Tuesday, February 25, 2014

Why are we qualifying fathers?

My son has a Mom and a Dad. That's it. That's how I want others to think of us - sans adjectives.

You see, I keep reading articles about "active fathers" and "involved fathers." (This article even points out how insulting one of those terms can be.) The intent of these terms is to differentiate the modern men who spend more time with their children then their fathers did with them. The terms are meant to celebrate those single dads, or the ones who take parental leave when the baby is born, or the children with two dads, or the guys who are at the park chasing their children around the playground equipment.

But nowhere do I see the terms "involved mothers" or "active mothers." We are just Moms; no qualifiers required.

So, let's even the score a bit: We should just have "Dads" and "Moms." Both roles need to be active and involved with their children. (Active and involved come with the title.)

Let's work toward that and get rid of the extra adjectives. Our children may even thank us for it.

2 comments:

  1. I really like that Lauren, I get annoyed too with all the labels that the media keeps burdening families with. Great point!

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    1. Thanks! All parents should strive for active and amazing :)

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