Can We Stop Saying 'Helper'?
For awhile now, parenting books and articles have suggested we all stop saying 'my husband is babysitting the kids'. No, he's taking care of/playing with/hanging out with/in charge of the kids - the kids that are his as well as their mother's.
I'd like to apply the same plea to the word 'helper' when it comes to a man's role around the house. When we call men 'helpers', we put them in a one-down position and it is assumed that they are subservient to women in the housework domain. How will they ever feel equal this way? They are team members, not apprentices or students. However well meaning we may be when we say 'oh, my husband helps out a lot around the house', we won't get to equality by reserving the primary role only for ourselves.
posted by Amy @ 7:45 PM
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