The heartwarming local stories about at-home dads tend to come and go in spurts, and we've been in kind of a dry spell. That changed this weekend when the Albuquerque Journal ran this piece about a successful marriage built on the freedom and flexibility of at-home fatherhood.

In the homedad celebrity spotlight, we celebrate Clint Black's decision to be family-centered over the past decade. I know that at-home fatherhood is a different beast from my own experience when you're talking about a very, very rich performer. But I'm not complaining. Society sees so many super-happy celeb mothers claiming that babies changed their lives that it's nice to see a famous guy touting that line.

Just what we need: another stereotype. In the new book by Tom Perrotta (the guy who wrote "Election"), we're treated to a main character who is an at-home dad. Good news, right? Not exactly: Todd, a lazy, pretty boy dad, ends up having an affair with a mom he meets at the playground.

This doesn't exactly match my understanding of reality. Whole sessions at the At-Home Dad Convention are held on the subject of how to get moms to jut *talk* to at-home dads at the playground. There are *definitely* no reports of any broad-daylight playground kissing going on ...