She never forgot what her dad did each Christmas. Today, she’s warning ‘Grinch dads’ not to ruin it for their kids
Christmas and other celebrations can be a significant part of a person's childhood memories. That's why a mom is requesting dads to show up for their kids with enthusiasm this holiday season. She shared that men tend to do things with their families, but "begrudgingly" and look like "they are not having fun." The woman, Paige, pointed out that the kids would remember these things for a long time. She also shared an incident from her childhood with her dad during Christmas to highlight her point through a video on her TikTok page, where she goes by @sheisapaigeturner. The brief clip received over 386,600 views.
In her clip, Paige pointed out that the dads would do things like going to the pumpkin patch, but they would "complain" and look like they were not enjoying themselves. They would do Christmas photos, but they seem like "they are not happy to be there" and look "grouchier than the kids." "There's this ongoing narrative that men will do these things because their wife wants them to." She recounted an incident from her childhood to make her point.
Paige remembered that her dad was a golfer back when she was a kid and liked a very specific brand of golf balls. She could clearly remember him opening the golf balls that her mom had gotten for her dad on behalf of the kids. It turned out to be the wrong brand. "He immediately looked at my mom and said, 'These are wrong.'" She recalled sitting there and thinking, "He's not happy about these golf balls that we gave him because they are wrong."
Paige believed that it was a part of a parent's job to make their kids believe that holidays are magical, something her mom tried to do for her. "Those moments when a parent is complaining, or frustrated to be in the pictures, or doesn't like the gift and they state it out loud, it doesn't just communicate it to their partner that they are unhappy or disappointed." Paige went on, "It also communicates to the child. And kids remember this stuff." It could be an unpleasant feeling for the child.
The caption read, "Kids will always remember which parent helped make the holidays magical. They also remember when someone steals that magic." People agreed with the woman's point in the comments section of the video. @natti__cakes wrote, "Nothing can destroy the atmosphere of a house faster than a man's mood." @zen_27_1 commented, "My daughter won't let her dad come grocery shopping because he is 'grumpy' and makes it no fun. She told him this, and it hit him pretty hard." @finallywhereibelong1 remarked, "Parents severely underestimate the power of a complaining parent. Those little moments add up." In another video, the mom shared how women shouldered the "invisible labor" of making the holidays "magical."
@sheisapaigeturner Kids will always remember which parent helped make the holidays magical. They also remember when someone steals that magic. ##holidaymagic##christmasgifts##christmaspictures##familytradition##happyholidays ♬ original sound - Paige
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