Tamati Crook loves being a stay-at-home dad to his six children.
Tamati Crook loves being a stay-at-home dad to his six children.
It's Father's Day tomorrow and a day to celebrate what people love about their dads. Reporter Adriana Weber speaks to locals who will be celebrating.
Stay-at-home dad Tamati Crook's only wish this Father's Day is for his six kids to not make a mess.
Mr Crook, who was raised inRotorua but now lives in Whakatane, has been a stay-at-home dad to his six kids, aged from 3 to 17, for the past three years.
While he admits it can be trying at times, he wouldn't have it any other way.
"I love being a stay-at-home dad, you get to spend lots of time with your kids. It's pretty choice," he said.
It means early starts for Mr Crook, who gets up to cook his children breakfast, make their lunches, get them dressed and whisk them off to school or kindergarten.
After the kids leave is when the cleaning begins.
"As you can imagine, with six kids, the house can get messy pretty quickly. So it's my job to make sure everything is spic and span for when my wife gets home from work. But boy, do I have to pick up a lot of toys. There's just so many of them and they're everywhere, you never know where you're going to find them."
Mr Crook said he was thrown into the role of stay-at-home dad. "It was sort of a case of who got a job first, and my wife did, so that's how it all started. "I have to admit, I do feel a bit guilty. I want to be able to provide for my family and help my wife out as much as I can."
He said he believed stay-at-home dads were becoming more common and telling others about what he did always sparked positive feedback.
"I've never had a single negative comment. Everyone I tell is full of praise and thinks it's great that I look after the kids."
Mr Crook said he hoped to soon get a job that was flexible, so he could still look after the children in the mornings and early afternoons.
As for what's on his wish list for Father's Day, forget breakfast in bed or a box of chocolates.
"I guess I just want the kids to not make a bloody mess."
