Post #2: The Evolution of the Stay-at-Home Dad
Everyone knows that a father knows best but, is that true when it comes to housework? Chad Prevost, author of the 2015 Washington Post article, “Why this is the End of the Dumb Dad Era” argues that the role of the dumb dad is starting to fade away into history and is being replaced by stay-at-home dads. Prevost begins building his credibility by applying statistics and sources to strengthen his logos, personal anecdotes to add the emotional appeal of pathos, and common ground of ethos to prove his credibility and knowledge of this topic.
What is a Dumb Dad?
In his article, Prevost begins by introducing famous television dumb dads which helps outline how the dumb dad stereotype is well known. He continues by stating that the dumb dad stereotype is becoming less common in media because of demographic trends. In order to defend his argument, the author gives examples of situations where the dumb dad is not present in media and is replaced by the stay-at-home dad. Throughout his article he uses himself as an example because he made the switch from working full time to being a full time stay-at-home dad.
Pathos of Parenting
Throughout his article, Prevost provides personal anecdotes that help strengthen the emotion and use of pathos in his writing and argument. He explains that being a stay-at-home parent is “another job, but it’s also often humble work, tending to others and scheduling your life around their schedules.” It is obvious that the author dedicates a lot of time and hard work in order to take care of the household. He compares being a stay-at-home parent to a job. He is dedicating his life to this new job and is adapting to the schedules of his children. Many parents can relate to this and understand that this is not an easy job. Prevost says:
“(Quitting) my dream job…while raising our kids, sounded like a dream. I can say both novel writing and domestic duties have proven to be far more challenging than anything I could have imagined-and yet I wouldn’t trade what I'm experiencing, and what we have grown into.”
The author’s emotional tone can effect the reader’s emotions, especially if the reader is a parent. Parents always sacrifice their time to their children not because parents have but because parents want to. Not many children realize this and take it for granted. With the help of this anectdote the readers feel for the difficult decisions parents must make in order to care for their children.
The Proof is in the Numbers: Logos
Prevsot provides himself as a an example of a stay-at-home parent in his article. Along with this, he provides many statistics to back up his argument on the rise of stay-at-home dads. He carries a strong logos throught the article by providing hyperlinks to commercials of stereotypical dads and statistics on stay-at-home dads. He points out “between 1995 and 2011, the number of stay-at-home dads in the U.S. nearly tripled form 64,000 to 176,000. ” This means thta more dads are taking initiative at home than in the office. The author mentions that “it was about time this all changed.” The reason for this is because he mentions that there is a “second shift” towards working women. The author states “women (are) spending (at least) eight hours at the office followed by a second shift of housework that amounts to an estimated extra month of work per year.” This means that the job of working women doubles once she arrives home. From this statistic, it is assumed that both spouses are working and the house is left unmaintained. If the husband was at home, there would be no mess.
End of an Era?
Prevost effectively persuades his readers that the dumb dads are a thing of the past and stay-at-home dads are becoming more common. Through his essay, Prevost provided statistics of the demographic change of stay-at-home dads, personal anecdotes of being a stay-at-home dad, and the advantages of taking care of the household. Readers, especially those who can relate, can see the shift of the dumb dad to the stay-at-home dad in this article.