• Daniel Peebles left a film career to care for his sons, one of whom has cerebral palsy, full time.
• Peebles' wife, Courtney, started a toy business in 2023, which she runs from their home.
• The family business, Solobo, supports them now as Peebles embraces life as a stay-at-home dad.

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Daniel Peebles, a 27-year-old stay-at-home dad in Arizona. The following has been edited for length and clarity.

While I was growing up with my dad in Virginia Beach, he would surf often. When I was 8, he asked me to start filming him surfing.

I learned to love telling stories, and as I got older I picked up the camera again to make videos for my family and friends in our town for $100 each.

I grew that into a successful film career, but I quit to stay home and care for my two children, one with special needs, while my wife runs a company.

When I was 18, I started making real money with film projects

I decided not to go to college because I knew what I wanted to do for a career. At first, filming was just a hobby, but I started to get serious and charge more.

Through word of mouth, local businesses in our area contacted me to ask if I offered filming and editing services. I charged local companies between $1,000 and $3,000 per project.

In 2017, I met the woman who would become my wife

Courtney was working as a producer at a megachurch. We worked together on film projects and hit it off. We married in 2018 and moved in together.

I realized that the film projects I was doing here and there would not be enough income for a family — I needed a real job.

In 2018, I worked for six months at a mortgage company. Courtney was a multimedia specialist at the time. We were making good money but were miserable and wanted to spend more time together. We both quit at the end of that year.

I went back to freelancing for film projects in 2019

Our first son was born in December. Courtney stayed home with our son, and I picked up freelance film work, but I lost all my film clients when the pandemic hit. Since opportunities were scarce, I networked and got a full-time job as a film director at Ironclad.

I was grateful for the work and the $80,000 salary. With bonuses, it was well into the six figures annually. Our second son was then born in May 2021.

My younger son has cerebral palsy, which meant a lot of care

I traveled constantly. There were some weeks where I was gone three weeks out of the month. Every time I left home, I felt a ping because I didn't want my sons to grow up with a dad who wasn't around.

After my son's diagnosis, I started scaling back and moved into more postproduction, which kept me at home.

My son requires supervision at all times and is on long-term care through our state. I'm the registered provider under the program. If I weren't registered, attendants would come to our home whenever needed.

Courtney became frustrated with our younger son's toys

Courtney found that the toy industry lacked toys for neurodivergent kids. My younger son had a lot of mobility issues with his hands. She couldn't find any toys to help him with those movements.

She started making things just out of cardboard, and then she kept having more ideas. Courtney started Solobo LLC, our family toy business, in March 2023. We invested $10,000 we had saved into prototypes.

At first, she worked on product creation, marketing, sales, and logistics for the business at night while I worked during the day.

We decided I would quit my job and let Courtney pursue her dream

As the business grew, I told Courtney how miserable I was being away from her and the boys, and we talked about her passion for the business. I hesitated about becoming a stay-at-home dad, but it seemed to be the right choice.

I was on my way to becoming the lead director of production when I quit my job at Ironclad in June 2023. I took the leap even though we had no savings at that point.

My dad traveled a lot for work while I was growing up, and I didn't get to see him as much as I wanted to. Staying home with my sons was more important to me than the money.

My day-to-day life as a stay-at-home dad is totally different

One of my kids wakes me up — they're my alarm. I get up and cook breakfast for the family. Courtney goes upstairs to work while I play with the boys.

We have activities a few times a week. I teach them practical things, like how to swim. The boys go to school a few times a week, too — it's an inclusive learning space through play.

I help Courtney with fulfillment coordination, inventory, and logistics at night. We have a few regular subcontractors and a team of pediatric experts.

Money is tight at times, but the business pays our bills

Our relationship has become stronger. Courtney and I first met through work, so it's cool to be working with my best friend again. I get the privilege of spending more time with my boys than most dads, and it's beautiful.

I've had people approach me who are genuinely puzzled that Courtney and I don't get tired of always being around each other. We work, laugh, cry, and dream together, and I wouldn't have it any different.

How I grew up — dads work and moms stay home — I felt there was a stigma for stay-at-home dads, but I did it anyway. I can see how we're building a better future for our boys.

The toy business continues to grow

I love the stay-at-home dad life. The only reason I would consider returning to work depends on the level of care our son needs (as he gets older) and where our business is by then.

Everyone thought I was crazy when I quit my film industry job to become a stay-at-home dad, but it was the best decision for our family.

• My first wife and I decided to move to Maui after vacationing there.
• After our difficult divorce, I left the island in a hopeless state.
• Years later, I took my new family to Maui to show them the place that saved my life.

I met my first wife working at a fast food restaurant and developed a friendship that turned into a relationship. We were married three months after we met — the day after my 18th birthday. Like me, she was from Milwaukee, and we raised three kids in Wisconsin.

With our 10th anniversary coming up, we wanted to celebrate somewhere special. After doing a bit of research, we chose Maui, Hawaii.

I expected to enjoy the island but didn't realize how special Maui would be. We instantly fell in love with Hawaiian culture, the ocean breezes, delicious food, and a slower pace of life. Every day on Maui felt like a life I had always dreamed of living.

The island became an important hub in my life — through two marriages and a lot of healing.

We decided to move to Maui, and it was paradise — until it wasn't

We debated whether we could afford to live in Maui and whether it was smart to be away from family. But we knew it was the right decision.

The kids were excited to leave Wisconsin and live on a warm, tropical island, and so were we. We sold most of our possessions, rented a home, moved to Maui, and lived a few blocks from the beach.

Life on Maui was everything we hoped it would be and more. While life was good, my relationship with my first wife wasn't.

We were far from the place and life we were comfortable with. Tiny ripples of arguments turned into daily eruptions that eventually led to the end of our marriage two years after moving to Maui.

Divorce is expensive, and paying to support my ex-wife and three children meant I wouldn't have much money left.

The divorce and decisions I made from being in a desperate and hopeless place left me with $28 in my bank account and no hope for life when I left Maui. I used my last few dollars to book a flight to the mainland.

I was homeless and stayed on a friend's couch

I left Hawaii for South Florida around Christmastime because my friend said I could stay at his home. He saw my state and let me sleep on a couch.

I still had my business and focused on earning more revenue. I sell online courses, so I offered some promotions and created a ton of content for social media; thankfully, a few sales started to trickle in.

Even though my money was low, I knew I needed help, so I used the spare few pennies I could muster on some therapy sessions.

As I healed, an inner voice told me I needed to return to Maui, a place that meant everything to my mind and spirit. I couldn't explain it, but I knew my healing and growth wouldn't be complete without returning to Hawaii.

I went back to Maui to fully heal

After paying my bills and child support each month, I was still low on cash, but I did have some travel rewards. After booking my flight to Maui with points, I booked a stay in a $20-a-night hostel for the month of January. I would be roughing it with the young folks.

Once I was on Maui again after leaving in such a broken way, my suspicions were right: I had completed my healing.

I spent mornings in the ocean, letting the sounds and breezes calm me. I worked on my business every day from cafés that overlooked the water. Being so close to the beach, I slept well every night. I reconnected with friends, exercised, ate fresh food, and spent time with my kids.

I healed through Maui's amazing energy and left the island a month later in a better mental state and with a plan.

I had an incredible year that year, and my life, mindset, relationships, and business have grown exponentially since then. That bonus month on Maui allowed me to write a new chapter in my story — a triumphant chapter.

I brought my new family to Maui, too

Three years after my healing experience, a friendship with my now-wife Cindy blossomed into a relationship that grew into a marriage proposal.

I remarried, was out of debt, and running a thriving business.

I wanted to take my second wife and stepchildren to Maui to experience a place that had profoundly changed my life. I had told them so much about the island and what it had done for me, and they wanted to experience it for themselves.

It was such an incredible family vacation to introduce my family to the awesomeness of Maui. They loved it so much and understood its impact on my life. We made a once-a-year family trip every year up until the year of the great fire in Lahaina.

Your environment can profoundly affect you as a human being, and Maui continues to be the place that impacts my life. It's the place I come back to for healing, inspiration, and growth.