• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
Lasso The Moon
  • Welcome
  • Parenting
  • Recipes
  • Family Games
  • Travel
menu icon
go to homepage
  • Welcome
  • Parenting
  • Recipes
  • Family Games
  • Travel
search icon
Homepage link
  • Welcome
  • Parenting
  • Recipes
  • Family Games
  • Travel
×

Home » Blog » Uncategorized

My Higher Calling

Published: Jul 9, 2013 · Modified: Jan 22, 2016 by Joe Thompson · Post may contain affiliate links

2.7K shares

We are honored to have Joe Thompson sharing his thoughts on being a stay-at-home parent.

{Still helping out around the house?} *Imagine a life with a stay-at-home dad

All Photos by {N}Duran Photography via Flickr Creative Commons

A friend of ours recently asked me if I was “still helping out around the house.” I didn’t quite know how to answer that one. You see, I’m a stay-at-home dad. That’s my job.

Full-time. By choice.

My wife stayed home with our first two children, and as we were planning for our third, I was thinking about a career change. Her part-time job happened to offer her more hours, and we realized that life had presented us with an unexpected opportunity.

I’ll admit that it has taken me a while to fully embrace this new role, but the experience has been one of tremendous growth as a father, husband, and individual. It has forced me to slow down and face life’s most basic tasks and responsibilities in a completely new way.

{Still helping out around the house?} *Imagine a life with a stay-at-home dad

When I was working full-time outside of the house, domestic life seemed primarily about helping to complete a never-ending to-do list of household chores. But now, rather than seeing domestic life as a checklist, where "spend quality time with the kids" falls into a slot on the list along with "wash the dishes" and "fold the laundry," I’ve begun to see that our role as parents is so much greater than the sum of the tasks we accomplish.

Being a parent — especially a stay-at-home parent — is about fostering an attitude and a posture of love and peace and bringing that to bear on each moment of everyday life.

It’s not enough to simply get the kids to school, do the grocery shopping, provide meals, facilitate naps and baths, accomplish all of the household chores of the day, and spend time reading and playing with the kids. The goal is to accomplish all of those things in a way that promotes a sense of peace and well-being within the household.

So call it grace, call it peace, call it whatever you like. The task of all parents is to create an atmosphere of love and acceptance. The task of a stay-at-home parent is to establish that atmosphere at the most fundamental level within the household.

It certainly isn’t easy. But that’s what I do. That's my job.

{Still helping out around the house?} *Imagine a life with a stay-at-home dad

I’m sure that I’m not the best stay-at-home dad in the world. But I am trying. On good days, I take the time to look in the mirror, take a deep breath, and remember why I'm doing all of this running kids around town, picking up toys, wiping runny noses, refereeing disputes, cleaning up accidents, coming up with yet another healthy snack option, and applying sunscreen over and over again. And, on those good days, most of these things are accomplished in a way that I feel pretty good about — in a way that I hope will convey a sense of love and peace to our children and give them the opportunity to flourish as they grow...

So, yeah, I guess you could say that I’m "still helping out around the house."


joe
Meet Joe Thompson
Coming off of his rookie season as a stay-at-home dad, Joe hopes to improve his game enough to survive the middle school years. With a background in ministry and a passion for theology, Joe has a deep interest in the relationship between spirituality and everyday life.

 

More Uncategorized

  • Little girl wearing antlers with a painted reindeer nose laughing as she hears Would You Rather Christmas questions.
    Would You Rather Christmas: 100 Jolly This or That Questions 🎄
  • A set of the glass food storage containers with strawberries, blueberries, salad, and veggies in them surrounded by lids.
    Small Kitchen Organization: Simplify + Create TONS of Space
  • The BEST Glass Food Storage Containers
  • How To Potty Train A Puppy - Things You Need To Know When You Start Housetraining
2.7K shares

Primary Sidebar

Portrait of Zina

Hi, I'm Zina! You know you’re in the right spot if — You believe in game nights. You believe in PJ movie parties. You believe in breakfast for dinner. And most importantly, you believe happiness is family.

Let me show you around →

Popular

  • A cat who is nervous about moving hiding under a couch.
    7 Astoundingly Helpful Tips for Moving With Cats into a New Home
  • Two woman sitting on the sidewalk talking about turning 40.
    5 Brutally Honest Things Every Woman Turning 40 Should Know
  • How to Maximize Space in Your Luggage: You'll be amazed at what's in this suitcase *10 packing tips and hacks for your next family vacation
    The Best Way To Pack a Suitcase: How to Travel With a Family + a Single Suitcase
  • How to Ensure Your Tween ROCKS the First Day of Middle School: Know what to wear on the first day ahead of time. If you’re daughter is like mine, she’ll likely have this picked out a week in advance. Recommend she picks a secondary outfit, “just incase she isn’t feeling it” on the first day. It is always good to have a back-up plan. *Great list of back-to-school tips for tweens
    How to Ensure Your Tween ROCKS the First Day of Middle School
  • Hidden Valley Ranch Chicken Marinade — THE BEST Chicken Recipe With Only 4-Ingredients!
  • This cheesy chicken pot pie biscuit casserole is SO GOOD. If you’re pinched for time, keep this 30-minute cheesy chicken biscuit casserole simple with ingredients from your pantry. This quick and easy chicken bake uses cream of chicken soup and sour cream, so it is amazingly creamy. *This is a keeper! My kids (and husband!) love it.
    Chicken Biscuit Casserole

Footer

↑ back to top

Lasso The Moon

  • About This Site
  • Disclosure
  • Privacy Policy
  • Accessibility Policy

Slow Down In Life

  • Overwhelm and busy get in the way of finding time for what really matters in life. Ready to reset? Join me at Becoming UnBusy too!

Slow Living Movement

  • "She silently stepped out of the race she never wanted to be in, found her own lane, and proceeded to win."
    — Pam Lambert

Copyright © 2020 Lasso The Moon

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

2.7K shares