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Who wants to eat melted chocolate out of a diaper?
This is not rhetorical; I’m asking a real question. I’ve had to do this before, and while everyone around me was giggling and vibing, I wished I was anywhere else but there.
I used to think my aversion to baby showers was linked to my tokophobia — my pathological fear of pregnancy and sometimes babies — but I now realise it’s more than that.
Baby showers perpetuate old-fashioned gender roles in parenting. They reinforce the message that babies are women’s responsibility while giving men a free pass to duck out of all the fun.
Truthfully, baby showers give me the ick. And I worry that they set the parenting tone of what’s to come.
I can’t help but think that if these types of events were more inclusive of men, then maybe men would be more involved with their babies.
Flip the script on baby showers
According to the book The Complete Illustrated Pregnancy Companion by Robin Weiss, traditionally, baby showers were only held for the birth of the first child, and only women were invited.