Moms Night Out

Friday night my friend L and I went out to dinner; sans kiddies, sans hubbies. Since L went back to work, we've made it a point to get together every few weeks or so and have a night out big-girl style.

During the course of the evening, our conversation roamed over several, standaed topics; the children, naturally; our husbands; housework; L's job; me being home with the kids; the pitfalls of working vs. staying home. One topic we spent a bit of time I find particularly intriguing - dads staying home with the kids while the moms go to work.

The topic of dads staying home with the kids stemmed from a recent conversation between my husband and I. I quit work because the amount of money I made at my company didn't offset the costs of daycare. My husband owns his own flooring company, but with the economy the way it is at the moment, people aren't exactly champing at the bit to get new floors in their homes. So, needless to say, money is a constant topic of concern in our house. I have a higher degree than my husband, so if I were able to land a higher paying job, we could probably afford to have him stay home while I went to work. My husband says he's perfectly fine staying home with the kids; in fact, he'd love to do it.

Part of me honestly thinks my husband would be better at staying home with the girls than I am. At this point in time, I'm finally starting to feel like I'm getting the hang of being home full-time. It's taken me about 6 months to adjust, which, I guess, is standard when one switches jobs. But did I really switch jobs? I was a mom when I was working and I'm still a mom. I'm just a mom who doesn't leave the house quite as often as I used to...and a mom with a significantly smaller paycheck. Hugs and kisses, while adorable and a daily necessity, don't pay the mortgage.

In terms of my husband staying home, in some ways I think it might be easier for him than it is for me. The whining gets to me. I find it irritating, grating, annoying. The constant needing can be exhausting, depending on the day. I can't say I'd mind going a day or two without having to wipe 2 extra butts. Nor would I mind not having to cajole the kiddos into eating...or playing nicely...or being polite.

I think this is where some of the fundamental differences between men and women come into play. The whining gets to me because I hear every single second of it; my husband doesn't seem to hear it on the same level I do and it simply doesn't bother him as much as it does me. The girls' constant neediness doesn't faze him and although dirty diapers don't thrill him, he doesn't mind taking care of them...too much. And if the kids won't eat, he'll just keep suggesting things until they're hungry for that suggested item.

So, readers, what do you think? Benefits to the dads staying home? Downfalls? Better if both parents work? Anyone have the magic secret to winning the Powerball, so we won't have to worry about working at all?