My father is no longer with us, but I know he would appreciate a humorous look at one of the recent controversies. I’m all for political correctness, but sometimes, people go too far!
Have you read the recent posts suggestion the word mother be replaced by birthing parent? Not sure about the accuracy here. Usually a birthing assistant is someone who helps with the delivery. Maybe it would be more fitting to consider the baby carrier, or the Incubator, but all those words apply to something else too.
But if they are going to change good old mother to hatcher or something along those lines, then they should be changing father, too. I have a couple of suggestions they could consider.
The first, sperm donor, has been around for decades, ever since artificial insemination became a thing. Let’s face it, the hen carries the eggs, but it’s the rooster than turns them from breakfast entree into Sunday dinner. Essentially, a father does the same thing–donates sperm to the female to create the child.
My second name suggestion could be a new Marvel superhero. The Ejaculator. A shot in the dark and nine months later, voila! Now if that isn’t a superpower, I don’t know what is.
But all nonsense aside, it takes more than conception to make a Mom and a Dad, and while any male can be a father, not all of them can be a dad. It takes love and nurturing. My dad may not have been the most affectionate man on the planet, but he loved us and made sure we had everything we needed. I still miss him.
My husband is also a great dad. He has always done his best by me, by our children, and by our grandchildren. He worked tirelessly back when they were small to give them everything they needed, if not everything they wanted, and continues to do so.
To all the men and the occasional women who have stepped up to the plate to be a dad to a child, you have my respect. It takes a lot of love to set your own well-being aside for the welfare of others. You walked the floors with crying babies, held the bike until their balance was strong enough to ride on their own, taught them to play catch. You bandaged knees and drove to the ER when things were beyond your ability–and yes, you cleaned the poop and the vomit, even though it made you sick.
You are the real heroes, the dads your kids will love for the rest of their days. Maybe they should just forget about changing names and stick to the basics. As long as they don’t try to change dad, I’ll be fine with it.
Living the Dream 