Remember that fun movie, Mr. Mom? I always wanted to be Mr. Mom and be able to contribute to my family’s being.
Part of the appeal was that I learned as a kid how to clean and even read books about it. I cleaned often and I was lazy and wanted to do it in the most efficient way. The other part of the appeal of being Mr. Mom is that I could be around the people that I love more and not have to deal with the overstimulation of an office setting.
I never thought growing up that I could actually be Mr. Mom. Gender roles seemed solid and if you didn’t act in the proper way you wouldn’t be accepted by the close-minded community I grew up. Therefore I learned to not want to be accepted and to challenge any unfairness and closemindedness that I encountered.
This means that in my life because I have done things that were considered unusual for men I have been assumed to be queer. However, it also gave me an insight into the expectations of women, and many female friends said that they appreciated how I could empathize with them.
This is not to praise me but rather to talk about why someone would want to be Mr. Mom. There are men who are sensitive, encouraging, and nurturing and they are not less masculine than someone who doesn’t have those qualities. Not everyone is the same, and it doesn’t help anyone to try to force someone into doing things that don’t make them happy.
If men don’t want to be in the office, they can still contribute at home. It has been fun challenging gender stereotypes and surprising my relationships with skills they don’t expect me to have. It’s ok if men can cook, sew, heal, and bring harmony to a home. If women want to be in the business world and do whatever makes them happy, more power to them.