[MMM]

Originally Posted by Yuna7780

Well, that's a bit obvious.

You would think so, but I meant it in all seriousness. How many times have I heard single mothers say "I play the role of the mom and the dad"?

No. You don't. You can't be both to a child. That doesn't mean you can't raise a child alone, but that child will be missing something without a father, just as he would be missing something without a mother.

I get the feeling (not from you, Yuna) that there is a sense in the world that the role of the father is...less important than that of the mother. I think that needs more close examination. The truckloads of statistics I found, (I only posted a handful) seem to indicate that without a father around, children have more trouble.

Originally Posted by Yuna7780

You can't be a father if you are a mother. But for stereotyped roles of being a mother/father, certain things can be reversed (as I have mentioned) like stay at home dads.

I am all for stay-at-home dads, but you are right. A stay-at-home dad is not a mother. Just as a stay-at-home mother is not a father.

Originally Posted by Yuna7780

I also think some people get the idea that because of their body being built to be a male or female they have to be a mother or a father even before conceiving a child. They have the CHOICE to not be a mother or a father if they so choose to be. People shouldn't get mad because people pressure them into being a parent. If they want to focus on their career more, by all means DO IT!

But there's the problem when people have/want children and want to maintain a job. This requires much thinking and prioritizing. Hopefully, the kids would come first.

I agree with this 100%. About half of my adult friends either have children or have chosen to never have children. It is interesting to see how the two paths lead to very different lives.