More on the Economy and Dads

Though I find this storyline tiring, I should point out this story from Sacramento on another economy-created at-home dad. (There is video, too.) I don't mean to denigrate Chris Smith's choice -- I'm thrilled for him -- but this gets back to the one-dimensional look at things.

I'd love to see reporters start to dig deeper: will guys like Chris go back to work once the economy heats up? Will they stay home? Are they fundamentally similar to the guys who decided to be at-home dads under different economic circumstances? And what is the real cost of going to work versus staying home (this isn't a new topic, but I haven't seen any really interesting analyses lately)? Are preschools getting hammered? Are marketers waking up to dads-as-consumers?

There is a lot that could be spun off of this story. Hopefully, the reporting will get better.