A young father took to Reddit for opinions after his neighbors chewed him out for helping his daughter pretend. It was the role she wanted to play that caused them some concerns. Here is the whole story.
A Single Dad
OP is a 24-year-old man who has a 5-year-old daughter. He’s a single father since the little girl’s mother wants nothing to do with her.
At her age, one of OP’s daughter’s favorite pastimes is to pretend she’s an adult with a job.
She really pays attention to every adult she meets or sees, often asking them what they do for a living. Many times, OP ends up explaining the job to his daughter.
And almost without fail, OP’s daughter decides that the latest job she hears about is the one she wants to have as an adult.
Indulging Her Make Believe
So, over a few months, OP’s daughter set her sights on being a teacher, a babysitter, a doctor, and the president. It all depends on who she encounters.
When the little girl decides on a new “career,” she dives right in, too. And OP does his best to encourage his daughter to explore her interests.
As much as he can afford to do it, OP buys his little girl tools and toys that relate to whatever her current interest is.
Not long ago, for example, OP bought his daughter a yellow vest and a badge when she decided she was going to be a soccer steward.
Stay-at-Home Mom; a New Potential Future
More recently, an old friend came to visit OP. While she was there, his daughter asked the woman what she did for a living.
The friend explained that she was a housewife, and OP’s daughter spent the rest of the afternoon asking questions about what it was like to stay at home.
So, naturally, OP’s daughter now wants to be a stay-at-home mom. And she already has a head start since she helps three little friends of hers with homework on a regular basis.
As usual, OP thought it was just fine that his daughter was exploring new ideas. But it turns out not everyone felt the same way.
Staying In Character
The day after the friend’s visit, OP and his daughter ran into neighbors on the way back from the grocery store.
Staying in character, the little girl told the couple that she was heading home to fix dinner for her husband and kids.
The neighbors shot some odd looks at OP and his daughter, then said goodbye.
But later that evening, the couple showed up at OP’s door and wanted to have a private talk about what his daughter had said to them.
Damaging Her With Sexism?
OP explained that the little girl was just pretending and trying out different careers to see what she might want to do when she grows up. Her latest target was being a stay-at-home mom.
The neighbors weren’t amused, though, and told OP he was damaging his daughter by allowing her to role-play in such an outdated role.
They went on to call OP stupid and ignorant and just made him feel like a terrible father overall. They demanded that he stop brainwashing the little girl with sexist ideas.
Keep Exploring!
Now, OP feels panicked and guilty. The last thing in the world he wants to do is hurt his daughter.
OP thought he was doing the right thing by encouraging his daughter to explore possible careers in her playtime. But now he’s having second thoughts about all of it.
Redditors think the neighbors were way out of line and agree with OP that all he is doing is supporting his daughter.
Even some commenters who hate the idea of pigeonholing people into gender roles think that encouraging the little girl to explore as much as possible is the right way to go.
The post Single Dad Called a Brainwashing Misogynist When He Indulged His Daughter’s Make-Believe first appeared on The Net Worth Of.
Featured Image Credit: Shutterstock / Mladen Zivkovic
Source: Reddit