Being a parent is in no way an easy task. Especially in the mornings when things can get pretty chaotic. That’s why some people try to get out of this part of parenting responsibilities.

Redditor u/VintageHilda told the ‘Child Free’ community about her husband’s co-workers constantly coming to work early. She had a feeling they might be fathers avoiding getting their kids ready for school. That’s why when the group started teasing her husband about being child-free, he had a comeback ready.

Some parents and child-free people have different routines when it comes to work as well

Image credits: drazenphoto (not the actual photo)

This man’s co-workers would come to work early, which made him wonder why

Image credits: August de Richelieu (not the actual photo)

Image credits: VintageHilda

School mornings seem to be the most stressful time of the day for the majority of parents

As rewarding as it is, parenting can be equally stressful at times, and understandably so. Kids are not always the most cooperative of people, especially if it’s something they’re not very keen on doing. Waking up in the morning, for instance, or getting ready for school, which not all children are very excited about.

That’s why the early hours of the day can get especially hectic. A survey of parents of school-aged children in the US revealed that nearly 60% of them find school mornings to be the most stressful time of the day. Hardly anyone likes being stressed out, so it’s not surprising that some people try to avoid it if they can. Even if that means spending more time at work, for instance.

The men in the redditor’s story all seemed to be fathers, which led to the OP’s conclusion that they’re running away from the morning-time responsibilities. Such a hunch is not totally unfounded, as surveys reveal that moms are typically more involved in childcare. According to Pew Research Center, in an average week, mothers spend twice as much time with kids as fathers. In addition to that, 46% of the latter admit it themselves that they don’t spend enough time with their offspring.

Image credits: Tiger Lily (not the actual photo)

Some fathers only look forward to the beautiful moments but are not willing to deal with the stressful ones

Even though every family is different, a lot of redditors in the comments pointed out that some men become fathers, but often fail to cover all that it entails. Commentators gave different examples, from emphasizing their lack of enthusiasm in participation in raising children to not using all the time off work they’re offered as a parent. Another survey by Pew Research Center uncovered that 39% of mothers have taken a significant amount of time off work to care for a child or other family member while only 24% of dads have done the same.

Some redditors shamed the type of men who can’t wait to become fathers but leave most of the responsibilities to their partners the second they do. Others applauded the OP’s husband for the way he handled the situation after his co-workers started teasing him about being child-free. As a matter of fact, nearly 22% of Americans choose to be child-free, according to 2022 data.

Image credits: Tatiana Syrikova (not the actual photo)

The OP revealed more information in the comments

Redditors applauded the husband’s reply and shared their views on the situation

The guys in the story were far from the only ones, as people in the comments made clear

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