So, I'm a feminist and all about equal rights. But still I find myself making all kinds of sexist assumptions in my office. Not about the kids, about the parents!
IE- I never call a dad first unless the student tells me that his/her dad is home that day. I try to catch myself and ask the kid "Who will be easiest to get a hold of?" But if I'm calling for paperwork or for something unrelated to a student visit, I always call the mom's phone first.
The one that really bugs me (because it hits close to home, I'll explain :) ) is that I have a fleeting moment of "What a great, involved father" pretty much every time that a dad calls in their kid sick or comes to pick them up. When a mom calls a kid in or picks them up, my thoughts NEVER turn to "Now that's a good mom!" Nope, it's just what we expect moms to do and give dad a gold star for doing.
Personally, this really chafes me. My ex husband is minimally involved in my children's lives. He sees them weekly (as it is stated in our divorce agreement) but he would NEVER pick up a sick kid from school. His exact words to me were "That's on your time, it's your problem" (Did I mention he has no job? So not only does he not have a job that he would have to leave to get them- and he is only 20 minutes from their school-- but he has no money to pay child support. Somehow he has beer money and cigarette money, but no Kid Money).
I could go on and on about his cavalier attitude towards parenting, but it would turn into a novel. What I CANNOT TAKE ANYMORE OF is hearing anyone say "Well, at least he still sees them" as though that makes up for being uninvolved in his children's lives??? It makes me sick for my kids that he does not show any concern for them or their activities. He flat out says to them "I don't care about that" when they want to tell him about things that interest them (pokemon, gymnastics, their friends).
