- Ryan Crawley spoke to Insider about the furious backlash he often receives
- The father left his job as an elementary school teacher to take care of his children.
- He revealed that people often call him a “freeloader.”
A stay-at-home dad has responded to people who criticized him for quitting his job and caring for his children while his wife works all day.
Ryan Crawley spoke with Insider about the angry backlash he often received when people found out he spent his days changing diapers and cleaning up vomit while his wife worked hard as an obstetrician-gynecologist.
However, the former primary school teacher has now responded to the outrageous claims branding him a “freeloader” and said he was extremely grateful for the time with his children.
He also talked about the daily struggles of being a stay-at-home dad and the moments that made him cry.
Ryan insisted that, despite what trolls might think, choosing to care for his children instead of the family’s primary breadwinner doesn’t make him “any less manly.”
A stay-at-home dad has responded to people who criticised him for quitting his job and caring for his children while his wife works all day (file image)
He explained to the outlet: ‘My wife is an obstetrician and gynecologist, and when I met her, she was making way more than me every year. I was an elementary school teacher at the time and I was doing everything I could to help kids learn important things, like reading and respecting others.
‘When we started our family, my wife and I debated who would stay home and raise the babies. I was the obvious choice.
‘For starters, we didn’t want to put the kids in daycare. Plus, I had experience working with children and, perhaps more importantly, my wife made a lot more money than I did.’
After having a deep conversation with his wife, Ryan decided he would quit his job and stay home with his children.
And while it wasn’t easy leaving his job behind, Ryan was grateful to be able to spend time with his children.
However, he admitted that being a stay-at-home dad wasn’t always easy.
And he soon found himself facing a lot of criticism and judgment from trolls who branded him a “breadwinner” and accused him of being less “manly.”
The father said he saw firsthand the misconceptions surrounding stay-at-home moms and dads, and admitted the comments began to upset him and affect his mental health.
He insisted the allegations were untrue and said it was “frustrating” to hear constant criticism.
However, when times got tough, he tried to stay positive and remembered how lucky he was to be able to spend more time with his children.
“But I wouldn’t trade this time with my kids for anything. I would do it all again in a heartbeat,” Ryan said.
“As a first-time, older father, I realize that I’m not guaranteed to spend quality time with my kids as they get older. By the time they’re 20, I’ll be 70. Being Mr. Mom and taking on this role reversal allows me to spend more time with my kids.”
The father said that in addition to having to deal with hateful comments, he was often seen fighting with his children.
He admitted: “It wasn’t always easy. When Ellie, our oldest daughter, was born, she weighed just seven pounds. At the time, I was a huge strength trainer and weighed around 230 pounds. Honestly, I was worried about breaking her or hurting her.”
Ryan also confessed to having lost contact with his friends because he was too busy day and night with his children.
She noted: “But there were magical moments too. I held my breath as they tried to take their first steps and cried with them when they repeatedly failed. When I took one of them to preschool for the first time, I cried when the teacher had to take him off my neck.”
However, despite the difficulties, Ryan said he wouldn’t trade this time with his children for anything in the world.