Are dads baybsitters?

       It has been very interesting to me that not too long ago dads babysat their kids while moms took care of their kids. Why did dads get away with babysitting for so long? I was at a school event where a group of moms were talking and one mother was discussing her plans to go away on "Girls Only" weekend so another mom said, while she looked at the husband, "so, does that you mean you have babysitting duty?" The mom going away for the weekend chimed in and said "It's not babysitting when they are his kids, that's called parenting."
       How correct she was and how interesting it was that it was another female who referred to the dad watching his kids as babysitting. The masculine role of a father still tends to be viewed as them being babysitters to their children.  Below I have attached a link to an article in Parents Magazine that addresses this issue of dads being seen as babysitters instead of a parent. I am glad to see that there has been an upswing in fathers that are no longer ascribing to the old notion that it was not manly to take care of the kids. I am seeing so many fathers dropping off their kids to school and taking jobs where they can work at home to help to care for the children. I hope you enjoy the article and see that dads want to be recognized as parents and not babysitters.

Parents Magazine Dad is not the babysitter