Dad Calls Out Supermarket For Sexist Parking Sign: "I'm Not a Babysitter"

There's no denying that grocery shopping with a 9-month-old baby is beyond difficult, so when Justin Simard was out with his son, the last thing he expected was to have to deal with a sexist statement about fatherhood. The new dad took to Twitter earlier this week to call out Sobeys supermarket in Canada for a parking sign allotting spots to "expecting mothers" and "mothers with small children."

"@Sobeys crap, am I allowed to park here? #notababysitter #dadissues," he wrote, seen above in the photo posing with his adorable son. While the sign was instantly appalling to Justin, what came next was even more surprising.

Sobeys immediately responded to his tweet asking for the store location where he saw the sign and promised to change it right away. "You are definitely entitled to that parking spot, Justin!" the company tweeted, adding, "#SuperDad."

The company also said that the message has been shared with the entire team, so the signs will be changed at all stores, not just the Stratford, Prince Edward Island, location where Justin tweeted from. What an incredible gesture!

This is absolutely not the first time a father has encountered a sexist act as such. With changing tables only in women's restrooms and the lack of paternity leave at some major companies, there is a clear divide between the believed roles of mothers and fathers, and Justin's tweet is one step closer to bridging the gap.

"The intention behind my tweet was to draw attention to the subtext of the sign, it's almost accidental sexism," Justin told Parents. "The letter was pink, and the second line that was gendered, 'mothers with small children' implies that raising children is woman's work. I couldn't disagree more, and impulsively tweeted a lighthearted tweet to that effect."

Justin hopes that his tweet will bring attention to the fact that it is not simply a woman's job to raise a child. Whether it's same-sex parents, single parents, or heterosexual couples, the idea of parenting needs to be more "inclusive."

Just a few days following his initial tweet, the store tweeted that the sign has been updated!