Mr. Mom

Jeremy suspects some of the stay-at-home mothers he meets think he is gay. Others, including some men he was fishing with, asked if he has a disability that forced him to drop out of the workforce in order to watch his children full-time.

Neither of which can be further from the truth.

See, Jeremy is proud of the fact that he knows how to iron, cook and clean. More over, he is proud that his children are loved by him 24/7 and that his house is the cleanest on the block. He and his wife have a great relationship, he says, despite not seeing a lot of each other. Jeremy happily stepped down from his chef position when his wife landed a great job as a controller for a multi-national corporation and stepped up as a father. He also volunteers as a youth wrestling coach at night.

This was a story that I was happy to have two full days to photograph. With recent cutbacks in hours, workforce and overall resources, it seems as though we journalists at smaller papers don't have a lot of time to spend on story. But, once in a while we can get away with it. It also helps to have great co-workers to pick up assignments so we can actually spend time with a subject instead of throwing a quick flash up for a portrait.

It was funny when I told Jeremy I had a lot of time on my hands and that I could just hang out for the day. He quickly snapped back: "Dude, veg out like broccoli. I'm just happy to be talking with a dude."