I'm not babysitting
As a dad, here's one of my pet peeves:
I have one of the kids with me, and I'm running errands. And one of the (well-meaning; usually a middle-aged female) sales clerks says, "O-ho! Babysitting today, eh?"
Actually, not. By definition, if it's **my** kid, then I'm not ''babysitting''. Babysitting is when you take care of someone else's kid for the day (or the evening). A man who takes care of his own kid is just ''being a dad''.
Again: I know they're well-intentioned. But they would never think to call a mom out with her kids "babysitting".
--GG
posted by Gye Greene @ 9:30 PM
3 Comments:
It's because child-care is still considered women's work that when dad is covering for mom, he's babysitting.
As a full-time stay-at-home dad for 1 1/2 years, it was certainly the opposite of affirming to hear the babysitting comment. "Um, no, this is actually what I do full time."
Good one, B! :)
--GG
Wow! People actually say that? That's actually pretty appalling.
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