Fathering and mothering
November 17th, 2008,I was recently tempted to use the word “father” to describe the process of caring for children as a father, but then an obvious conclusion dawned on me: the word more typically means begetting children, not caring for them. The dictionary has both meanings of the word in its definition, but clearly the begetting usage is much more common.
The dictionary has both meanings for the word “mother” as well, but mothering in common usage means caring for or raising children; there are even connotations in “mothering” of over-caring for children.
And so I’m left with the gender-neutral term “parenting” to describe what I spend so much of my time doing with my two children. I fathered them each once, I parent them until they are grown.
November 18th, 2008 at 10:15 pm
True. That sort of reminds me of that saying in the same vein: anyone can father a child, it takes a man to be a Dad.
December 1st, 2008 at 3:12 pm
And really, you’ll parent them even after they’re grown.