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First Coast Connect: Stay-At-Home Dads Find Support

http://sahdnefl.com/

Husbands and fathers of the First Coast have become passionate about creating a community for stay at home dads.

Their hope  is to reach out to other stay-at-home dads who may be feeling isolated and would like support.

Chris Hoskins, founder of the Stay-at-Home Dads North East Florida group, appeared with fellow group members David McFee and David Torrelio on Monday’s episode of First Coast Connect.

“It started off as just a Jacksonville group and once I met David, it kind of expanded to North East Florida," Hoskins said. “But it is just to have that interaction with other dads — there’s plenty of us out there.”

Hoskins said he started the Facebook group to help other stay at home dads to find activities to do with their children as well as fun events to do on their own. 

When the group started to grow, Hoskins realized a lot of dads do not use Facebook, which is why he made thewebsite.

Along with the website and Facebook page, McFee created a weekly podcast,spending 30 or 40 minutes discussing stay-at-home-dad topics. And one topic many stay-at-home dads have to deal with is judgment from others.

“We go to the zoo and we get the comments like ‘Oh, its daddy daycare,' and it is not daddy daycare — this is a full-time job,” Torrelio said.

Torrelio added in some cases, the men feel isolated from groups of stay-at-home moms they encounter.

“Like going out to the library and they will have predominately mom groups there,” Torrelio said. “Maybe one or two moms will talk to you, but once another group of moms show up, you’re just sort of isolated, and you’re just sort of that guy, and sometimes you just feel like the outsider to the group.”

Instances and comments like these are the exact reason the men chose to join this group and make it known that being a stay-at-home parent isn’t just for moms anymore.

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