My Meetup Group – New York City Dads

I started a meetup group back in November when my wife went back to work after maternity leave. It started off very slowly with only a few members, but we are gaining some “traction” and growing more steadily these days. As a guy who enjoys networking and spending quality time with my son, it was a good fit for me to create this type of group. Here is some information about us with the link below.

Picture above: 13 dads after our sign language class

Welcome, New York City (NYC) Stay At Home Dads, Part-time at-home dads, and freelance guys!
Location : New York, NY
Meetups: 12 so far
Members : 58 Stay At Home Dads

Meetup topics:
Stay At Home Dads, New and Expecting Parents, Dads, Playgroup Manage topics
Founded by Lance Somerfeld
November 24, 2008

My Goal:
Meet other local Stay At Home Dads in and around New York City (NYC) to arrange playdates with kids and to interact with other guys in the same situation.
My primary goal is to form get togethers during the week while the rest of the world is working so we can take advantage of what the city has to offer without the crowds while still allowing time in the evenings and weekends for our family bonding time.
Meet ups take place once a week at a local park, museum, zoo, restaurant, or if lucky – someone’s playroom/lounge in their building.

Here is the link, if you want to check us out or join our group:

http://www.meetup.com/New-York-City-Dads-Meetup-Group/

I can say great things about our group, but it is better to hear the feedback from our members:

• “If you are a SAHD then you should join. It’s a great motivator to get out and meet other dads and do stuff with your little one(s). ” — Rich on Feb 18, 2009
• “people should join this meetup group because it has a great group of guys from all nationalities and backgrounds who just want the best for their little ones. ”
  — frank on Mar 13, 2009
• “Our New York Stay at Home Dad’s group is a welcoming place for new dads. It is a place we can share as a group our experience of being stay at home dads. It also gives our kids time to get to know other kids learn to share, play and have fun together. Our members come from all different backgrounds. What makes our group unique is that we are all new dads looking for the best environment for our babies and for us to share best experiences. Our group is the place to discuss the many challenges that come with being a stay at home dad in New York City. ”— Moti on Feb 27, 2009
• “It is inspiring to spend time with so many capable and loving dads! ”— Matt on Mar 19, 2009
• “Did something today that I wouldn’t normally think of doing independantly ”
  — Joe on Feb 4, 2009.

Below are some feature articles and video segments related to stay-at-home dads:

1. How Stay-at-Home Dads Redefine Gender Roles

By BETSY STARKJune 13, 2008

http://abcnews.go.com/Business/Story?id=5063673&page=1

I read this article earlier today and agree with his point that we do it all for the benefit of our kids. I also enjoyed reading his perspecive about making a playdate with a mom and how it can be perceived as challenging.

2. The Return of Mr. Mom – Laid-off dad finds caring for the kids rewarding, if not relaxing
BY Paul Tullis
Thursday, March 12th 2009, 10:56 AM

http://www.nydailynews.com/lifestyle/2009/03/12/2009-03-12_laidoff_dad_finds_caring_for_the_kids_re.html

The Title includes “the return of mr. mom” – when are they going to call us “modern men” and realize that being an at home dad is cool. I guess that is for us to show everyone! Some interesting stats:-

82% – number of job losses that affected men vs 18% for women – Dept of Labor-

8.1% – unemployment rate for adult men – Feb stats from Bureau of labor stats-

37% – number of working dads who said they would leave their jobs if spouse or partner made enough money to support the family – 2007 careerbuilder.com survey (interested to see what the 2009 numbers would be!)-

140,000 – number of stay-at-home fathers – US census Bureau