Dad's Viral Message About Caring For His 6 Girls While Mom's Away: "I'm Not the Babysitter"
With his wife heading out of town for a work trip, Jeremy Martin-Weber knew that there would be a lot to do in caring for their six children. As Jessica boarded her flight, this Oregon dad thought about who was going to pick up the slack at home and typed an exhaustive list of the responsibilities that would need to be tackled:
Now to figure out who:
- will cook and feed my children?
- will get them to school on time?
- will pick out clothes for our youngest to wear?
- will respect their routines and help hold those boundaries for them?
- will hug them when they need a hug and kiss their bruises, and tend to their scrapes?
- will comfort them with their nightmares and help them go back to sleep?
- will help them with conflict resolution with their siblings?
- will listen to every little detail they want to share about their day?
- will read them a story, encourage them to play outside, or play a game with them?
- will support and encourage my teenage daughters with their feminine 'problems,' and their relationship struggles?
- will model kindness, love, patience, listening, empathy, strength, bravery, and all the good things to them?
Jeremy has a simple solution for this parenting "dilemma," which he shared in a sassy Facebook post dedicated to all those who don't understand a father's role in his kids' lives. "Who is going to do all that stuff while their mom is away? Me. That's who. Because I'm not the babysitter. I'm not just their playmate," he wrote. "I'm their dad. And looking after them and guiding them and caring for them is my responsibility."
Jeremy explained that he loves being a parent to his six girls, even with all of the challenges that come along with it — and as their dad, he's more than capable of dealing with any issues as that may arise.
No the house will not fall apart or be trashed and the kids will not be ruined because dad is in charge. And no, I don't deserve anyone's special praise and adoration because, "Wow! This dad can look after his own kids." I'm just doing what every parent should do, and what moms do every day without praise or adoration. It is enough that the mother of our children and I communicate our appreciation to each other for all the things we do for our family.