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Dads in the Slow Lane
By Leigh Culpepper

Staying home with the kids-historically it's been a mom's prerogative but more and more dads are doing it these days. Census Bureau found that in 1993 there were 14.8 million U.S. husbands with wives working outside the home and children under 14 years of age. All kinds of resources are springing up to help them in their new role. Slowlane.com is an online resource, network and reference that provides opportunities for stay-at-home dads get connected. It takes a serious look at issues such as the realities of working at home, starting a playgroup, getting the most out of time at home, as well as child custody and parenting. Slowlane.com aims to create dialogue and resource sharing as stay-at-home dads challenge old assumptions of gender-based parenting roles.

Related Reading

	The Home Office Solution
	The Work-at-Home SourceBook
	Father Courage

In addition to articles and online resources, Slowlane lists fathers' groups by regional areas and cities. Each region offers area-specific activities and opportunities for involvement. Stay-at-home dads can bond over playgroups or Dad's Nights Out, join softball leagues, participate in family-group gatherings and stay with the kids while their spouses enjoy a Women's Night-Out. Activities differ according to local chapters, but each site reflects a sense of community and a shared pleasure in parenting.

Some interesting highlights on the site include dad-written poetry about the joys and tribulations of staying at home, news on the At-Home Dad Convention and many articles written by dads and for dads. One section titled "Working at Home" contains a list of ideas for home-based businesses, which was originally created for at-home mothers. Its adoption by fathers searching for solutions shows that resource-sharing is occurring at multiple levels here, not just between networking dads.

BeyondWork Easy Extras

The Involved Father http://www.theinvolvedfather.com/
This site provides ideas and approaches to help men become the parents they want to be. Check it out for advice on education, health, socialization, leisure, sexuality, inter-parental relationships and more.
The Home Office Solution: How to Balance Your Professional and Personal Lives While Working at Home by Alice Bredin and Kirsten Lagatree (Wiley, John & Sons, Incorporated, 1998, $56.95). This price, equivalent to 15% off the retail price, is available only through the BeyondWork link to Barnes & Noble books.
The Work-at-Home SourceBook by Lynie Arden, John T. Moyle & Brian Hurwitz (Live Oak Publications CO, 1999, $17.05). This price, equivalent to 15% off the retail price, is available only through the BeyondWork link to Barnes & Noble books.
Father Courage: What Happens When Men Put Family First by Suzanne Braun Levine & Jane Isay (Harcourt, Inc., 2000, $18.24). This price, equivalent to 24% off the retail price, is available only through the BeyondWork link to Barnes & Noble books.