Where My Male Identified Parental Units At?

Okay, so yesterday I posted about my new idea to create parenting merit badges so that parents can proudly display their hard-earned parenting achievements, and maybe get a few encouraging pats on the back from their fellow parents in return. Funny right? I thought so. And apparently a lot of you did as well…but by “you” I mean “women”.

Let’s take a look at the stats.

I shared the blog post on my personal Facebook timeline, on two private Facebook groups and on Instagram.

I received 43 reactions in total, of which only 6 were from men. That’s about 14%. (Last I checked, men make up more than 14% of the online community.)

Collectively there were 50 comments, and guess what? ZERO men! (Well, a fair share of the comments were mine, but even so…)

What’s the deal, dudes?! Are you stuck underneath something heavy? Did your phone batteries die? Are you all too busy making more money than the women who are doing the exact same job as you? Are all the other Facebook posts about the Mueller investigation and Trump’s latest gaffe pulling you away like flies to a street light? What’s going on here?!

The truth is, I’ve noticed this many times before. I tend to write and post about parenting a good deal, and like clockwork women respond and men don’t. Sure, it’s totally in keeping with historical gender norms, but it’s disconcerting. Why don’t men participate in conversations about parenting, especially conversations started by another man? It’s 2019, right? Aren’t we past that whole “women deal with the kids” thing?

I guess not, and it makes me kind of sad. I’d love to hear more about how men cope with the remarkably difficult task that is parenting. I’d enjoy having a greater sense of fraternity around dadhood.

So men, if you’re out there lurking, I encourage you to pop your heads up now and then and share a bit about how this whole dad thing is treating you.

(Oh, and by the way, guys, using the heart reaction on Facebook is okay too. Nobody is judging your manliness if you click the heart when something makes you feel a little warm and fuzzy inside.)

Ladies, do I get a badge for this?

*Disclaimer: I’m keenly aware that I may not know with certainty how everyone who reacted or commented identifies. I’d like to think my count is accurate and sensitive to that, but I recognize the possibility of an error, and I regret such errors if any were made.