The Difference Between Mothers and Fathers - A Rebuttal

I received this response to my post, The Difference Between Mothers and Fathers via email and in the spirit of fairness have decided to post it. Please note, the father that responded to this (a close friend) failed to mention that he golfed everyday for about 6 hours.

I just finished reading “The Difference Between Mothers and Fathers (at the beach).” Having recently returned from a family beach vacation, I agree that your (one) day at the beach helps illustrate the differences between mothers and fathers. A greater appreciation would be gained by reviewing the entire vacation, not just the happenings of a single outing, while the moms were making a day of it at the local shopping mall.

• At moms direction dad attempts to pack entire household furnishings into the minivan. Items that will not fit are placed into the travel turtle on top of the van. Mom makes one last run to the closet to make sure she didn’t forget the pair of shoes that match “that red dress” so well.
• Dad drives 12 hours (at night), while family sleeps peacefully.
• Upon arrival at the beach house, father unloads the four weeks worth of luggage, brought for a one week vacation. Well rested, mom tours the beach house, checking out the home improvements that have been completed since their last visit. Oh, new carpet, tile……nic nacks.
• Dad carries umbrellas, beach toys, coolers, boogie boards, beach chairs and small children, over the sand dunes to the beach. Mom makes sure we have a beach chair for her and informs us that she’ll be along as soon as she shaves her legs.
• Fathers spend the day playing in the surf with the kids. Mom peacefully reads a book, Lounging in a beach chair and sipping a drink before taking the baby back to the beach house for a regularly scheduled nap (baby and mom). Dad’s continue providing kids shoulder rides and wave flips, while ensuring currents don’t take the kids out to sea.
• At the end of a long day, dad carries umbrellas, beach toys, cooler, boogie boards, beach chairs, back across the sand dunes, while being followed by tired crying children. Mom says she’ll be along as soon as she finishes a few more pages of her book.
• At the end of the week, a short twelve hour nap brings us full circle. Mom says it’s nice to be home. She’s glad the school year doesn’t start for a few more days. She needs some time to recuperate.

Trust me…….a week long family vacation is no “day at the beach” for dad.

The Difference Between Mothers and Fathers (at the beach)

There are many differences between mothers and fathers and nothing illustrates this better than my recent day away while my husband watched the kids at the beach…

Mothers take the time to carefully and thoroughly apply sunscreen to each child in order prevent any sunburns. While fathers think it is about time the kids learn to do it themselves and three bottles of sunscreen later the kids are still sunburned.

Mothers make sure to plan and offer the kids healthy lunches complete with a vegetable and fruit while fathers keep them from complaining with fruit roll ups and juice boxes telling them all along their mother will make them something when she gets home.

Mothers sit close by on the water’s edge to closely watch that their children don’t drown while fathers wander down the beach to play a game of horseshoes and occasionally glance over their shoulder to be sure no one is drowning or being attacked by sharks.

Mothers carefully plan their day so her not quite 2 year old can be taken back to the house to nap peacefully in her crib while fathers abandon the schedule entirely and make do with a hole in the sand.

Mothers spend the rest of the night soothing sunburns and cleaning sand out of eyes while fathers brag about how easy it is to watch the kids and try to tell the mothers how they are doing it all wrong.

When Babies Laugh

This video of qaudrulets laughing is too cute. Almost makes you want to have another baby…Enjoy!