to be annoyed that only women are expected to cuddle babies at work?

[pppaper]

This keeps happening and it's really starting to wind me up.

When a new mum brings a baby into work (usually someone on maternity leave visiting), it's always the women who are expected to fuss over the baby. The baby gets brought right up to us, even if we’re clearly trying to get on with work or not engage. I’ve tried ignoring it, but they literally come over and stand right in front of me with the baby.

The men in the office? Nothing. No one brings the baby near them. No one expects them to hold it or coo over it. They just smile and carry on with their day and that’s totally fine. But if I don’t want to hold the baby, I get comments like "But you’ve got children of your own!" Yes I do, but that doesn’t mean I want to cuddle other people’s babies. Especially not at work.

I’m tired of this unspoken rule that women should automatically want to interact with babies just because we’re women. Men are allowed to just exist and not get involved. I want the same.

DS is only 23 but he loves the office baby so much he said recently, 'It's making me broody.' Luckily he loves the office dog even more. So far...

I feel ya. I was at my hobby a couple of years ago and this couple who I'm friends with came with their 2 small children. Think it's relevant to point out that I'm the only other mother there. The mum of the small children was like "oh can you watch them while I do this". I did for a bit but then shouted to the dad that I wanted to do some bits.

I think it irked me because it's really my only child free time and while the children are very nice, I don't really want to be lumped with other people's kids when I get the chance to be out without mine.

In my workplace, women who go on ML are asked to bring their baby in. So it is an expectation there.

Asked by whom?

I mean, it might have been suggested to me too, but I never had any intention of doing it.

I work with almost all men. There is literally 1 other woman in the team. My kids got passed round like a bowl of popcorn with all my colleagues talking in silly voices and making faces at them. Our warehouse lad adores my youngest, she's 4 now and sticks to him like glue. Forever 'helping' him with jobs that would almost certainly be easier without her.

I don't think its a bloke thing in general tbh.

By colleagues and managers.

Probably stems from some video they saw on Tik tok 😬🙄

Oh FGS, women have been more maternal than men, for ever. Just ignore the baby mother - there'll be plenty of willing cuddlers around and nobody will notice whether you show any interest or not.

This thread's 10 months old!! 🤦‍♀️

But as it's been weirdly been bumped, I have to say I've never been expected to hold a colleague's baby ever.

And we have plenty come to visit us whilst on mat leave.