Comments on: Gender Roles

By: rick

rick — Tue, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000

These same sentiments towards the 'traditional roles' of men and women drive me crazy as well, Kim.

It's just not logical to tell either member of the parental unit that they are less capable than the other in any specific category.

Why not stress that both parties need to cooperate and make sure all the children's needs are met? - Regardless of which parent is filling any particular role at any particular time.

My lord, even some women latch onto these concepts. Concepts which would serve to marginalize them, distance them from their husbands and pidgeon-hole their entire gender.

The men, in some cases, see this as an easy-out. "Why should I be expected to handle the kids? Everyone knows that the ladies are better with the children."

Pa-thet-ic.

Hrmm.
I sounded a bit mad when I wrote this.
Well, I guess it's a hot-button topic with me.

By: Sue M

Sue M — Tue, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000

Thanks for this post – I completely agree. My husband is infinitely more patient and even tempered than I am. He is an outstanding parent – and seems more naturally suited to parenthood than I am. While I struggle with certain aspects of parenting, it all seems to come very easily to him. We’ve taken turns being home, and he generally does a much better job of being an at-home parent.

By: Sally

Sally — Tue, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000

Be still my heart I am actually agreeing with you Kim lol. It annoys me when both parents fail to do "things" just because they say the other parent is better at them. I was watching Everybody Loves Raymond the other week when Ray was telling a newly married Robert how he makes such a mess of doing a specific chore that he got asked to do that Debra will automatically do it. What he didn't realize was that not only was she listening but she told Robert's new wife what she heard.

The guys never saw it coming. I see this in some of our sons' behaviors with their children/spouses and I get on their case when I hear it! There is no mother and father roles in my eyes. You are a parent plain and simple.

By: Larry Bates

Larry Bates — Tue, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000

This is too hot a topic for me to comment on to any degree, but let me just say that practise, both in the Church and out, makes the role of mother infinitely more important than that of the father….rhetoric aside.
Experience has been a masterful teacher.

By: Mary Siever

Mary Siever — Tue, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000

I don't feel either role is more important either. After all, is our Heavenly Mother more important than our Heavenly Father? I don't think so. Parenthood is important. Fortunately I have never had to be a single mother, and I pray that Kim lives forever so this will never be the case, but I already know how vital his presence and influence is in the lives of our children and though of course, when necessary, a mother or a father can try to fill both roles, that's exactly what happens, not just motherhood, or fatherhood, but both. Because children need both.

And Kim is more patient than I am :). I am not completely impatient of course, but I suppose the fact I am at home all day contrinutes to this and I give in more easily than he does, which annoys me (at myself mainly). He is also very compassionate towards our children and nurturing. When they were babies and waking up at night, if they didn't want to nurse, it was Kim who mainly got up and walked the floor with them, rocking them back to sleep. He is a wonderful father and I do not feel at ALL that my role as a mother is more important than his. I birthed them, we both parent them and they would feel the loss if either of us were gone. None more than the other. I am not more important than Kim in anyway, nor is my role as their mother more important in anyway.

By: Kim Siever

Kim Siever — Tue, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000

"they would feel the loss if either of us were gone."

Which is probably why they both bawled when I left for Vancouver last year and Seattle this year.

By: Mary Siever

Mary Siever — Tue, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000

Yeah, no kidding. And I had to be patient, lol.