Australian mum Rosie Deveruex took to her new blog, Rosie Writes, to talk about all the “dumb a**” things society needs to stop saying to dads.
Rosie credits her husband for being an incredible hands on and loving father to their two-year-old son. Rosie’s post was inspired by a conversation with a woman in the supermarket after Rosie told the woman she had a two-year-old at home with her husband, the woman replied: “Let’s hope everything is under control when you get home!”
Rosie went on to write: “He’s not a babysitter. He’s a parent.” Throughout her post Rosie highlights the gendered language we use when talking about parenting. She condemns the notion that women are the only care givers as damaging to both sexes. When the majority of products claim to be “mum preferred” the question must be raised, what about the dads?
In a heartfelt post Rosie admires all her husband does for their son.
“He’ll read the same Peter Rabbit story for the sixth time in a row (without flinching) and will wrangle four squirming, kicking limbs into clean pyjamas. He will sit beside his bed, saying the two words he knows will help our son to drift away, “Daddy’s here”. He will go downstairs to tidy up the toys, and he will flop on the sofa with a beer, and he will get up two minutes later when our son wakes and cries. And he will do it again, and again, until he gives up on the beer altogether. He will check the locks on the doors and creep into his bedroom to whisper a last goodnight, safe in the knowledge he’s probably going to get four hours sleep tonight”.
What a great dad!
Rosie’s post has generated an overwhelming amount of support. One American dad, Tom Coote, posted on Rosi’s Facebook saying, “‘YES!!!! 1000 TIMES YES! I am so fed up with the “lovable but incompetent dad” narrative that saturates our media and society. From TV shows to social media even to maternity wards in hospitals where fathers are often seen as an afterthought”. Over 3,500 people have liked Rosie’s Facebook since the post went up on 4th February.
Rosie has inspired us to look into other “dumb a**” stuff people say to dads:
- “Dad must be babysitting today, huh?”
- “Looks like dad dressed the baby”
- “Oh look at you playing Mr. Mum today”
- “Don’t worry, sweetie, mummy will be back soon”
- “The baby needs a mum’s touch”
- “mum preferred” products
You can read Rosie’s post on “Dumb-a** stuff we need to stop saying to Dads” here.
maternity & infant