When You Remember the Time – No Shit Sherlock Award

Sometimes you read a byline that speaks to you in a roll-your-eyes sort of way. I’d like to award the No Shit Sherlock Award to the scientists who uncovered this little nugget of obviousness.

Mothers with multiple children report more fragmented sleep than mothers of a single child, but the number of children in a family doesn’t seem to affect the quality of sleep for fathers. from r/science

I could have told anyone that from the sleepless nights, I spent laying next to the ex while he slept on, seemingly unconcerned. We both worked, yet somehow it was me who was compelled to care for our children at all stages when they needed their parents to comfort or care for them.

Should have seen it coming

I should have known when the boys were infants that he was going to be a terrible parent when he could sleep peacefully, as I sat up worried if one of them had a fever. I deeply resented him for his sense of entitlement. Like he was the only one deserving of any rest, regardless of the situation.

One time, when I confronted him about it, he had the nerve to reply that he had to be at work in the morning. Motherfucker. I also had to work in the morning.

Double standards abound

This was especially frustrating when we were both in the Navy back in the day. It’s like really asshole? What, is your job at your command more important than mine? Are my superiors going to be appreciative or understanding of the fact that I missed out on sleep because my child was unwell?

Fuck no. Instead, I got the comment “Aren’t you married? Couldn’t your husband have stayed up to help?”. Yeah. Thanks for that advice! Why didn’t I think of that?

What a surprise!

No shit, this kind of behavior is going to cause tension in the marital relationship. It does not take any kind of doctorate degree, or official study to conclude this. The unevenness of our parental relationship played a pivotal role in my ultimate decision-making process to divorce the sorry sack of shit. Thanks for nothing.

I am sure somewhere out there in the great wide world there are men who make good fathers. Concerned human beings with an ounce of common decency. Sadly, I have not made their acquaintance.