To think family calendars are sexist?

[RedHotSanta]

Whilst shopping yesterday I decided to look for a family calendar for 2012, as no one had bought us one for Xmas. We find it invaluable to have one of the large family planners, the ones with a column for each member of the family, as DH, I and the DCs all have our own hobbies and groups, and its a nightmare keeping on top of them all.

Anyway, went in a few shops (incl Calendar Club) and EVERY single family calendar I could find said something along the lines of 'Mums family planner' with the first column stating something like 'Mums stuff'.

What a load of crap! I wanted a FAMILY calendar, where the first column was for general all family things (family birthdays, MOT dates etc) and then columns for the 4 family members.

Isn't it a bit sexist (even if in many cases it may be true!) to suggest that Mum is responsible for the whole family's diaries! How about everyone in families (or at least the adults) is EQUALLY responsible for their own appointments! No wonder there are so many MN threads about how mums are expected to remember everything for everyone, with little things like this reinforcing such 50s mentality!

I got a Simon's Cat one. No mention of mum, dad or anyone else, just columns for whoever you like.

I always have a family calender with columns and none have ever struck me as being sexist

I have never seen a family calendar like that and buy one every year. This year's is from Oxfam with blank column headings, next year's is from M&S and I have bought others from WH Smith in the past. I think you were looking in the wrong places!

Just checking our planners and what you mention doesn't describe any of the ones we have from Oxfam, National Trust and Marks & Spencer. I don't know if you just need to shop somewhere else or if it's encouraging that it's the old fashioned stuff that's still on sale this late.

We have the violent veg family one and none of the columns are labelled - it is also a week to view which might be really annoying by the end of january.

We've had Simpsons ones the last few years - they just say "Family planner" and have pictures of the 5 Simpsons above the columns. Up to you what you use the columns for, there's only 3 of us and 5 columns so DS gets 3!

I've noticed loads more 'Mum's Calendar/Diary' in the shops this year.

XMIL bought me one of the lovely sexist ones. Even has a special magnetic section for "mum's numbers," including baby sitter, doctor and emergency services. Because no DAD would ever need those.

I have a home planner by organised mum they do family planners too

I saw a 'Mums' family calendar in Rymans, and I quite liked it.

I think you are just looking for t hings to call sexist if you find this sexist. I really can't find the energy to be bothered about something so trivial.

all the ones I've had have always had blank columns so you can name them whatever you want. I had a gruffalo one last year and this year have a blue noes friends one

'nose'

There is one for Dads too

heres a blank one

PS, surely the MOT dates go under whoevers car it is? I'm sure its not important to the kids

Don't buy the one that says 'Mums' and hopefully more will follow suit (if they want) and soon the manufacturers will get the message that 'Mum's' are not always the planner/organsier etc. I find it sexist, but so many things are, you can see it everywhere and its depressing and designed to make you feel 'oh its so endemic I may as well just get on it with' don't, take a stand if it pisses you off.

i've spotted this in the past too, and although we don't use a wall calendar (we have a little book in the cutlery draw for that) the same thing did strike me the last time I bought one, a few years ago.

some of them try to be ironic and funky with it though - i remember the one i spotted (and thought like you), had pictures of the 1950s housewife type things in a couple of colours, very cartoon-y... so meant to be jokey

however, the number of posters on MN on the 1st page of the Relationships forum alone which go along the lines of "we both work but why do i do all the emergency childcare / arrange dentist appointments / have to buy his mum's birthday card" crap... shows that the "joke" is more accurate than we'd all like to admit.

Only sexist if you're a Dad, looking for a Dad one. Why not look at it from a different viewpoint - that Mum's are obviously important enough to warrant their own calendars. Or are you always so Professionally Offended?

While i agree that the majority of items on sale should be gender neutral, some households have only, mum, dad, or nan etc, in them, so there should be a percentage of products for this.

SarahStratton, you don't work for Icelands marketing department, by any chance, do you? Because we all know how flattering their similar tactic for praising mums in the form of "so that's why mums go to Iceland" tagline is, don't we.

"important enough" to have our own calendars? Is that why there are so many MN Relationship posters being treated so shittily by their "only does the fun parenting stuff" DHs, eh?

You've just reminded me I haven't got a calender.

Over my dead body I do.

Actually, I'd buy a Mum's calendar because theres no fucking father worth bothering about here.

I don't bother Fair, I use the wall planner from my Country Life.

I got the very hungry caterpillar one - completely blank columns :) only £4.49 in waterstones..

All the ones I saw in m and s were four column ones. My first experience of things that don't fit our family of five

Okay so I may be looking for something to be offended about today [grumpy New Years Eve emoticon].

And tbf I was looking in the sales, so looking on the bright side, maybe that means that the 'mum calendars' are not so popular as they are the left-over ones. I did have a nice Charlie and Lola one last year that had blank columns, so I know they're out there, I just couldn't find them (tried M&S, Boots, some card shops and Calendar Club).

fifteenfiftyfive - it was after having a peek at a few of the relationship/AIBU useless DH threads today, that the link occurred to me!