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'New York City Dads Group' Trying To Wipe Out Stigma Of Being Stay-At-Home Father

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- For years, it has often been the mother who stays home with the children, while fathers head to work. However, with more dads putting a greater emphasis on balancing work and family life, things are changing.

CBS 2's Cindy Hsu met with some local fathers who are banding together as they take charge at home.

Lance Somerfeld, who has previously worked in finance and as a school teacher, became a stay-at-home dad when his son, Jake, was born.

"Being a dad is the coolest thing. It really is a cool thing to do and not enough people either respect it or take the time to realize that," Somerfeld said.

Somerfeld said his working wife makes the role reversal much easier because she is supportive in every way.

"Even on the weekends, where we take turns sleeping in one weekend day, so each of us gets a day of rest," he said.

For even more support, Somerfeld started "The New York City Dads Group," which holds educational workshops on everything from potty training to pre-school admission. The group gets together three to five times a week.

The group started three years ago with a handful of members and now has more than 400 members from all walks of life. They say anyone is welcome to join, with the only requirement being wanting to spend quality time with your child.

Dana Glazer has studied the changing role of fathers in America in his documentary "The Evolution of Dad" and said more fathers than ever are now realizing the importance of a work and family balance.

"For a lot of dads, there's an awakening going on about the value of being around your kids more than there are other dads who are struggling with that because their value is so much based on their paycheck," Glazer said.

Glazer said while progress is being made, there is still a stigma that needs to be wiped out -- and New York City Dads is one group working on fixing that.

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