Yes. I made it clear to slashspouse early on that I really, really objected to that. And I'm not sure he ever quite got why, but he at least respects that it does, you know?
I jumped down my MILs and brother-in-law's throats (well, via Facebook) over that a few months ago. He was all lamenting how he couldn't play his new XBox game cuz he was "babysitting" his son. And my MIL was patting him on the back for being such a "good dad."
EXCUSE ME? Taking care of YOUR OWN CHILD is now suddenly grounds for kudos and celebration? Neither of them would have said the same if the mom was complaining that she couldn't go out to dinner with her friends because she had to stay home and babysit her kid.
It only takes ONE word to tip one off about the oppression inherent in the system: babysitting. This. I used to have a (female) boss who used it frequently in reference to one of my co-workers whose wife was a professional opera singer, and it drove me up a wall. "Remember, so-and-so's not going to be able to work late tonight. His wife is touring, so he has to go home and babysit." What killed me is that she thought she was being oh-so-progressive in accepting that he couldn't always work overtime. The first time she did it at a meeting I innocently asked if he had relatives visiting and that was why he was baby-sitting. (It was my first real job after college, and I had no clue yet about office politics.) He was very sheepish when he explained that she was referring to his own kids.
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EXCUSE ME? Taking care of YOUR OWN CHILD is now suddenly grounds for kudos and celebration? Neither of them would have said the same if the mom was complaining that she couldn't go out to dinner with her friends because she had to stay home and babysit her kid.
Just...UGH! Biggest pet peeve in the universe.
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This. I used to have a (female) boss who used it frequently in reference to one of my co-workers whose wife was a professional opera singer, and it drove me up a wall. "Remember, so-and-so's not going to be able to work late tonight. His wife is touring, so he has to go home and babysit." What killed me is that she thought she was being oh-so-progressive in accepting that he couldn't always work overtime. The first time she did it at a meeting I innocently asked if he had relatives visiting and that was why he was baby-sitting. (It was my first real job after college, and I had no clue yet about office politics.) He was very sheepish when he explained that she was referring to his own kids.
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