The 5 Stages of Stay-At-Home Fatherhood

One week, not long ago, posts on my personal parenting blog, Fatherhood Is, ground to a sudden halt. Why? I accepted a five-day position as a stay-at-home dad while our nanny was out of town. To date, I've held only a handful of jobs, but being the solitary caregiver for two 4-month-olds was officially the hardest (and most satisfying) of them all. Seriously, stay-at-home parents who do this on the regular deserve a goddamn medal, or better yet... a cape -- cut from the finest cotton polyester blend and adorned with rhinestones.

For most stay-at-home parents, it's a full-time (plus overtime) occupation. My experience was more like an externship; it afforded me the luxury of constant reflection. From shopping for new pants to presenting over Skype to a ballroom full of conference attendees, I did it all with two babies in tow. And in the end, I recognized five distinct stages of my journey. I called them -- aptly enough -- the "Five Stage of Stay-at-Home Fatherhood."

These posts originally appeared on Fatherhood Is.