Stay-at-home dad who quit his job as a teacher to take care of his kids hits back at trolls who accuse him of being a 'freeloader' and living off his wife

A stay-at-home dad has clapped back at people who criticized him for quitting his job and taking care of his kids while his wife works all day. 

Ryan Crawley spoke to Insider about the furious backlash he often received when people learned that he spent his days changing diapers and cleaning up vomit as his wife was hard at work as an OBGYN. 

However, the former elementary teacher has now responded to outrageous claims that brand him a 'freeloader' and said that he was extremely grateful for the time with his children. 

He also opened up about the daily struggles of being a stay-at-home dad and the moments that brought him to tears. 

Ryan insisted that despite what trolls may think, opting to look after his kids over the main breadwinner doesn't make him 'less manly.' 

A stay-at-home dad has clapped back at people who criticized him for quitting his job and taking care of his kids while his wife works all day (stock image)

He explained to the outlet: 'My wife is an OBGYN, and when I first met her, she was making significantly more than me each year. I was an elementary school teacher then and would do my best to help children learn important things — such as reading and respecting others.

'When we started our family, my wife and I debated who would stay home and raise the babies. I was the obvious choice. 

'For starters, we didn't want to put the kids in day care. Plus, I had experience working with children, and — maybe most importantly — my wife made much more money than I did.' 

After having an in-depth conversation with his wife, Ryan decided that he would quit his job and would stay at home with their kids. 

And while it wasn't easy to leave his job behind, Ryan was grateful he got to spend his time with his children. 

However, he admitted that being a stay-at-home parent wasn't always easy. 

And, he was soon met with a load of criticism and judgement from trolls who branded him a 'breadwinner' and accused him of being less 'manly.' 

The dad noted that he saw the misconceptions surrounding stay-at-home moms and dads first hand as he admitted that the comments began to bother him and take a toll on his mental health. 

He insisted that the accusations weren't true and noted that constantly hearing criticism got 'frustrating.' 

However, when times got hard he tried to remain positive and remembered how lucky he was to get to spend extra time with his children. 

'But I wouldn't exchange this time with my kids for anything. I would do all of this again without a doubt,' Ryan said.

'Since I am an older first-time father, I realize I am not guaranteed to spend quality time with the kids as they get older. By the time they are in their 20s, I will be getting into my 70s. Being Mr. Mom and taking on this role reversal allows me more time with my kids.' 

The dad noted that in addition to dealing with hate comments, he frequently saw himself struggling with his children. 

He admitted: 'It wasn't always easy. When Ellie, our oldest, was born, she weighed only seven pounds. At the time, I had a passion for strength training and weighed about 230 pounds. Honestly, I was worried about breaking her or hurting her.' 

Ryan also confessed to losing contact with his friends because he was so busy day and night with his kids. 

He noted: 'But there were magical moments, too. I held my breath as they tried to take their first steps and cried with them as they failed repeatedly. When I brought one of them to preschool for the first time, I cried as the teacher had to pull him off from around my neck.' 

However, despite the difficulties, Ryan noted that he wouldn't trade this time with his children with anything else in the world.