That a father looks after his child and

[mrsnlw2012]

.... doesn't babysit?

Had an innocuous comment made to DH by MIL was he "babysitting DS"

It really got under my skin.

I'm a single parent so it's a bit different so I just say "I've got the kids that night"

Dont think it's a generational thin though. My Mum would have been mid 80s if she were still with us and she'd have questioned it too.

We both use it equally. If we're both at home in the evening then yes we are just at home with the children but if one of us goes out, then the other one is not able to go out and so is babysitting. It would annoy me if dh said he was babysitting for me but the fact that we both use the term for being the one parent at home while the children are in bed isn't a problem.

This gets on my nerves too and my DHs. You don't babysit your own children Ffs. It makes them sound pathetic and like they're incapable of such a responsibility, maybe they shouldn't have kids at all?!

I admit I use the expression albeit wrongly.If someone asks me out on an evening that DH is out I say I can't as I'm babysitting and if I go out I say I have left DH babysitting. Never really thought about it.

I don't agree. Women don't babysit their dc, only fathers do.

Which actually indicates two things
1- that it's not supposed to be a normal thing and their role as the 'man' of the house
2- that they only do it to enable their partner to go out (ie they are doing an act of service to them. 'Oh nice dear!').
It would never be that way for mothers.

And fred of course words have a definition. Their usage IS their definition
Because a lot of people are using the wrong way, doesn't mean that the 'normal' usage of the world isn't the one found in the dictionary.
Otherwise, how on earth could we ever understand each other from one county to the next ?

It's a daft phrase but no worse than SAHP who say they are doing childcare which is essentially the same. It's parenting when the child is your own.

I've never once heard it used in reference to a woman looking after her own children. Only in relation to men doing their partners the honour of looking after their mutual children.

YANBU OP - it gets on my tits too

Can't get excited about it.DH and I both say it. If I want to go out with friends I check he does not have existing plans and is ok to babysit. If he wants to go out with friends he would do same. One parent is able to go out because the other parent is in to look after the child. I can see it might feel different if it is only used one way though