As a New York Times reporter, Charlie LeDuff was a little bit Dharma Bum [drifter], a little Hunter S. Thompson [gonzo], a little Joseph Mitchell [character hound], and a little Joyce Wadler [crazy]. Now that's he's got a kid, and his wife's got a go-to-work job, he's also a little bit Neal Pollack [dad share-y], too.
And he would've been a little bit Bikram [yogic] if only the Mommy and Me Yoga gatekeepers didn't think he might be a little too Johnny Knoxville/ [You remember that Jackass where he went to the yoga class with a strap-on in his sweats and spent the whole time ripping farts? I'm sure LeDuff's nothing like that, but the yoga place wasn't taking any chances.]
Also, now there's finally a reason to read Men's Vogue. For like five minutes.
Charlie LeDuff on life as a stay-at-home dad [mensvogue.com via gawker]
Actually, if you can wade through the 500 ad pages and cheesy pictorials, there's actually some good writing and journalism to be found in Men's Vogue.
Isn't it sad that 25 years ago, I used to say the same thing about Playboy?
[I should have known you'd know whether Men's Vogue is worth a read. I only read the wife's various Vogues. -ed.]
It was a nice story, but it does piss me off that there is a double standard for the yoga class. The "guy" at the front counter needs a slap. It is like all of the women only health clubs (curves). I thought that that was banned back in the late 80's. Anyway. Still, no vege-bootie in the local Whole Foods...
LeDuff's story seems a bit ego-centric and ignorant of modern social realities, especially the way he casts aspersions at anyone who is not a Stay-at-Home-Parent. It makes me wonder what his wife thinks of the piece, since the comments of "Jose" basically imply that her job is a reflection of her lack of love for her child (which is ridiculous, btw). But then again, he's a fairly new parent so his arrogance is probably a reflection of the insecurities anyone feels as a new parent. And those same insecurities and questions are what fuel the "mommy" and "daddy" wars, which I just wish we'd call the contemporary social crisis over parenting and childcare. Then we just need to do something legislatively to provide better flexiblity for working parents who also want to spend time with their kids and better childcare for those who want that option. Or we could all move to France. ;-) Speaking of which, Judith Warner's blog has an interesting set of comments on LeDuff's piece.