In case you missed it, the gender gap still exists — especially in parenting.
It's pretty difficult to ignore. I've read tweets from parody accounts where dads are subjected to ridiculous career advice that women hear far too often.
Sure, it can be pretty funny at times, but it's also pretty sad.
The reality is that many moms feel a significant amount of pressure to be on their A-game as parents because of what society expects of them.
But what about dads? Have we been on the receiving end of ridiculous parenting comments and questions, too? Sure we have. It just doesn't get talked about as much.
To illustrate how completely absurd some of the commentary is, what if we directed some of the nonsense dads hear toward moms instead? Here are 11 examples.
1. "It's so great that you're babysitting the kids while your husband is out of the house."
If I hear someone try to equate parenting to babysitting one more time, I'm going to lose it. You CANNOT babysit your own kids! All images via iStock.
2. "Unfortunately we don't have a baby changing station in our women's restroom, but we have one in our men's restroom. Is your husband here to change your daughter's diaper?"
In this day and age, it's pretty sad that men and women don't have equal access to change a poopy diaper.
3. "Hey, Susie, if you post a video online showing how you put your daughter's hair in a ponytail, I bet you'll be the next viral sensation!"
No thanks. But that's because I create ponytails for my daughters every. single. day.
4. "C'mon, we all know that only the dad needs to be home to bond with the baby. You're just taking maternity leave to get out of working. Enjoy your extended vacation."
Being sleep-deprived while being on call for 24 hours a day to take care of a tiny human is hardly a vacation. It's more restful to be in the office, trust me.
5. "Not trying to throw shade, but isn't it strange for a woman to stay at home with the kids all day while your spouse works? Shouldn't it be the other way around?"
Ah, gotta love those antiquated gender stereotypes.
6. "How are you going to deal with the kids by yourself while your husband is out of town? I know he could handle it, but can you? Will you be OK?"
Even though I'm a fully capable adult, I'll rely on divine intervention to find my way through it.
7. "Why are you at the playground with your son on a Tuesday morning? Did you lose your job?"
Wait, I thought being a full-time parent was a job. I guess I was wrong.
8. "I can tell just by the way you hold your baby that you must be an amazing mom."
Is the bar so low that holding a child automatically puts you on the Mount Rushmore of parents? Basically I'm doing whatever I can to make sure I don't drop my baby because I'm so exhausted. Don't let the half-smile fool you.
9. "Why do you have to leave work early to pick your kids up from school? Isn't that what your spouse is for?"
Are you for real? I didn't know that school pickup was a gender-specific task.
10. "I just have to say how awesome it is that you came to a parent-teacher conference. We hardly ever see moms here."
Most parents want to know how their kids are doing in school, right? Again, is this a gender-specific thing?
11. "It's rare to see such an involved mom. We need more women like you."
Actually, there are a lot of us. Maybe you just need to look a little harder.
Being a parent is hard, but we can make it easier if we watch what we say to them.
When it comes down to it, moms and dads need to meet in the middle of the road.
Moms deserve more credit for the amazing work they do, and dads deserve a little less praise for knocking out routine diaper changes.
Once society ditches the stale gender roles and gets on board with the message that men and women are equally capable and willing to raise children, we will finally make some progress.
And hopefully we'll never hear about parents babysitting their kids ever again.
