Perhaps you've seen them on the playground, at preschool drop off, or piano lessons.Or even on the small screen, in TV shows like Up All Night. They are: the stay-at-home dads, and lately,it seems,they're everywhere.

The latest research shows that 32 percent of dads regularly care for their children and among those with preschool-age kids, one in five dads is the primary caregiver. In families where moms work, that figure rises to nearly one in three. Stay-at-home dads have become so common that even toy makers are catering to them.

A recent study finds that today's full-time fathers aren't trying to be "Mr Moms"— instead, they're carving out their own unique roles as parents. I spoke with some experienced stay-at-home dads, who agreed that their parenting style tends to be more rough-and-tumble." I do let the kids take more risks on the playground, whereas my wife tends to get nervous that they'll fall and hurt themselves," says Kyle, 38, an artist.

In addition, as there are more and more stay-at-home dads, they are turning to each other for support. They create Meetup groups and holding "Dads' Nights Out". Kyle admits he has noticed a shift recently. "Several years ago, I was checking out at the grocery store with the kids, and the cashier was very curious why I was buying groceries instead of my wife. I told her that I was a full-time dad, and she commented, 'Wow, I have never met one of you before.' Now, my next-door neighbor is a dad who stays at home and we often trade off watching the kids after school."