Man Decides To Quit Job To Be Stay-at-Home Dad—And He Couldn't Be Happier

A video showing scenes from the life of a stay-at-home dad has received praise after being posted to social media platform TikTok.

The clip was shared by @thegerberfam, the TikTok account of "The Gerber Fam" who are currently based in California but will be moving to Arizona, the Gerber family told Newsweek.

The family consists of 31-year-old stay-at-home dad Peter Gerber, his 30-year-old wife Mariyah and their baby boy named Aiden. Gerber told Newsweek that "witnessing the growth progression of our son" has been his favorite part about being a father so far.

He explained: "I consider myself to be extremely fortunate to be a part of our son's adventures, as he explores his curiosities and learns about this vast new world he's a huge part. Teaching him to ride a bike is up next on the list."

Asked what's been most surprising so far about being a stay-at-home dad, Gerber said: "The concept of 'stay at home dad' is still considered to be such a new concept to people. For me, it's not necessarily about changing gender norms, but being an active member in your child's life."

The latest video—which began with a note overlaid on it that read: "Why I love being a stay at home Dad"—showed various scenes of Gerber taking care of Aiden, from cooking and cleaning to feeding his son.

A caption shared with the post said: "I enjoy every second."

Gerber is one among a growing number of stay-at-home dads, especially following the COVID-19 pandemic, which saw people spending more time at home.

An estimated 2.1 million fathers were reported to be stay-at-home dads in 2021, marking an 8 percent rise since 1989, according to a survey by the Pew Research Center.

A 2015 Pew Research Center survey found that fathers were just as likely as mothers to say that parenting is "extremely important to their identity."

More than half (54 percent) of the dads surveyed said that parenting is "rewarding all of the time," while 46 percent said they find it "enjoyable all of the time," according to the survey.

A year ago, Gerber was working as a skating coach, "waking up at 4 in the morning spending time away from my wife," he said in a note overlaid on the video.

The couple later welcomed their baby boy and Gerber said: "I quickly realized how much I wanted to be home."

The dad said: "My wife and I talked about it and we made it happen," in another message shown across the clip, which showed Gerber smiling while sitting with his son and a dog on a couch.

"Now I never ever miss a moment with my family," another message read, as the video showed the couple and their son walking towards the camera across what appeared to be a walkway outside a home.

The latest video has delighted users on TikTok, with several sharing messages of praise and support for the "beautiful" family.

Bobbi Parker166 said: "I think this is amazing ! You both genuinely look happy."

JustMida87 wrote: "Such a beautiful family!"

UnspknQueen said: "This is what I call Teamwork love this for you."

Nik commented: "What a gift you all are to each other," while bin said: "u are a great dad an husband too."

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