Eight-year-old Paige Adelsberger couldn't wait to tell her teacher the good news: Her father had just lost his job.
Her teacher replied that losing one's job is usually bad news. But not to Paige. The way she saw it, her father would be able to spend more time around the house, even fill in for her mother, Lauren, as Room Mom. Make that Room Dad.
This Father's Day, John Adelsberger, a former senior engineer at Constellation Energy, is among scores of laid-off dads who have gone from primary breadwinner to primary housekeeper amid the nation's economic recession. And while many modern-day fathers have chosen to be more involved with the day-to-day routine in the home for years, these dads have had little choice.
FOR THE RECORD
An article in Thursday's editions about Constellation Energy Group's lawsuit misspelled a Baltimore Circuit Court judge's name. It is Stuart R. Berger. The Baltimore Sun regrets the errors.
Being laid off has meant forgoing an office setting for getting kids ready for school, helping a teacher stuff activity folders, preparing dinner - all while finding time to revise resumes and prepare for job interviews.
Some have occasionally grappled with the notion that they're not fulfilling societal expectations of men as financial providers. Still, they've shouldered the responsibility of home well enough to ensure that family regimens and schedules haven't faltered.
"I've become the classic Mr. Mom," said Adelsberger, 38, who was let go when his company downsized just before Christmas. It marks the second time he's been laid off; the first time was during the dot.com bust a few years back.
Having been through it before, the father of two knew what to expect financially. But this time, dealing with a layoff also meant breaking the news to Paige and her 5-year-old sister, Audrey, and assuring them that everything would be fine. Then he had to show them by taking on roles that had been performed by his wife Lauren, an occupational therapist now spending more time at work.
"It's been a role reversal," said Adelsberger. "We are fortunate that my wife has the ability to work more hours; she usually worked Tuesdays and Thursdays, and now she's picked up additional days when possible. And the things that she was doing, I'm now doing: getting the kids up, getting them dressed and fed and off to school."
Some men have handled these changes well, drawing on the same dedication that they once gave to their paying jobs.
