The Internet is full of at-home dads. Some dads have jobs that allow them to work from home while the moms go to the office. Many dads left their careers altogether to raise their kids. The rising popularity of dad blogs and dad sites brings many of these men together to swap stories, give advice if needed, and recommend a good beer to pair with the night's dinner.
Whit Honea is one of those men. He is an at-home dad and a writer for Dadcentric , Dad Bloggers , FameCrawler , The Disney Blog , and his own blog, Honea Express . Whit likes to keep himself busy while his two boys are napping or swinging from the chandelier. I discovered his blog earlier this year when I signed up on MyBlogLog , a blogging community site where I have found many funny and interesting dads, moms, and other bloggers carving out their piece of the Web one post at a time.
Periodically in this column I will be interviewing other at-home dads
to share them with you. It's not fair of me to keep them all to myself.
After reading Whit's blogs for most of the year and loving them, he stuck
out as my obvious choice for the first installment of Interviews from the Daddyshack.
 Q: Taking on the commitment of
an at-home dad is a big decision. What factors contributed to your family's
decision?
- I had a strong dislike for my job and an even
stronger desire for spending time with my children. Throw in some poor
math and I was able to convince my wife that it was doable. It hasn't
been an easy transition, namely in the finance department, but it's
still worth it.
Q: What do you think stay-at-home dads do
better than stay-at-home moms?
- Other than pee standing-up, I don't know that there is
anything I can claim that dads do better. Nothing I can say in public
anyway. I suppose there are the usual stereotypes of teaching kids all of
the football and pull-my-finger stuff, which I'm sure is a source of pride for
many dads, but probably isn't considered "better" by most people,
i.e., my wife.
Q: Where is
your favorite spot to go when you have time without the kids?
Q: When you take your children out in
public on a weekday and people stare at you like you are a kidnapper, what do
you REALLY want to say to them but bite your tongue instead?
- It is annoying. Heaven forbid a father be seen in
public with his children. I think it would be funny to play into their expectations
and while walking past them softly whisper in their ear, "you wanna buy a
baby?"
Q: Besides Sportscenter,
what is your favorite daytime television show?
- Now that I am working from home I try to leave the TV
off. Otherwise I won't get anything done. Of course that is easier said
than done, so I would have to say I'm a fan of Charlie and Lola and anything on
the Food Network.
Q: If you were not an at-home dad, what
would you be doing right now?
- Isn't this the question that rock stars always answer by
saying they'd probably be in jail? I wouldn't be in jail. What would I want to
do? Any sort of "job" that is actually playing for obscene
amounts of money like those held by actors and athletes. I'm currently getting more work
as a writer which is my true passion, so there's a chance that if I didn't have
kids I'd still be doing this, just drunker and without pants.
Q: Our wives expect us to keep the house in
somewhat of a non-chaotic state. I actually don't mind vacuuming or doing
dishes but laundry is not my favorite. What chore do you abhor the most?
- I'm really bad about putting
the clothes away after I fold them. I can wash. I can dry. I
can fold. Then they sit next to the dryer for days. I want to stop
it, but I can't.
Q: Have you ever punched anybody for
calling you Mr. Mom?
- I know that a lot of the guys
are very adamant about the 'Mr. Mom' label. As part of the
fraternity I'm supposed to feel likewise, but the thing is, I liked that
movie. Granted, I haven't seen it in years, but I still quote it to this
day: 240, 241. Whatever it takes.
Q: There has to be something that you miss
about working a 9 to 5 job. What is it?
- I do miss having some sort of
interaction with adults. My wife works crazy hours and we'll have days
where we barely have a moment together. I'll go weeks without talking to
anyone other than via email. On the bright side I've been able to cut way
back on showers.
Q: With the exception of your wife, who was
the last person you had an adult conversation with, and what was it about?
- Well, normally it wouldn't be
so recent, but you just caught me coming off a quick weekend trip to Phoenix to
watch my Steelers get knocked down a rung. I talked to tons of strangers
on the plane coming home. We talked about football, and briefly about
colic and babies.
Q: What is your favorite Disney movie?
- I'll break it down a bit for
you. My favorite Disney animated movie is Peter Pan. My favorite
Pixar film is Monsters, Inc., and for my live-action I've got to go with The
Apple Dumpling Gang.
Q: What is the biggest misconception people
have about you?
- I honestly don't know. I
suppose I've heard people say they didn't expect me to do this or that, but
nothing consistent enough that I've taken note. I like to keep
expectations low.
Q: Best cure for a
hangover?
Q: Are you a spiritual person?
- Spiritual? Somewhat.
Religious? No.
Q: If your life was turned into a movie,
which actor would play you?
- I've been told that I look like
a number of actors over the years. I used to get Nick Cage, back when he
was skinnier (and I was too). I've also heard everything from Kevin Costner
to Harry Connick, Jr., although the main comparison I've had lately
has been with Hugh Laurie (House).
Q: If you were trapped on a deserted
island, what three things would you need to survive?
- Mary Ann, Ginger, and an
endless supply of coconuts.
Q: Do you have a philosophy to live by?
- There's that whole treat others
as you would like to be treated. I can get behind that. There are a
couple of others that I've always believed in as well, namely 'Carpe Diem' and
'Fuck 'em if they can't take a joke.'
Q: It's been stated that
everyone in the world should have their own theme song. What would be the theme
song for your life?
- I'm a Beatles guy, but I
want a song that announces my presence with authority. My wife uses 'Best
of You' by the Foo Fighters as her ringer for me. I could enter a room to
that.
Q: Who would win in a
fist-fight: Michael Keaton (Mr. Mom) or Eddie Murphy (Daddy Daycare)?
- I think this is pretty
obvious if you have a bit of inside information, which I do. You see,
Michael Keaton isn't just Mr. Mom, but he's also Batman. Batman beats
everybody in a fist fight. Even Pluto Nash.
Q: What
words of wisdom did your father share with you? Was it good advice?
- My
father is big on honesty and integrity. The funny thing is he's a
politician and he still manages to adhere to his beliefs. Was it good
advice? I'd call it great.
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