| on Friday May 9, 2008 |
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 As I went out shopping for gifts for my wife and both of our mothers, I began to notice how society markets gifts for moms. Really what started it all was that I was having a hard time finding the right card for my wife because a good majority of cards are designed with the traditional roles of men and women in mind. Now, an aside on buying cards, I hate buying cards and I think they are a scam by the 'man' to get us to spend money on something we don't need. Its like the card guys are saying, "Dude, you got nothin'. Here take this gem I made with you in mind, give it to your special someone and your pain will be no more, but, dude that'll be $4.50--remember to pay me." I actually like giving the opposite card to people. For instance, it's your 40th birthday, how about a St. Patty's Day card? Just got married? How about a gag birthday card with George W. in drag? The anticipation is greater when people know they are getting a card I picked out. Back to the topic at hand, the Mother's Day problem I was having with the cards. I mean the cards are all like, "Thanks for all that you do," and pictured on the card there is some lady in a kitchen with four kids throwing mashed potatoes at each other while a cat is on fire off in the distance. I know, I know there are a lot of moms kickin' it that way and I am savvy, but the only thing is--that lady in the kitchen is me. I can literally make an argument, based on stereotypes, that Sunday should be my day off. So here is a list of all the things that the traditional mom does according to all the cards I have seen over the course of the last 4-5 days compared with my day to day responsibilities:
Traditional Mom | My Responsibilites | - dishes
- laundry
- taking care of the kids
- sewing
- baking
- mopping
- vacuuming
- dusting
- lighting cats on fire
- stopping potato fights
- dealing with snoring spouses
- cleaning toilets
- cooking
- keeping hair in curlers constantly
| - dishes
- laundry (with some help)
- taking care of the kids (I get help)
- sewing (yep, I can do buttons and patches)
- baking (alright, we both do)
- mopping
- vacuuming
- snoring
- cleaning toilets
- litter box
- taking out the trash
- shoveling snow
- mowing the lawn
- yard work
- cooking (mostly me)
feeding the cat
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As you can see, my list is dominant. A stay at home dad not only does all the typical mommy like things in the house, but they also mow the lawn and take out the trash--at least in our house. My argument is this, since I do the mommish stuff shouldn't I be getting the day off on Sunday? And my wife, who actually leaves her shoes all over the house and is horrible at optimizing the dishwasher, should be waiting until June for her day? I mean, at least according to 'the man' who pumps out the greeting cards that litter grocery stores, local pharmacies, Targets and Hallmark stores. Also, another aside, this time about these "hallmark holidays." These holidays, like Valentines Day and Mother's Day and such, are just ways for stores to get some sales during slower months of the year, right? Seriously, do we need holidays to remember those folks we see everyday or at least more often than most folks? I don't need a holiday to remind me that I love my wife and to treat her right, however, I think trashmen are often taken for granted. I leave my trash unorganized and just falling all over the place. These guys got their work cut out for them when they get to my house. No free lunch here. It might be an old couch one week and the next like 12 bags of leaves and a pile of warped wood. Other folks have these sparkling clean trash cans and these guys only throw out or put stuff into their trash cans if it is in a bag...not me. Chick-Fil-A cups, McDonalds Toys, newspapers, and much much worse are just loosely swimming in the can. Poor trash dude. Why not have a national holiday for folks, like the trashmen, that provide us with a service? Trashman Day, Police Man Day, Firemen Day, Walmart Greeter Guy Day and so on. No corny cards, no stupid lame gifts--just a "thank you." I guess what I am saying is I take of the motherly responsibilities in our house and my wife does the guy stuff. I had quite a few people wish me "Happy Mother's Day" which kinda got me to thinking--should SAHDs get a separate day? should we share some of the Mother's Day hype somehow? or am I just confused?
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Hehe! 
