Family

[mothwing]

This is not really new, but the thing really gets on my nerves every time I see it, which is a lot, because someone decided that subway stations really need this poster.


(On the photo: "I'll learn how to crawl with my Mummy, and how to walk with my Daddy." - although the blog I took this photo from already changed those. -- Under the photo: "The new family benefits. With parental benefits and tax benefits for childcare expenses. (web address)") (c) Der VÄTER Blog


Of course it's good that our government wants to support families. Of course I like the fact that there are programmes that supports families financially, taxes are high enough so that tax benefits come in handy especially for young families with little money. Of course I think active fathers are a good thing because there are far too many absent fathers in families with married parents already.

Of course.

And I never thought I'd mind, because I did not use to care a lot about those stereotypical images, but seeing those images of family perfection, of a man, and a woman, and a baby in the media over and over again makes me feel curiously excluded. As I said, I never thought I'd mind, and in a way, it's ridiculous, as I did not feel excluded when I was a single woman, and I did not feel excluded only half a year ago when I was not thinking seriously about my future and possible families.

One thing is: any future family I can imagine now will never consist of me, a man, and a baby.
If I become pregnant, IF, it will not just happen in any "natural" way, it will not be the result of an accidentally split or an absent durex according to plan, the way they want their families to be.
Starting a family will involve a host of very expensive doctors, probably, quite possibly abroad, a lot. It will involve adoption services, a lot. It will involve the state and lots of paper work and possibly even stern looks from the person on the opposite of the desk, a lot.
And not one of those people who came up with the idea of the poster is going to make it easier for my possible family and others that are not like that image they chose to conjure up.

Another thing: the stereotyping is revolting. Even if I were in a hetero-relationship I would hate the fact that the poster makes mothers once more the nurturers and protectors of the newborn while the fathers are responsible for taking them out into the world. Bah.

Comments

[mothwing.livejournal.com]

That's too modern for our dear conservative government. They think that the reason of all the problems is the divorce rate rather than their fossilised concept of "family" (Man. Woman. Baby (/ies). Fullstop.) that turns this country in one of the family-UNfriendliest places in the world. Still, they want a world in which that's the only kind of family and are absolutely blind to the fact that it ISN'T, and never will be, or ever was, in fact. Idiots.

I love to see those slogans you had on posters, though!