It occurred to me the other day that this past week marked the one year anniversary that my family and I moved across the country from greater Seattle, WA to Lehigh Valley, PA, where my wife had been offered a job. How time flies! We still miss the NW like crazy sometimes, mainly the people there, but we’re thankful that we’ve met so many wonderful people here and can honestly say we’re much more settled now.

What hadn’t really occurred to me was that it was only a few days after we arrived here that, my wife having started her new position, I officially started mine as the day-to-day, full-time, primary caregiver for our son.

And so to celebrate Tucker and my First Anniversary together, I humbly present the . . .

Top 10 Lessons of My First Year as a Stay-At-Home Dad

1. Don’t try to be a mom. You can’t. Just be a dad who loves his kid enough to break outdated stereotypes.
2. Play with your kid every day, even when their growing ability to self-entertain might seem like a tempting opportunity to get other things done instead.
3. Make it a priority to get out of the house at least a couple of times a week. Even a short walk in the fresh air to take out the garbage or check the mail can do wonders.
4. You won’t get to shower every day. Get used to it.
5. If doing most of the cooking is new to you, make an effort to learn to do it well. Challenge yourself to try making new things and save the convenience meals for emergencies. You’ll be happy you did, and your wife will love it.
6. Take lots of photos.
7. Make an effort to keep your wife connected to your child. If her job allows it, make the occasional daytime phone call just so she can hear the baby babble. Or even set up an email account so “your kid” can send mom a nice note sometimes. Seems silly, but your wife will appreciate it.
8. Stay-at-home moms are not the enemy. They’re an invaluable resource for friendship, playdates, advice, babysitters, hand-me-downs, playground/product/professional recommendations, and just downright support. Ignore those who seem incredulous about you infringing on their territory, and be thankful that, after your wife, your SAHM friends will be amongst your biggest cheerleaders.
9. Find other stay-at-home dads — in your area if possible, which might take a lot of time and effort, but at the very least make connections with some of the other awesome SAHDs online.
10. If you’re like me, you’ll discover that this is the hardest but most satisfying job you’ll ever have. Don’t be ashamed to claim it with pride when someone asks what you do.