Military "Mr. Moms" Wage War At Home

While Wives Are Deployed, Husbands Are Taking On The Role Of Stay-At-Home Dads

(CBS)  When Clinton Collins pursued a career in the Air Force, he never expected to someday become a "military Mr. Mom," who worried about things like shampoo and fresh vegetables.

"It's kind of interesting," he told Early Show national correspondent Hattie Kaufmann. "When I was growing up I always wanted girlfriends and I always wanted all these women in my life and look at me now. I've got three little girls and a beautiful wife."

While his wife, Christine, is deployed in Afghanistan as an Air Force captain and trauma nurse, Clinton lives on base, raising their three daughters - Kennedy 12, Taylor 4, and Reagan, 2.

And he is not alone. With women making up nearly 20 percent of Air Force personnel, many military families find themselves coping without mom, reports Reader's Digest, which this month looked at dads who are "keeping the home fires burning."

The Collins children talk to their mother via Skype and are getting used to dad's style of cooking, cleaning and doing their hair.

Collins says he draws on the organizational skills he developed during his own years of active duty to keep his home in working order. He acknowledges that he now can relate to mothers and admits that their job is really one of the toughest.

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[sam-kiley]

bonjour,
c'est trés émouvant de voir ce papa s'occuper des ses enfants, au moment ou leur maman accomplit son devoir de soldat, elle auait fait la meme chose, je lui souhaite du courage et bravo, bis pour les petits..au revoir