"Still not over the American woman who was super surprised to see so many men walking around with strollers and generally looking after their children alone during her travels through the Nordic countries."
Bolognese sauce: https://satwcomic.com/the-implication-of-that
Do American men not look after their kids?
Depends where on the political spectrum they are.
This is the real answer. The only men I know who act like it isn’t part of their job to be a dad are also super “Christian” and conservative.
In one instance I know of the wife has a college degree but the husband doesn’t. They are quite impoverished because he works and she doesn’t because “it isn’t a woman’s place to earn more than a man”. I’m not fucking kidding or editorializing.
"Yes, my self-image is worth $80,000 a year, why do you ask?"
The number of fathers that gave me shit for taking care of my kids is rediculous. We had our kids 15 months apart and I would routinely have both of them in a public restroom for changing. The pure vitriol directed at me for doing the womens job was immense beyond measure.
On the flip side, when I would take them to the park to play, I would be acosted by nearly every mother there. There were no fathers, just mothers that would have to comment that it was great to see a father participate. I also got a lot of phone numbers that I got very embarrased about and my wife found hilarious.
TLDR:. Most american fathers do not put in much effort unless its sports related.
My kids dad (I am not bio-mom) told me straight up he only wants adult children. I pointed out to him kids ARE adults now and he has no relationship with them due to that attitude. So many fathers want to phone it in then are shocked when they have no meaningful relationship with their kids.
The joke is, a caring dad is more attractive to women.
America is just like every other highly patriarchal society: No
Some men are wonderful dads and incredibly involved but culturally speaking American men still very much buy into the concept of “woman’s work” and included in that is women raising his kids for him
It doesn't help that men looking after thier own kids is seen as "babysitting" or even worse a predator.
There's plenty of YouTube reviews of men taking thier kids to the park and watching them play while being a parent. Then female parents call the damn cops on the clear dad being a dad.
so my doofus brother's wife grew up one of those "i refuse to be one of those women who does 'women's work'" and just wants to stay home playing video games. and my doofus brother, well, he's a doofus so neither of them gets their house cleaned. or their food cooked properly. or their clothes cleaned. or any of that shit. it's embarrassing
I can only speak from personal experience. my father
as a father myself I
I'm not looking for a medal, or a thank you. All I'm looking for is a bit of appreciation when they grow up and look back when they become parents.
I want to break the cycle of shitty father figures, that's all.
am a dad, been told I'm 'babysitting' my kids a few times.
My wife has warned her friends "Never refer to my husband looking after his kids as "babysitting" unless you want a snarky, probably very rude response."
Generally it’s considered suspicious for an adult man to be alone with a child so it’s safer and more convenient for men not to be involved with their children’s lives in any solo capacity. It stems from this idea of everyone-is-pedophile-except-for-pedophiles.
This is a BS justification imo
Being alone with your own child is not considered suspicious. Hanging out alone with out a child at a playground sure. Having your own kid in your cart at the grocery store? Absolutely not
Hanging out alone with out a child at a playground sure
Here in Poland playgrounds are often extended with a public outdoor gym or something similar. That solves all problems, making them social centers for both child-free and parents.
E.g.
With fenced playground:
And no fence anywhere
Same thing in Australia. I love getting a quick workout whilst the kids play. The kids love the gym equipment as well.
Wait, I haven't seen these outdoor gyms around in Sydney. Granted, I'm not paying close attention to playgrounds, in which cities have you seen them?
A friend of a friend of mine visited Stockholm from the US. She loved it, but was really puzzled by "all the gay nannies" until she was told they were the fathers.
So what do American fathers do on mandatory parental leave, just sit at home?
Oh, wait, there is no mandatory parental leave for fathers in the US, is there?
Lol, federally we don't have paid parental leave for mothers either. If there are 50+ employees both parents can take up to 12 weeks unpaid, and states may force paid leave to be offered.
And yeah, I'm not a parent, but I've noticed that over the years there's been more and more of a move towards fathers taking part in the nurturing parenting (as opposed to mainly being involved via providing, instruction, and discipline)
there's two men who walk a baby down my street every nice day.
they must be really good friends or roommates to be so close all the time.
it's nice to see to men have such a strong unshakable bond together.
If I didn't know any better I'd swear they were married or something.
Here in the UK its getting more and more common, but we still have to put up with strangers asking "are you babysitting today?".
Like no mate I'm being a parent.
why are they giving the babies knifes???
It's a Finnish baby, knives are mandatory.
Jokes aside, I'm a Swedish speaking Finn who happened to move to Sweden for the last year of school and my teacher made a point of reminding me it's not okay to wear a knife to school.
She made quite the face when my mother told her we stopped that particular tradition about a century ago.
But still, it's something of a national joke, lol.
Apparently to defend from Russia
Wait what's with the knives? That baby is holding one, his dad is giving one to the other baby... I don't get this reference I'm a brute sorry
SATW always portrays Finland with a knife, so it’s more of an inside joke and not related to this specific comic strip.
All scandinavians has those (fjällkniv, morakniv,...) but the finnish are portrayed, in Scandinavia, as the most isolated/laconic people,the most "manly" ones, hence the knife. Swedes were portrayed as the gayest in the nineties at least (very "woke"), and so on. It's just cultural stereotypes.
First time I saw this, I didn't get it.
2nd time I was drunk, and I immediately got it.
I... I don't know what this means for me as a person. Or how I can improve myself
As a Finn I am deeply insulted by yet strongly approve of the knife thing.
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