‘ I’VE NEVER FELT INADEQUATE’
Richard Morrissey, 54, a former financial writer, is a Buddhist meditation teacher and is married to City executive Dame Helena Morrissey. They have nine children, aged from nine to 26, and Richard has been a stay-at-home dad since the birth of their fifth child, Clara, now 17.
After our fifth child arrived, I felt that I was tired of office life. We decided I would go freelance and work from home, so the move to becoming a stay-at-home dad was gradual rather than dramatic. Money was a factor, but I also felt I could have a positive impact on our children’s lives. I definitely see a lot more fathers doing the school pick-up and parents’ meetings now than in the past, but that may be down to the increase in working on the go.
It has sometimes been a bit lonely and I’ve had to adjust to what might be seen as more mundane tasks. But I have other interests, such as religion and art. I felt guilty sometimes, early on, that Helena was the main breadwinner. I never felt inadequate, though, and the idea that I ever would shows that some of these old perceptions are still very much in place.