author: Jeanette Mesite Frem

I just got a text that the topic of today’s Ricki Lake show today is dads. So I turned it on right away (I happened to be home). Ricki is interviewing a bunch of dads about about their Daddy Guilt, how hard it is to be a dad, how they miss life before they became dads, how they feel so alone, how they don’t love their kids all the time and how they find themselves constantly judging other dads. They also touched upon how important it is to breastfeed in public (although some of them are saying it’s an intimate act that should be kept behind closed doors).

These dads are so cute, talking about all their famous daddy-blogs and the books they’ve written about fatherhood. There’s no mention of their partners, the mothers of their babies and how involved they are or not (unless they are mentioning how they want to get more sex). There are Daddy Confessions shown after commercials showing audience members confessing what they lied about as a parent. One threw away lots of birthday party invitations. Another lies about what they need to do to get grandma to babysit. They are complaining about lack of sleep.

Okay, okay, okay…CAN YOU IMAGINE if the above was true?? Would Ricki EVER have on a bunch of dads that would complain about all these things? Hell, no! No offense to Ricki, who I LOVE, just that dads wouldn’t do this kind of thing.

WHY???

Is it because motherhood is really this bad? Or is it that we women are just wired differently? What about all the amazing aspects about being a mother?

~ watching them develop: first steps, first words, first sentence, first conversation…
~ their cuddles as they need you and love you unconditionally
~ the pride of what you created
~ the fun of reading together, cleaning together, playing together
~ fill in the blank…what else? ________________

Where is the “village” that is supposed to help moms feel supported? Postpartum depression and complaining about motherhood isn’t a worldwide phenomenon. It’s cultural. Come one, what can we do to change this culture, even in our community? Comment below.