Woman shares a dad's patriarchal and regressive response to her compliment, sparks debate

People are increasingly recognizing the importance of respecting men and women equally for their roles in today's evolving society. The acceptance of stay-at-home dads and working moms is growing, though gender discrimination persists. Recently, a woman (@realgirl_fieri) shared her unsettling experience with what she perceived as a sexist comment from a man about his wife. This incident led her to question societal norms and the stereotypes many hold. However, opinions were divided, with some suggesting she might have misinterpreted the comment.

The woman recounted meeting a father and his son, intending to compliment the boy on his impressive speech. When she complimented the dad, his response left her stunned. “I told the dad his son was speaking well for his age,” she explained. Instead of expressing gratitude, the dad replied, “Well, he’s so smart because his mom stays home.” This comment distressed the woman, leaving her uncertain of its meaning.

“Do we have to do this f***ing everywhere? Can these people not just say thank you?” she asked. Several people related to her feelings and agreed that regressive and reckless comments are thrown around very carelessly. In a thread, the woman mentioned that she too, had a daughter and would not imagine being this careless with a stranger. She wrote, “My daughter spoke very early and when people remark on it, it never occurs to me to attribute it to anything?”

She added that she simply thanks the person if she is complimented. “I usually just say, ‘Thanks! Every kid has their superpower right?’And that’s it? It would never occur to me to say something to a stranger about our family arrangement,” she remarked. @juliedangerrr shared a similar experience she had, “Dads are so out of pocket sometimes. I was volunteering at my kid’s school with some dads. They spoke about how their wives wanted to substitute teach but ‘she has a hard time when I leave her with our 2 kids for even a little bit of time so I don’t know if she should.’ like sir!”

@ShandersWrites added, “You just know he works that into every single conversation.” @arielthemidwife wrote, “I kind of agree with this post. A simple thank you suffices.” Some people believed the comment was a compliment to the wife. @analydiamonaco wrote, “He’s complimenting his SAH wife—what is wrong with that?” @cactus_jinx added, “At least he appreciates his wife… I guess ??” @theboudicca remarked, “He may be proud of the fact that his wife can be a SAHM. Who knows?” @moiike suggested, “If it makes you feel any better, just think of it as a compliment towards an excellent woman doing a wonderful job as a mother. Regardless of his intentions.”