Feeling Introspective?

I've decided against withholding judgment on the new "Mommy Wars" book. My opinion, not having read the book, is that it won't get us a smidgen closer to addressing the very real dilemmas parents face in balancing paid work with family. My confidence in this judgment is based largely around a BusinessWeek interview with the book's editor, Leslie Morgan Steiner.

There are tantalizing clues that Steiner might actually understand why fanning the "Mommy Wars" flames is a bad idea, but in general, she seems to relish the mom vs. mom element of it.

But the thing that has pushed me over the edge is Steiner's treatment of fathers:

Do you expect to see a book on Daddy wars?
It would be a very short book. Men aren't that introspective. When kids come, their lives haven't changed as much dramatically. When husband goes on a business trip to New York, he just packs his little suitcase. When I go away, I have to write a three-page memo for the nanny. I have to talk to three moms to arrange for people to pick up my kids from school. I have to send a note to school to tell them to call my husband in case of an emergency. And then I have to tell my husband to keep his cell phone on.

Look, I don't speak for all fathers here, but dads -- by and large -- are moving away from this stereotype. I expect this sort of bashing from the Darla Shine-types, but I honestly expected better from a Washington Post staffer.

Tags: SAHD, mommywars, mommy+wars, mom, dad, workfamily, worklife