It seems we've touched a nerve with this one. Our readers gave as good as they got, slicing and dicing up the recently published Mothers, stop serving your sons!, offering their take on the gender stereotypes that shape our society.
Here's what you had to say.
Talking about breaking down gender stereotypes... and mom shaming
Katherine makes the point that it's ironic to talk about breaking down gender stereotypes and at the same time blaming mothers for the stereotypes not having been broken down yet.
"I agree with this article – but in general, not just for boys. Parents of any gender need to get kids of any gender to help around the house. Regarding boys, male parents should be held more responsible for making sure boys grow up to be equal partners – surely they're the ones to lead by example? It's kind of hard to be trying to teach little Johnny to help around the house while dad is sitting on the couch drinking a beer complaining about what a hard day he had.
"I know why we do it for them – it's not that we don't want them to learn to do it, it's because we have tons of stuff to do and limited time to do it in, and it takes much much longer for a child to do something than an adult. Anyway. Bugger off Parent24. We get your point but did you really have to blame/shame mothers while you were at it? It makes it seem as if YOU think mothers are the default parent, which defeats the point of your article," she concluded.
Not that we saw it that way, but you make a pretty good point, Katherine!
Rozanne made the same point:
She continues: "Thanks for adding on to the mental load! Now we have to worry that every snack lovingly prepared might manifest into our children's inability to be an equally contributing spouse in a domestic setting."
In agreement
Why only blame moms?
Stop serving in general
Why are daughters not mentioned?
— Brenda Hallowes (@bhallowes) August 1, 2017
Practical advice
Single mom perspective
Don't touch me on my serving
Read more:
- How the #MenAreTrash movement is affecting my son
- Hard times, harsher parents
- Should girls wear dresses to school? Our readers respond
What's your take on children, chores and parents? Do you agree or disagree with these comments? If you'd like to share your opinion send your response to chatback@parent24.com and we may add them to the above.