134: Gender Roles in Parenting

Meredyth with a Why

In my family, I’ve always been the caretaker and stay at home parent for my kids and my husband worked outside the home. We’ve embodied these traditional gender roles for years. But I’ve been away from my family for the past 8 weeks, overseeing construction on the island I mentioned in last week’s episode, and my husband has been with the kids during this time.

I have to say, it feels alienating to not be there for the everyday stuff that my kids normally need me for - reminders to brush their teeth and clean their rooms and do their homework. I’m getting a real sense of how it feels to be the traditional dad in most families who work all the time and I can appreciate how difficult it must be.

In this episode, Alison joins me again as I’m sharing the guilt I feel after being away from my kids for so long, but also, surprisingly, the lightness of being the fun parent for once.

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What you’ll find in this episode:

How my traditional dad was instrumental in my “programming” as a housewife and stay at home mom in my first marriage when I was 23 years old

How my role as caretaker has been flipped lately as I’ve been away for the past 8 weeks and my husband has been home with the kids and I’m feeling a little excluded

The guilt and strain that comes with juggling work and family obligations

How alienating it can feel to not be needed for the everyday issues that pop up

The mean mom vs fun dad trope

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