Women Surround Crying Mom Whose Toddler Was Having A Meltdown At The Airport.

[Collimator]

85. In answer to your question--

They should, but they often don't.

There is a lot to be proud of in America, but our occasional arrogant ignorance doesn't make us great. It impoverishes us.

And you make an excellent point about female leaders being not much better or worse than the men.

The OP is about the remarkable empathy that seems a little more apparent in women. I don't disagree in essence.

Since my feminism is founded on the "women are human beings" school, I don't often like to make serious claims that women are somehow better people.

There's the old "Nature vs Nuture" issue to unwrap, as usual.

Honestly, I give women a slight edge on the morality scale over men. Growing life in your body, caring for our vulnerable young, that does have its impact on our psyches.

But there are crappy moms and remarkable dads.

The main thing in modern American culture is that women who want to particpate in aspects of life outside the home face censure for not "leaning in" enough if some domestic issue interferes with work. A man who is seen to take on a reasonal share of childrearing is hailed as a hero. The show "Blackish" did a great take on this in one of their episodes.

Most of this post may be off track, but let me end with this final point. And I am certainly not the first or only person to make this statement.

You will ONLY ever hear a man say, "No, I can't go [insert whatever detail] tonight. I have to babysit the kids."

They are YOUR kids, Daddy-o! When you look after them, it's called being a parent, not babysitting.

When your wife turns down an evening out, she says , "Sorry, I can't get a sitter for the kids." She's not suggesting that what she does with them on a regular basis is "baby-sitting."

The women who helped out that young mother in the airport were mothering her and the child. That's why it came about so simply and naturally. It wasn't a service being provided or a job to be done. It was human beings-- taking care of a member of the tribe in need.

The problem with government is that running an administration and guiding an economy is more complicated. Many women have the goods to get the job done. Sometimes their experience as mothers can inform their approach, but not always.

That is why I don't believe that estrogen alone can solve the world's problems, so to speak.

All the same though, with the current Toddler-in-Chief, a mother who knows how to offer a firm hand while not losing her cool when the child acts out may be just what we need.