... to resent a man looking after *his own kids* being referred to as "babysitting"?

[TaurielTest]

Aiigh! Have heard this three times in the past week (from different people, talking about different children/dads) - the first time I thought I'd heard wrong, the second time I made a sarky remark along the lines of "oh no, he's too busy with our son to look after anyone else's children right now" (this was the only time it was about my DP not some other dad), and the third time I just gave up and boggled.
Do people say this all the time and I've just tuned it out until now?

Yanbu.
Ridiculous phrase in that context.

My oh wouldn't say it but I have heard it from others and I ALWAYS correct them . My in laws are the worst offenders for this but tbh I have a feeling I moaned about it a wee bit too much once so they do it to wind me up (which works

It's in the same vein as "I did all the washing up for you "

Gee thanks

YANBU - awful phrase. Grinds on me too!

Yaaagghhhh. I can see why it got your back up.

It really bugs me too. A friend of mine always says stuff like "Dave looked after DD for me while I did dinner last night" he's her ffing father! it's nothing to be proud of!

Or ... "I'll see if I can make it on Friday night, if Dave is off work, he might babysit for me"

It really makes me angry.

Yep. Right up there with men "helping out around the house!"

Agree on the babysitting and also with you travellingW on the "for you". "I loaded the dishwasher for you", "I put the kids to bed for you" etc etc - makes me want to scream.

This is one of the most annoying things i agree. My mother always give my brother praise for babysitting his own kids if his wife is having a bit of me time..
She phoned our house on a saturday looking for me, my DH said I had gone to the sales - she said 'oh lucky her, and left you babysitting'. My DC are 9 and 5.

i'm one of those people who say it.

although if my dh is out (pub etc) he would say (if asked) that i was babysitting too.

yabu. why would it annoy you how others refer to their oh's looking after the kids.

i've often heard blokes off my football team saying something along the lines of "anyone want a drink after the match, the missus is doing the babysitting tonight"
i don't get annoyed, i just take it as another innocuos phrase

I use it too. If I'm out and someone says where's dp, i'll say he's at home babysitting, although ds is his child.
I also say he baths ds for me and all the others. Never really thought about it tbh...

YANBU. It's not babysitting, it's parenting!!! I think people do say it a lot, it really annoys me...

Ooohh this REALLY annoys me!

You are DEFINITELY NOT being unreasonable!

I'm with blondie80, if both DH and I are at home with DS then we are just at home. If either of us are at home and unable to go out (because DS is asleep for eg) then that person is babysitting. It's nothing to do with gender and everything to do with being tied to the house.

Sorry, I was unclear, I meant if either of us was at home alone with DS and no other responsible adult.

YANBU I often hear guys (I work with mostly guys) say they "have to babysit" when they are chatting about home life and the fact that their wives are busy with something other than childcare. Thngs like "I'd join you mate, buit I have to babysit because the wife's sister is in town and they are going out." I usually pipe up and say "actually babysitting is when one looks after soeone else's children in exchange for money."

YANBU

My xh used his 'babysitting' three evenings a week as justification for paying no child support

Worse than "I did the washing up for you" imo

YANBU a guy I work with refers to looking after his own son as babysitting and it drives me nuts. You cannot "babysit" your own child!! otherwise that would be my main occupation

My dp used to take our dc to school for almost two years before he would set off for work ,the comments I used to get about how good it was of him .....why to take his own Dc to school???

Yet no one bats an eyelid if a man never takes his dc to school.

i get asked at work "who is looking after the children"

ffs!

once i said "uch i just leave them on their own - they know how to use the telephone"
the person i said it to looked stunned - i think she actually believed me

when asked im not sure whehter to say "they are at home with their dad"
or
"they are at home with my husband"

which is better?
if i say 1 they will think i am not married
if i say 2 they will think dh is not their dad

nto that i give a shit what others think anyway...

Oh god, i hadn't realised how common this is! I actually said to my dh the other night "do you mind babysitting dd on saturday night if i go out for a bit?" he laughed and said "its hardly babysitting when its my own child" which made me realise how stupid it sounds but its kind of what i see it as. He's a very good dad and very hands on but if i'm out without him it seems like he's babysitting, iyswim? Didn't realise it pissed so many people off, i hadn't ever thought about it!

"Thngs like "I'd join you mate, buit I have to babysit because the wife's sister is in town and they are going out." I usually pipe up and say "actually babysitting is when one looks after soeone else's children in exchange for money."
"

One of my pet hates. If he was babysitting he would get paid for it!