"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

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[–] 118 points 4 months ago (47 children)

Do American men not look after their kids?

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  • [–] 126 points 4 months ago (3 children)

    Depends where on the political spectrum they are.

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  • [–] 86 points 4 months ago (1 child)

    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.

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  • [–] 79 points 4 months ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago) (6 children)

    The number of fathers that gave me shit for taking care of my kids is ridiculous. 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.

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  • [–] 60 points 4 months ago (2 children)

    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

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  • [–] 29 points 4 months ago

    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.

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  • [–] 17 points 4 months ago

    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

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  • [–] 57 points 4 months ago (4 children)

    am a dad, been told I'm 'babysitting' my kids a few times.

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  • [–] 34 points 4 months ago

    I can only speak from personal experience. my father

    • never changed my diaper
    • beat or screamed at me more than we ever "played ball" or "had fun"
    • worked me like a dog
    • only gave me approval two weeks before he died
    • said he "loved me" five times in my entire life before he died
    • never once cared for me while I was sick

    as a father myself I

    • change diapers when I need to
    • never beat my kids
    • screamed at them only when they were caught doing something incredibly stupid and dangerous
    • let them play and pay them for their work
    • play games or watch them play outside
    • try to support them as best I can with positivity
    • tell them I love them every single day and night
    • have stayed up for days caring for them while they were sick

    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.

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    [–] 82 points 4 months ago (2 children)

    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.

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  • [–] 56 points 4 months ago (12 children)

    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?

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  • [–] 23 points 4 months ago

    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)

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  • [–] 64 points 4 months ago (1 child)

    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

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  • [–] 114 points 4 months ago (1 child)

    SATW always portrays Finland with a knife, so it’s more of an inside joke and not related to this specific comic strip.

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  • [–] 28 points 4 months ago (1 child)
  • [–] 52 points 4 months ago (6 children)

    As a Finn I am deeply insulted by yet strongly approve of the knife thing.

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    [–] 51 points 4 months ago (1 child)

    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.

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  • [–] 33 points 4 months ago (2 children)

    As a single dad in the Bible belt of PA, I feel this. I always got weird looks. I just love being a Dad.

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  • [–] 16 points 4 months ago (1 child)

    Not a single dad, but my wife was gone for a year when our daughter was two. I used to watch moms struggling with kids in the grocery store and no one batted an eye (GA, USA). I'd do grocery shopping with mine in the cart and keep her amused while shopping and checking out and on more than one occasion for compliments about what a great dad I was.

    I love my girls and spend as much time with them as I can and do things with them all the time. Still, my wife gets nothing and I occasionally still get pats on the back and compliments on doing basic dad stuff from both men and women.

    Always struck me as such a weird thing. Sometimes moms really need more recognition too, I think.

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    [–] 33 points 4 months ago (9 children)

    ... why are the men drawn normally, but the women like that

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  • [–] 21 points 4 months ago (5 children)

    Every character is a stereotype of a country.

    And those are just the female stereotypes of those countries.

    Sweden is the home of the women brought home by the vikings. Big breasted beautiful blondes.

    The US is the home of the women who go tanning and get plastic surgery.

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    [–] 26 points 4 months ago

    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.

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  • [–] 16 points 4 months ago (9 children)

    why are they giving the babies knifes???

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  • [–] 55 points 4 months ago (3 children)

    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.

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    [–] 15 points 4 months ago (1 child)

    Is Finnish dad distributing knives to the kids?

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  • [–] 14 points 4 months ago

    I'm from the US and I did the stroller thing often. My kids are out of strollers now, but when I go run I see dads often enough out pushing one or two kids. I take my kids to the park a lot and say hey to the other moms and dads I know. I volunteer for things at my kids school, in their classes. One time it was me and two other dads, although that does seem to lean more heavily toward moms. I think moms are still better at other peoples' kids, at least I know that's not a strength of mine.

    I think my generation of parents, right now, is equal responsibility. I have had to correct some extended family members, when my family shows up to a gathering and we have food, they automatically assumey wife made it, and I'll dissuade them of that notion. But that's coming from a generation of people where that's how it was, and I take no offense, and it also doesn't happen anymore.

    I would also not take offense to someone saying "Look at you doing dad stuff," because hey, it's not always easy, and encouragement is ... encouraging.

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