Instead of sitting in traffic for a long drive to his office in Concord on a recent Monday, Chuck Hammond sat at his kitchen table in Roseville, cutting the rind off little pieces of orange and feeding them to his 1-year-old daughter, Reagan.
These days, Hammond works full time at being a stay-at-home dad, watching as Reagan happily stuffs what he serves up into her mouth.
The weak economy and social attitudes are making this rare occurrence more common than in decades past.
Hammond lost his project-management job in the technology industry when job growth changed to job shrinkage around the turn of 2007-08.
"I've read somewhere that moving, buying a home, having a baby and getting laid off are in the top-five list of stresses for a marriage," Hammond said.
He survived all four in three months – plus a stint living with his parents.
He lost his job, but gained a daughter: Reagan, born in March 2008.
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