17 June 2016

#FatheringNotBabysitting - #100DayProject - Day 078

Image Source: Pixabay.com
As I've spent the last couple of days playing single-parent while my beautiful wife made a surprise visit to her sister, I've had some amazing experiences with my kiddos. I love my kids very much, but being home and doing the parenting thing solo really makes me realize how amazing my wife is to do it as often as I am gone, which has been a TON as a late, and yet never complain. It's made me think as well about how often people assume fathers are just babysitting their own kids, except it isn't babysitting when the kids are your own, it's parenting.

My pal Lewis Young, an amazing educator from Northern Utah, recently had a similar experience and shared a lot of it via Instagram and Facebook. While that's fun and kind of a cool idea (why didn't I think of it?) what really got me was the hashtag he used for all his posts, #FatheringNotBabysitting. And with that, Lewis re-established the fact that being a parent isn't babysitting, it's parenting YOUR children and doing what parents are supposed to do, parent. While all parents get this grief, it seems that fathers get it more often, so I'm proud of Lewis for placing that emphasis on the important role of fatherhood and helping people see it's not about babysitting but fathering.

Next time someone asks you about your need to babysit your own kids, please remember my pal Lewis and remind them #FatheringNotBabysitting or #MotheringNotBabysitting. We need to remember the importance of our role as parents. I've really enjoyed this time with my kids, but I'm super excited for my wife to get home so we can be a team again! Plus, I'm worn out!

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