The Difference Between a Staying at Home Dad and a Staying at Home Mom

Definition. Stay at home moms are often confused about the difference between a stay at home mom and a stay at home dad. Staying at home refers to the mom, while the dad is the one who’s in charge of the kids. So how is it possible for a stay at home dad to have custody of his children, you might ask?

Staying at home simply means that he spends less time with the kids and he spends more time with them when they’re not with mom. There are times when he may need to go out of town for work and yet still remain in the home. Staying at home is thus defined in the context of stay at home, meaning he remains in the same location (home) with the children but does not have primary physical custody of them. In other words, he is the one who “loves them” but does not have primary custody.

Staying at home is therefore described as a stay with the intent of maintaining a familial relationship with the children but not the primary caregiver. The verb is usually used to describe a temporary situation (like the stay at home mom), where the primary caregiver is unavailable. It can also mean that the person who stays at home with the children is one who doesn’t want to be separated from them. This means the parent who doesn’t have to go out of town is “staying at home,” but does not have primary physical custody of the children. And in both senses, the stay at home verb has the sense of “has remained.”