If ever I wanted to attract 60+ year old women, now is my golden opportunity... My daughter is a magnet to the blue haired babes! We make friends everywhere but once the novelty of my little girl's cuteness ends, the strangers then usually make some comment about me being a dad (implying it is odd). Some are sweet and say that I am a great father for spending time with her, some are funny and say that I am brave, but others are kinda rude. One lady made a comment that I must be in trouble with my wife and I am being punished, another said something to the effect that I am doing my obligatory "daddy time," but the worst were the people that said it was nice for a Dad to babysit his daughter.
Let's look at that statement... Babysit my daughter. How is that even possible? Do I look like a prepubescent teenage girl with braces? Is watching my daughter a temporary situation, just until Mommy, obviously the better caretaker, gets back in the game? Is a man incapable of (or worse something wrong with him enjoying) raising his children? What struck me as most interesting is that all of the people who called me a babysitter were women!
There is something wrong with the assumption that women are the main caretakers of our children, especially since I hear women constantly complaining about men not doing enough around the house. Here is the deal... Women, if you want your men to step up more then you need to react in the same way you would to a woman spending time with her kids. It SHOULDN'T be a big deal that I am out on a Tuesday at 1100am with my kid. Maybe it's because I have the good fortune to be able to spend this time with her, not because I had no other options (lost or can't find a job) but because it makes the most sense for our family.
The next time you see a dad with his children, think about your internal and external reactions. Why do you find it out of place or different? Do you think nothing of it? I bet you will be surprised.
