Some political commentators are coming after Pete Buttigieg, and not because of his politics but rather for his personal choices.
The openly gay transportation secretary just became a dad to twins, and he's basking in those newborn snuggles while also acknowledging the incredibly hard work of being a new parent. Buttigieg took two months of paternity leave to get to know his new babies and to help out with those relentless new parenting duties. And, as it goes, political commentators are pretty enraged about it.
Conservative commentator Candace Owens had some choice words for the new dad. She called Buttigieg "sickeningly pathetic." She also said, "Privileged times have produced the weakest men that have ever lived in America. Remove this little boy from office," she tweeted with the hashtag #BringBackManlyMen.
Owens wasn't the only one! Tucker Carlson weighed in, too. "Paternity leave, they call it, trying to figure out how to breastfeed. No word on how that went," Carlson said.
Yikes.
Considering the sources, these statements aren't super shocking. But perhaps they should be! After all, a father who wants to take two months to get to know his babies should be standard. The fact that it's looked down upon is honestly pretty sad.
There's a lot to be said about why we should really support dads having paternity leave, but Buttigieg himself said it best. He told MSNBC's Nicolle Wallace why he thinks these commentators' criticisms miss the mark.
"Well, look, in [Tucker Carlson's] case, I guess he just doesn't understand the concept of bottle feeding, let alone the concept of paternity leave," Buttigieg said, pointing to the breastfeeding comment.
"But what is really strange is that, you know, this is from a side of the aisle that used to claim the mantle of being pro-family," he continued. "What we have right now is an administration that's actually pro-family."
No matter what anyone thinks, Buttigieg is happy to have the opportunity to stay home. He also feels lucky because he understands that not everyone is able to take paternity leave. He thinks that should change.
"And I'm blessed to be able to experience that as an employee, being able to have the flexibility to take care of our newborn children, which is, by the way, work," Buttigieg said. "It's a joyful work. It's wonderful work, but it's — it's definitely work."
It's astonishing that we don't live in a time where paternity leave isn't just encouraged but celebrated. Still, not everyone understands the need for men to bond with their babies or to help out when it comes to parenting. Hopefully, policies will soon change to reflect the real need for fathers to be involved parents at the earliest stages, but men who actually want to do it is a pretty important part of the picture.
