review your clear accomplishments, and return home to eat then sleep.
When you raise kids you get up early, listen to their screaming, improvise through a day’s rough plan and chaotic environment, then do the laundry.
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Reason №4.
“I’m training for the Olympics” is a clear identity in a recognized currency.
“I’m raising a family” is too. In some circles. If you happen to be a man and don’t want to live your entire social life online, those circles can remain rather mysterious.
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Reason №5.
When you say you’re an Olympian, people think you’re amazing. A badass, a model citizen, an inspiration, worthy.
When you say you’re a stay-at-home-dad people wonder what you did wrong to lose your job and whether you ever wore the pants at all.
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This story was previously published on The Good Men Project.
