'Touching' post about fathers at school drop-off sparks unlikely debate


Mother shares ‘sweet’ story about two dads waving their kids goodbye during the school drop-off – but the innocent post sparks an unlikely debate

  • Post complimenting dads for dropping kids off at school annoyed some people 
  • A mother has shared the ‘sweet’ story in an ‘acts of kindness’ Facebook group
  • Research shows men spending more time with their kids since Covid pandemic

A mother who complimented two dads for dropping their children off at school and waving them goodbye has sparked a heated debate between parents online.

The woman shared the ‘sweet’ story in a Facebook group dedicated to acts of kindness, but some said it reflected a double standard between mothers and fathers.

‘Oh my goodness. My heart absolutely melted,’ the Australian woman wrote.

‘At kinder drop off, as I was walking to my car I saw two dads who had dropped their kids off and were waiting at the windows to the room to wave at their kids. So so sweet.’

A mother who praised two dads for dropping their children off at school angered some women

A mother who praised two dads for dropping their children off at school angered some women

A women shared the 'sweet' story in a Facebook group dedicated to acts of kindness

A women shared the ‘sweet’ story in a Facebook group dedicated to acts of kindness 

Over a thousand people reacted positively to the story, with many praising the fathers for dropping their kids off at school. 

‘So many dads work hard and long hours and don’t have ability to take their kids to school so it’s very special for them as well as the kids, good on them I say,’ one person wrote.

An educator said she had noticed more men at daycare drop-off since the Covid pandemic, which has allowed more parents to work from home.

‘I’m seeing lots of dads working different shifts to mums and alternating the drop off or pickup. It’s beautiful to see the dads – a lot get flustered and have no idea what they need to do but they’re trying and the kids love it,’ she said. 

Research shows while men are spending more time with their kids, women still do more work

Research shows while men are spending more time with their kids, women still do more work

Some people applauded the fathers for dropping their kids off at school and spending time

Some people applauded the fathers for dropping their kids off at school and spending time

But oother people said the post highlighted how there were higher expectations on mothers than fathers when it comes to looking after children. 

‘Imagine reading this as a dad and thinking that women expect SO little from them as parents that a wave at your own kids is something that should be celebrated,’ one person wrote.

Another agreed the story was ‘very sweet’ but added, ‘women have been doing this for decades. Just as lovely but somehow none of the recognition.’ 

Other people said the post showed there were higher expectations on mothers than fathers

Other people said the post showed there were higher expectations on mothers than fathers

‘I understand the sentiment of this post. It’s true, it’s nice to observe this,’ wrote one mother.

‘But, as a point of comparison, this morning I unpacked the dishwasher, hung out a load of laundry, put the bins out, made lunches, got the kids dressed and drop them off and THEN hauled my arse to work.

‘And like many women who do the same, no one thinks it’s sweet when we wave at the window or bolt to work.’ 

Australian men in heterosexual relationships looked after their children more during Covid

Australian men in heterosexual relationships looked after their children more during Covid

Research shows while men are spending more time with their kids and the housework gap has narrowed since COVID, women still take on most of the load. 

‘While fathers are spending more time on childcare, mothers still spend two to three times more time with children than fathers daily,’ a study by University of Melbourne researchers Lyn Craig and Brendan Churchill said.

The study followed working parents, and on average men spent 30 minutes more in paid work than women.

Before the coronavirus mothers spent about an hour and 40 minutes more than fathers caring for children, doing housework and household management each day. 

‘[While] both fathers and mothers were doing more housework and household management, the relative gender gap in these activities remained constant at 22 per cent [after the pandemic],’ the study said. 

Before the pandemic, the fathers spent about 2.1 hours looking after children and the mothers spent 3.3 hours on average. 

This increased to 3.32 and 5.03 hours respectively during restrictions when parents were both working for home, decreasing the childcare gap from 54 to 40 per cent.    

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