Yesterday, I was walking by a place on Long Island that offered children’s classes as well as daycare. As you can see by the sign above, they specify that their classes are for “Mommy & Me.”
At this stage of my at-home-dad life, I am used to seeing these types of signs, and I know that even though they say “mommy and me”, these places gladly welcome any primary caregiver to join in the fun with their child, whether it be mom, dad, nanny, grandparent, etc. Consequently, the NY Times is catching on to recognizing that more dads want to take an active role in spending time with their kids. Today’s NY Times (July 8, 2009) published an article (thanks John), Who’s That With Baby at the Y? Why, It’s Daddy by Jennifer Lee.
The article begins with “the classes were originally called “Mommy and Baby.” Then men started showing up one by one, infants in tow. A few months ago, the fathers had become so numerous that the Prospect Park Y.M.C.A. on Ninth Street in Park Slope, Brooklyn, changed the class name to “Parent and Baby.” Thanks to the Brooklyn YMCA for seeing this growing trend and incorporating both parents into the mix!
Check out the rest of the article, Who’s That With Baby at the Y? Why, It’s Daddy, by Jennifer Lee. Please share your comments. Dads, are you still the only male in your parent & me classes? Does it make you feel uncomfortable? Moms, do you see more dads in your classes? Does it change the conversations?
This is a timely post, Lance. You know I am a big fan of the 92nd Street Y, Sally Tannen, the Parenting Center and the Wednesday drop-in class. You even said today that more dads should attend. Today I was the only dad with 25+ moms. I know you were there alone before I was. Today’s speaker was a pediatrician who has spoken several times before and who I really like. She mentioned “moms” and “mommies” and babies a few times. Because I arrived late and sat off in the corner, out of her sight-line (my choice), she was looking at all moms. After about 15 minutes she looked at me, apologized, and said she was looking at all moms, which was true. In my opinion she made a strong effort to use other language (partner, spouse, caregiver, etc) for the remainder of her presentation. I was not offended and told her so when she apologized to me in front of the group. Two lessons: one, more new dads of newborns should go to 92nd Street Y on Wednesday morning, and two, don’t be offended by people who mean well and who are willing to acknowledge a mistake after really looking at his/her diverse audience. And another plug for the Y, didn’t they change their TriBeCa movie series to Cinemamas and Papas? Keep up the good work, guys!
Just a quick note. The article Times article references the Prospect Park YMCA, not the 92Y – two different organizations with similar missions.
Keep up the good work Daddies!
It has always upset me that moms seem to get all the credit and recognition when it comes to parenting or parent-baby activities. However, I am glad to see that some organizations are finally catching up to the fact that not only moms take care of their kids but also dads, and the term “parent” is beginning to emerge. It was about time.