Breathe
By María Alatriste
What is behind the generous sacrifices made by women who are mothers?
The other day at a restaurant, a mother took her 3 children of different ages to the restroom (there were two boys and a girl), while the father stayed at the table watching his cell phone. When they came back and started eating breakfast she was in charge of everything and he was still on his cell phone, not getting involved, even though the kids were constantly talking to him. Our table was to one side and it was impossible not to notice what they were doing. At the same time, my husband was feeding our 2 year old son who is very quiet and I just enjoyed my breakfast. We finished early, so when we left, the mother of the three children I mentioned before stared at my husband as if he were a saint.
This moment left me with a deep reflection. Although fathers are becoming more and more involved in caregiving, the mother is usually the one designated as the primary caregiver. The role of the provider and the mother who cares, works, takes care of household chores and who knows what else, are still normalized stereotypes, that is, that women can always handle everything.
