It Must Be Nice

It must be nice...

It must be nice to be able to stay awake as long as you want playing video games while your significant other is listening for the baby hoping to get a little rest, after being up until 6 AM taking care of the same baby that you helped create. It must be nice to sleep the whole night knowing if your child makes the slightest little fuss your significant other will be right there to attend to the baby's needs while you sleep through the night. It must be nice to nap whenever you want, whether someone needs your help or not.

It must be nice to use the bathroom without someone crying for you the whole time or worrying if they are gonna bonk their head while learning to pull themselves up or walk. It must be nice to take as long as you want using the bathroom and scrolling through Facebook videos. It must be nice to use the bathroom without someone crawling into your space as your trying to finish using the bathroom or clean yourself once you're done.

It must be nice that every time the baby cries you can hand him/her over to someone else because you don’t know what to do or how to calm them down. It must be nice to be able to walk away whenever you please and know that your baby will have constant care with or without you around. It must be nice to be able to step in whenever you want, even after your significant other already asked for help five times because they are getting frustrated with something, no matter how easy or hard that task may be.

It must be nice to set one to ten alarms (or more) knowing that if the alarms wake up the baby (who will be grumpy) you don’t have to deal with them because you're leaving for work or to do whatever you have planned for the day ahead, leaving your significant other with a baby that is tired, grumpy, and fussy. This baby MOST LIKELY won't just “go back to bed.”

It must be nice to be able to leave and do errands while your significant other is at home taking care of the baby, the same grumpy baby that’s been teething all week or is sick. It must be nice to leave whenever you want without having to pack, dress, and/or care for somebody else while you're trying to get yourself ready and out the door. It must be nice to take as long as you want walking around Walmart looking at food even though the pantry at home is full. It must be nice taking your time talking to all your friends at the gas station AFTER you're already finished pumping gas.

IT MUST BE NICE.

It takes TWO people to make a baby so why is it only taking MANY women to raise them alone? Even women in relationships or marriages are doing this alone. We understand that we “signed up” to have children, but some of us with “steady” relationships or marriages thought we would have help when we needed it, even with the simple tasks, someone to let us take a breath or use the bathroom without worrying about the baby bonking their head or getting into something and hurting themselves. At this point we are way past the 1970s era of women being the only caretakers of the house and/or children. Women want someone supportive, loving, and helpful. Why are women being the only ones told “you signed up for this” when it takes an egg and sperm to make a child? Why are fathers not being held accountable?

We thought we would have a partner to raise our child/children with... so it must be nice to have the freedom you have because one day you might just be free from it all...