In a man’s world, women sure do get a lot of credit. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not an anti-feminist, but I am against not giving credit where it is due. Women are often quick to judge when they are less favored over men, but sometimes fail to realize it’s a two-way road.
“Make sure to take this home for Mom to sign,” says every elementary school teacher ever. Or my personal favorite: “Kid tested, mom approved.” What about dad? What about the kids whose moms don’t play a big role in their life?
We’re living in a world where eight percent of U.S. households are headed by single fathers, according to the Pew Research Center, and where single mothers outnumber single fathers 5 to 1. Single dads, though a small portion of the population, deserve just as much recognition as single moms. Dads can pull double duty just as well as moms can.
Dads still find the time to drop you off at dance practice with enough time to pick up your sister from her softball game and still have dinner on the table at a reasonable hour. He tells you about sex. He buys you tampons before you get your license. He hosts your sleepovers. He packs your well-balanced meals for school. He takes you to the mall to go back-to-school-clothes shopping for hours on end. He learns to braid hair 5 different ways for picture day. He has to sit with all of the other cheer moms in the bleachers and watch you instead of the tied game going on 10 yards behind you. But he also gets to do all the fun dad things. He explains rules of every sport, no matter how many times you ask the same question. He teaches you how to drive. He shows how to change a flat tire. He teaches you how to use power tools. He does it all.
Dads didn’t grow up experiencing PMS. They don’t understand the struggle of having a closet full of clothes that make you feel fat. They don’t know how time consuming it is to shave your legs. They don’t know how to pick out a bra. But they still try to learn - or at least be supportive enough to listen to you whine about it.
So next time you pity the girl that is raised without a mother, think of the extraordinary circumstances the father is going through. Think of what he has to learn, what he has had to deal with. Think of how this young girl benefits from witnessing someone overcoming adversity by turning water into wine.
