From changing nappies to afternoons at the park, James Broome tells Jo Caruana why being a stay-at-home dad may well be the greatest job in the world.

James Broome has certainly got his hands full. As the stay-at-home dad of Megan, 6, and Ruby, 4, there’s never a dull moment. His days are filled with endless hours of hide-and-seek, messy painting sessions and even the off nappy disaster. And he loves it.

But Broome hasn’t always been a full-time dad. For the first year of his eldest daughter’s life, he worked in an office from Monday to Friday and from nine-to-five.

“I found it incredibly frustrating that my time with her was so limited,” he says. “Of course my weekends were already devoted to my wife Fiona and our child, but I couldn’t shake the feeling that I was missing out on a very important stage in Megan’s life.

“Naturally, I knew it wasn’t all roses. While there were many days when Fiona would greet me at 5.30pm with a huge smile and a story about the hilarious and cute things that Megan had done that day, there were others when she would greet me by handing Megan over with a simple ‘your turn’. Such is the life of a stay-at-home parent,” he smiles.

Then, in April 2009 when Megan was nine months old, the couple decided to relocate to Malta so Fiona could help run her family’s business. It was at this point that they realised it would make sense for James to stay home with their daughter.

“Of course, it was challenging at first,” he says. “But, to be honest, every day is challenging in one way or another. And when Ruby arrived in May 2011, things really kicked up a notch!”

Broome suddenly found himself in the difficult and time-consuming position that many mums experience on a daily basis: he was looking after a toddler who was keen on developing her independence and doing things for herself, and a new born that needed him every second of the day.

“Fiona returned to work three weeks after Ruby was born and, although there have obviously been good days and terrible days, I absolutely love being there to watch them grow together. I love answering their simple questions, I love quietly watching them as they try to perform simple tasks that they haven’t yet fully grasped, and, mostly, I enjoy playing with them, running around with them and getting messy with them.”

It’s a brief chance to re-live your own childhood

Broome believes that, sometimes, being a stay-at-home parent gives you the chance to do things with your children that you yourself enjoyed as a child. “It’s a brief chance to re-live your own childhood,” he says with a smile.

Now that the girls are a little older, they enjoy lots of activities with their dad. “Painting is a popular choice,” he says. “But we make sure that mummy is out at work first, so that we can get the paints out without any rules (aside from the fact that we must tidy up when we’re finished).

“I can often be seen in our roof garden with my legs covered in paint and my two girls covered head-to-toe in all the colours of the rainbow. Thankfully, with today’s technology, Fiona doesn’t have to miss out on the fun, as we make sure to update her with regular videos and photos. And, while the kids love getting messy with me, they are equally happy to bake cakes and cook with their mummy; we’re a very close family.”

But, although he loves the role, Broome still feels society has a long way to go when it comes to accepting stay-at-home dads as normal. And he has even been surprised by the lack of men working in the childcare sector as a whole.

“I recently considered working within the local childcare industry and asked around to see what people thought of the idea. Overall the feedback was very positive, but some women did actually say they thought it was wrong for men to work with children instead of women. I was shocked, but not really surprised.

“They went on to explain that they thought there would be a risk of abuse, so wouldn’t be happy to send their children to a nursery where males worked. I found this sad, as I think men and women are equally important in a child’s life.”

And other aspects of society have proved alienating too, such as the clear ‘mother and baby’ signs. “On occasion I have been forced to change Ruby’s nappy on the floor in the gents’ toilet, as they rarely have a nappy changing area – that’s usually in the ladies’. I really hope this will change in time.”

Nevertheless, Broome is adamant that more men could benefit from being stay-at-home dads. “Yes it’s challenging, demanding, tiring and inflexible, but if it suits your family then I highly recommend it.

“You do need certain skills of course, like being organised, patient, developing a love for playing hide-and-seek 10 times a day, and learning to carry nappy wipes with you everywhere. But it’s all worth it. Being there every day to watch my little girls growing up is incredible, and I wouldn’t change it for the world.”