Moms vs. Dads

This morning, for the first time in a long time, Curtis got up with the kids and I got to sleep in. Although I use the term "sleep in" veeeeery loosely: it consisted of me lying there awake, wondering about the origins of strange sounds from beyond the bedroom door, while Colin helpfully prodded me with, "Mommy, it's wake-up time." Guess nobody bothered to tell him the meaning of "leave Mommy alone for a while" ... after all, it's a foreign concept.

Grumble, grumble. Oh well - at least I got to lay there and at least partially awaken before springing from the bed. Normally as soon as my eyes pop open (usually against their will) I'm bombarded with "Please get me some chocolate mi-iiilk!" ... Which doesn't sound nearly as polite as it looks when I type it out.

I got out of bed and went into the living room, where Cameron was strapped into his high chair.

Pulled up to the TV.

Eating a chocolate doughnut (which wasn't even cut into small pieces).

I laughed and told Curtis, "The baby eating doughnuts in front of cartoons ... that's the epitome of bad parenting."

"No," he said. "That's the epitome of fatherhood."

Truer words were never spoken. If a mom stations her baby in front of the TV and feeds him junk food, she's looked down upon. If she lets him run around in a diaper so wet that it practically drags the floor when he walks, or dresses him in a hideously mismatched (not to mention weather-inappropriate) outfit, she's a negligent mother. Yet when a dad does the same thing, it's an almost endearing quality. Where poor parenting choices made by mothers receive endless criticism, the same mistakes made by fathers are seen as just what dads do. And you know what? They're not even labeled "poor parenting choices" unless a mom does them. Otherwise they're seen as fun things that mom would never approve of.

As momentarily appalled as I was by my husband's handling of "breakfast," there wasn't much I could do. And honestly, the baby was happy watching Dora with his drooly chocolate mess. So I did what any respectable mother would do: I sat down and ate an equally nutritious brownie.

If you can't beat 'em, join 'em. :)