CHANGE MY LOCATION
Joe Schatz
Parenting Examiner
Examiner Feeds
These websites were picked by the Parenting Examiner as useful resources.- How to Destroy an Annoying McDonalds Toy
- Teen Pregnancy: Why the U.S. Lags Behind Europe
- Help at the Grocery Store: A Great New Product
- Is Jamie Lynn Spears OK?
- My Kid is Smarter/Stronger/Better Thank Yours
- It's Hip to be a Pregnant Teen
- This Just In: Toddlers Clog Toilets
- Happy Father's Day You Lazy Alcoholic
- Teacher Tapes Kid to Desk
- MADD: Lying to Teach a Lesson
- Imitation is the Sincerest Form of Flattery
- Equality in Education
- 2 Teenage Girls Think They are Paris Hilton
- Alex Barton: An Update
- Stay at Home Dads: The Unintentional Feminists
- Can a Single Dad be a Mom too?
- Kindergartner Voted Out of Class
- Lawyer turned Stay at Home Dad turns Writer
- You and Your Voyeuristic Child
- Over Involved Parents
- The Playgroup Play Along Game for Dads
- Dead Beat Dad Ordered to Pay $700k in Back Child Support
- Toddler Word of Day: Pinanno
- Is Your Baby Hitler
- Mr. Mom's Day
- Working Smarter Not Harder: Laundry
- A Dad's Guide to Playgroups
- What Traits Moms Associate with Good Dads
- Picking a Winner
- Word of the Day with Professor Toddler
- Stay at Home Dads Underfire
- Lollipop Land
- The Incident
- Throwing Away Your Children's Art Work
- Joeprah: An Introduction
- Don't Perpetuate Deviate: Dads as Caregivers
National Examiners
Book Examiner
Most Recent Post
Swedes hand the Nobel Prize in Literature to Frenchman Le Clezio and insults to Americans
Beer Examiner
Most Recent Post
Planning for the 2009 Great American Beer Festival begins in the meantime 2008 Competition results
Space News Examiner
Most Recent Post
Space dynasty? Richard Garriott & Owen Garriott discuss Sunday's Soyuz launch
Mr.Mom's Day?
2 comments
As I went out shopping for gifts for my wife and both of our mothers, I began to notice how society markets gifts for moms. Really what started it all was that I was having a hard time finding the right card for my wife because a good majority of cards are designed with the traditional roles of men and women in mind. Now, an aside on buying cards, I hate buying cards and I think they are a scam by the 'man' to get us to spend money on something we don't need. Its like the card guys are saying, "Dude, you got nothin'. Here take this gem I made with you in mind, give it to your special someone and your pain will be no more, but, dude that'll be $4.50--remember to pay me." I actually like giving the opposite card to people. For instance, it's your 40th birthday, how about a St. Patty's Day card? Just got married? How about a gag birthday card with George W. in drag? The anticipation is greater when people know they are getting a card I picked out. Back to the topic at hand, the Mother's Day problem I was having with the cards. I mean the cards are all like, "Thanks for all that you do," and pictured on the card there is some lady in a kitchen with four kids throwing mashed potatoes at each other while a cat is on fire off in the distance. I know, I know there are a lot of moms kickin' it that way and I am savvy, but the only thing is--that lady in the kitchen is me. I can literally make an argument, based on stereotypes, that Sunday should be my day off. So here is a list of all the things that the traditional mom does according to all the cards I have seen over the course of the last 4-5 days compared with my day to day responsibilities:
Traditional Mom | My Responsibilites |
|
|
As you can see, my list is dominant. A stay at home dad not only does all the typical mommy like things in the house, but they also mow the lawn and take out the trash--at least in our house. My argument is this, since I do the mommish stuff shouldn't I be getting the day off on Sunday? And my wife, who actually leaves her shoes all over the house and is horrible at optimizing the dishwasher, should be waiting until June for her day? I mean, at least according to 'the man' who pumps out the greeting cards that litter grocery stores, local pharmacies, Targets and Hallmark stores.
Also, another aside, this time about these "hallmark holidays." These holidays, like Valentines Day and Mother's Day and such, are just ways for stores to get some sales during slower months of the year, right? Seriously, do we need holidays to remember those folks we see everyday or at least more often than most folks? I don't need a holiday to remind me that I love my wife and to treat her right, however, I think trashmen are often taken for granted. I leave my trash unorganized and just falling all over the place. These guys got their work cut out for them when they get to my house. No free lunch here. It might be an old couch one week and the next like 12 bags of leaves and a pile of warped wood. Other folks have these sparkling clean trash cans and these guys only throw out or put stuff into their trash cans if it is in a bag...not me. Chick-Fil-A cups, McDonalds Toys, newspapers, and much much worse are just loosely swimming in the can. Poor trash dude. Why not have a national holiday for folks, like the trashmen, that provide us with a service? Trashman Day, Police Man Day, Firemen Day, Walmart Greeter Guy Day and so on. No corny cards, no stupid lame gifts--just a "thank you."
I guess what I am saying is I take of the motherly responsibilities in our house and my wife does the guy stuff. I had quite a few people wish me "Happy Mother's Day" which kinda got me to thinking--should SAHDs get a separate day? or am I just confused?
Topics: fatherhood , parenting , stay at home dad , moms , dads , parenting humor , mr. mom , mother's day
Subscribe
FeedComments
More from Parenting Examiner
Palin's Folly: Parenting Meets Politics
Topics: teen , pregnancy , Sarah Palin , Bristol Palin
Sharing History with Your Family: The 2008 Democratic National Convention
Topics: DNC
How to Destroy an Annoying McDonalds Toy
Topics: parenting , parenting humor , mcdonald's
Teen Pregnancy: Why the U.S. Lags Behind Europe
Topics: parenting , teens , portrayal , pregnant women , teen , pregnancy
Help at the Grocery Store: A Great New Product
Is Jamie Lynn Spears OK?
Topics: parenting , portrayal , teen , pregnancy
My Kid is Smarter/Stronger/Better Than Yours: Comparitivitis
Topics: parenting , children , comparitivitis , hyper parenting , comparisons
It's Hip to Be a Pregnant Teen
Topics: teen , pregnancy , gloucester , juno , The Secret Life of The American Teenager
This Just In: Toddlers Clog Toilets
Topics: toddler , toilet , plunger , bathroom
