Woman's encounter calls attention to how hard boomer moms had it raising kids on their own

Parenting is undoubtedly not for the faint of heart. It comes with a heap load of responsibilities and commitments and can get exhausting. However, what makes it worse is when one has people around and still doesn’t receive any support from them. Countless moms navigate the challenge of solo parenting, often without support, encouragement, or appreciation from partners and extended family. While things have drastically changed today, Reddit user u/definitelynotdebbie shared an experience she had which revealed how hard boomer moms had it and what a liability some partners and family members were back in the day.

The woman explained that a boomer mom noticed her husband doing the bare minimum and taking care of his child and commented on it. “It never fails at any family function. I can guarantee a boomer mom will comment on my husband about how he’s such a good dad because he’s just, ya know, parenting,” she remarked. The woman acknowledged that she is grateful to have found a genuine, caring and helpful partner and that the same is not to be taken for granted. However, she couldn't get over the fact that boomer moms had no option and were expected to do everything by themselves. 

“To be fair my husband is an excellent dad and partner. I really did hit the lottery,” she exclaimed. “But apparently, all it takes for a dad is getting a fruit plate for a toddler and playing with cars for five minutes to get unending praise from these elderly moms. Boomer fathers must have really set the bar low.” There is no doubt that partners should share the load and have equal responsibilities while raising a child. However, this is only recent progress. Several new moms pitched in about how they experienced similar conversations with boomer moms. 

u/dogfromthefuture said, “I think about it a lot especially when older women talk about ‘life being over’ for women when having a child. When I see just how shocked they are that men do any parenting, it hits me how incredibly overwhelming their workload is. In particular, I think about the fact that they just NEVER had time off. Always on call. Always on duty.” u/kimbosliceofcake confirmed the same saying, “It's nice to see some empathy and understanding. And yeah, my older Gen X father-in-law brags about having four kids and only having changed three diapers in his life. My dad was better but still had strong ideas about men's work vs women's work, despite the fact that my mom worked full time and often made more than him.” 

u/Pressure_Gold wrote, “My husband’s dad says he never changed a diaper, I told him that’s not something to brag about. My husband has been the most incredible and present father I could ask for.” u/Ok-Media6622 said, “Last night my husband's grandma told me how lucky I am because my husband takes care of our kids. She raised four boys with absolutely no help! My husband's grandpa didn’t take care of any of their kids, ever. I can’t imagine that, that sounds so hard.”