Can A Man Be A Mother?

A recent Huffington Post blog about Mother’s Day cards presents a valid point of not linking parenting skills and roles to gender. In the post, the author, who identifies as a “gay dad,” expresses his dissatisfaction with greeting cards that are not in any way catered to men on Mother’s Day. What sparked his post was an email he received from a LGBT advocacy organization in anticipation of Mother’s Day. In the email, the organization was excited to introduce Mother’s Day cards that were inclusive of lesbian, bisexual, and transgender moms. The author was “shocked” that male figures were left off that list in the email from the group.

 

Although I identify with the label “gay dad,” the truth is that I am actually a parent who fathers and mothers. I do not make any automatic assumptions about parenting characteristics or abilities based on the gender of the parent. But I know that there are others, even within the LGBT community, who see things differently. They see two holidays, one that honors female parents, and one that honors male parents. This viewpoint was dramatized in an episode of Modern Family in which one of the fictional gay dads has a hissy fit over being perceived as the “mommy.”

So are the author’s feelings valid? Should parenting skills and roles not be assigned to a gender? Read his post and then let us know what you think. With the meaning of what a traditional family means constantly changing to adapt to modern society, the author may have a reason to be upset.