Top of today's silly news items is the government advice for expectant males (mustn't call them fathers in case they are in same-sex relationship):
Advice for expectant males
"Fathers like mothers can enjoy a mutual gaze with a baby for short periods before the baby becomes tired. This is part of the development of the baby's brain."
"All-male antenatal sessions work well - men talk a lot more about their feelings and worries among men."
"Men are not inherently less able to care for babies. The key is practise - 45 minutes a day is sufficient to reach high skill levels with a baby."
"Mothers have notes they fill in during pregnancy. Fathers should have them too as this helps them reflect on their own experience of the pregnancy."
(Taken from the booklet, Including New Fathers: A Guide for Maternity Professionals, published by Fathers Direct, a publicly funded charity that advises the Government on fatherhood.)
I will refrain from commenting on the content matter but what about the grammar!
"All-male antenatal sessions work well - men talk a lot more about their feelings and worries among men."
ReplyDeleteThat typo is kind of embarrassing, but we've got to give them points for realizing that men would much rather be watching football in the waiting room while the mother does the heavy lifting. It's also true that once we're in the waiting room together, one expectant male will likely admit to another that he feels thirsty but that he's worried that, if he leaves, he'll miss a key play.
That sounds perfectly natural to me, David, not something you need a booklet to tell you about!
ReplyDelete"Men are not inherently less able to care for babies."
ReplyDeleteNot inherently, just genetically.
"Fathers should have them too as this helps them reflect on their own experience of the pregnancy."
I just have to write down this one reflection on reading this tip: aaaaaarrrrrghhhh!!!!!!
Oh, I thought it was a booklet of advice for mothers, explaining why the birth video sometimes strays to a tv screen showing the game.
ReplyDelete