Alvin “Sonny” Olzera’s day starts when he begins to get clothes ready for his children in Tahlequah, Oklahoma.

Next comes breakfast for his four children and his spouse, then there’s cleaning up after breakfast, starting a load of laundry, and getting lunch prepared.

The rest of his day can be spent doing a variety of activities: perhaps taking his children to school, or, in the summer, watching a cartoon with his children aside from other housekeeping.

When his wife gets home from work, Olzera has supper ready.

Olzera is one of at least 2 million stay-at-home fathers in the U.S., according to a study from the Pew Research Center.

Pew Research referred to these men as “fathers who do not work outside the home.”

But the National At-Home Dad Network would likely disagree with that definition of a stay-at-home dad, since the network’s own definition is based not on employment, but on being the daily, primary caregiver of children under 18 years old.

“This is the definition the National At-Home Dad Network uses to define what is a stay-at-home dad and is what the public would generally agree is an accurate definition. It is very important to note that a stay-at-home dad is not defined by his employment status,” the organization’s website states.

While the study from the Pew Research Forum shows the number has grown in part due to the recession and men becoming unemployed, the National At-Home Dad Network notes that many stay-at-home fathers, like many stay-at-home mothers, do provide some income to the home, and would not consider themselves to be unemployed because they are staying home by choice.

Such is the case with Olzera.

When his first child was born 11 years ago, he and his wife decided one of them would stay home with their son because they didn’t want to send their children to daycare.

“It would be more economical for me to stay home,” said Olzera.

Health issues played a role in the choice of which parent would stay home with the children, which is true for a fair percentage of stay-at-home dads, according to the Pew Research Center.

A year later, Olzera became a father again – that time to twin girls – and his youngest son was born another four years later.

The hardest part of first becoming a stay-at-home parent for Olzera was transporting his son, Dayton. Getting Dayton ready – and the entire process for packing diapers, formula, toys and anything else his child might require – only to then drive across town and unpack it all again was exhausting.

“By the time the twins came around, it was everything times two,” said Olzera.

The National At-Home Dad Network believes many dads choose to stay home because their spouse has a higher income, has better benefits or has better long-term career opportunities.

That was true for Oklahoma’s Dillon Fullerton and his wife, Krista Boston-Fullerton. When their daughter was born premature three years ago, both parents spent six weeks home with her before Krista went back to work.

At the time, she had spent 10 years working in higher education and Fullerton was a “blue-collar worker.”

Their daughter was on the waiting list for Cherokee Nation’s Early Childhood program.

“He stayed with her until she got in there and then he went and got a job as well,” said Krista. “I’ll admit, I was a little worried.”

Fullerton had always been good with children, according to his wife, but he had never dealt with infants before. He adapted.

“He’s the one who found her first tooth,” said Krista. “I remember him sending me the picture of her first tooth.”

He was also there when she learned to crawl, when she took her first steps, and when she said her first words.

Krista believes her husband and their daughter were able to develop a close bond due to this time spent together, which would have been hard to develop otherwise. She also appreciates him more as a parent.

Stay-at-home parents should have support from their spouse, according to both Boston-Fullerton and Olzera.

Olzera said his family is able to have a parent at home because of the mental, emotional and financial support of his wife.

“I’m glad I haven’t missed a second of their lives,” Olzera said. “I am blessed and very lucky.”

Wyk writes for The Tahlequah (Okla.) Daily Press