Today, one of my favorite feminist writers, Jessica Valenti, posted a link to her most recent "The Daily" article on Facebook. Entitled "Daddy Issues", this article explains how until our culture stops treating parenting as 'women's work' and holding fathers to a much lower standard than mothers, we will never have a society where truly responsible parenthood is embraced by men.
Everyone should read it.
I've known a lot fathers. I've known a few men (and women) who shouldn't be allowed near the children they've helped conceive. But I've known far more men who were good guys, but mediocre to down right crappy fathers...and the vast majority of those fathers thought that they were good - even great - dads. And furthermore, they were never called on their mediocrity by their family or friends. In fact, they were generally lauded as good fathers just simply because they spent any amount of time with their children at all.
This, in my humble opinion, is complete and total crap.
Changing diapers, bathing and dressing children, feeding them, taking them to doctor's and dental appointments, volunteering at their schools, helping them with homework, teaching them the thousands of things that they need to know in order to live and be happy in this world......all of these things are what PARENTS do. Not just mothers. If you have a child, and you're not doing ALL of these things on a regular basis......then you aren't being a responsible parent.
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