The day his daughter Olivia was born, as Mark Ruis puts it, was the last day of his career — at least for the foreseeable future.
On that day three years ago, Ruis joined a growing number of men who are bucking tradition and taking on the title of Mr Mom, or stay-at-home dad.
"I didn't think I had it in me," said Ruis, 38, of the eastern state of New Jersey. "To be a stay-at-home nurturing parent with patience, to be able to do all the chores, all the organizational stuff, I didn't think I could do it.
"But lo and behold, when it came down to it I was able to."
According to the US Census Bureau, there are 159,000 stay-at-home fathers currently in the US, a more than three-fold increase from 1996 when they numbered 49,000.
Researchers and associations that represent these fathers, however, estimate their number to be closer to two million, as the figures don't count fathers who work part time or from the home.
As the number of men who decide to become Mr Mom grows, so has the number of support groups, blogs and products tailored to their needs, such as outdoor jackets with inside pockets large enough to hold diapers.
There is even an annual convention for stay-at-home dads where they exchange ideas, recipes and tips.
Experts attribute the increase in the number of the men who take over at home to fact that many women in the workforce today are earning more than their partners.
They also say that there is less stigma attached nowadays to a man staying home to care for his children.
馬克．魯斯說他女兒奧莉維亞出生的那天，就是他職業生涯的最後一天；至少是可預見的未來。
三年前的那天，魯斯加入人數逐漸攀升的反傳統男子一族，成為人稱的「媽媽先生」或「家庭煮夫」。
「我沒想過自己做得到，」住在美東紐澤西州、三十八歲的魯斯說︰「當一位家庭煮夫，耐心養育小孩，攬下所有家務和需要條理的瑣事，我不認為自己做得到。」
1. nurturing adj.
養育的 (yang3 yu4 de5)，慈愛的 (ci2 ai4 de5)
例: My mother was very nurturing and always made me feel loved.
(我的母親非常慈愛，總讓我們感覺被愛。)
2. association n.
協會 (xie2 hui4)
例: We are starting an association that will help feed the poor.
(我們正著手成立一個協助貧民的協會。)
3. blog n.
部落格 (bu4 luo4 ge2)
例: Blogs are Web journals, and they've become very popular.
(部落格就是網誌，現在非常流行。)
4. stigma n.
恥辱 (chi3 ru4)
例: In many countries there is a stigma attached to AIDS.
(在許多國家，愛滋還是帶有恥辱意味。)
「不過，看吧，當時機到來，我真的做得到。」
根據美國人口普查局的資料，全美共有十五萬九千名家庭煮夫，是一九九六年四萬九千名的三倍多。
不過，代表這些父親的研究員與協會估算，這個數字應將近兩百萬人，因為官方數據並未將兼職或在家工作的爹地算在內。
隨著決定成為家庭煮夫的男性人數成長，支持團體、部落格與因應他們需求而衍生的產品也跟著成長，例如內袋大的可裝下尿布的戶外夾克等。
甚至還有家庭煮夫的年度會議，彼此交換心得、食譜與秘訣。
專家將家庭煮夫的數目成長歸因於，今日職場有許多收入比配偶更高的女性。
他們也指出，現今人們較不認為男性待在家中照顧小孩是一種恥辱。 （法新社/翻譯︰賴美君）
SAY WHAT?
to buck 反彈，反對
In the most basic sense, an animal bucks when it jumps and comes down with its head low to try and throw a rider off of him. By extention, you can say a person bucks if they are resisting something. "The school principal bucked the mayor's suggestions on how to punish tardy students."
Buck is also a noun that means a male of certain animal species such as deer, rabbits, sheep, or goats.
基本而言，當一隻動物「buck」時，牠低頭一跳，想把騎在上頭的人甩開。以延伸意思來看，假如某人對某事反彈，你就可以說那個人「buck」。例如︰「校長反對市長所建議的處罰遲鈍學生的方式」。
「buck」也可以當名詞，意指雄鹿、雄兔、公羊或公山羊等特定的雄性動物。
OUT LOUD 對話練習
Brenna: Do you want to go to Jared's house later today?
Shirley: Sure. Will his mom be home?
Brenna: Actually, his dad will. Jared's father is a stay-at-home dad.
Shirley: Who would have thought. It's cool to see more dads taking on that responsibility.
Brenna: Yeah. In this case it made extra sense because his mom made more money.
布雷娜︰你晚點想去傑瑞德家？
雪莉︰當然。他母親在家嗎？
布雷娜︰事實上，是他父親會在。傑瑞德的父親是家庭煮夫。
雪莉︰誰想得到呢？看到愈來愈多老爹承擔這些責任很酷。
布雷娜︰是啊。這個例子格外有意思，因為他母親賺得比較多。
who would have thought 誰想得到呢
If you say who would have thought, you are expressing surprise at something. "My dad just told me that your brain is over 70% water? Who would have thought."
假如你說「who would have thought」，你對某事表達訝異之意。例如︰「我爸爸剛才告訴我人類腦袋含有超過百分之七十的水？誰想得到呢」。
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