Unbinding Parenting (Economics)

I am really intrigued by this idea of "unbinding" things. It allows everyone to trully think critially about everything in a new light. It allows me to pose new questions and form new ideas. When I first began thinking about parenting unbound I used Daddy Day Care the movie as an example/an example to get me thinking about what it meant to "unbind" a concept. I decided to dig deeper into that idea using Daddy Day Care as an example: 

Parenting Unbound (economics)

In our society we have encouraged women to stay at home while men work. Are women staying at home because they truly are the best-fit parent to do so or is it solely because of their gender? Through a parenting unbound lens we are able to look past a woman and a man and think critically about roles imparted on both genders. Women shouldn’t stay at home solely because they are mothers but rather because it’s the most economically sensible decision. If a man stays home with his child it shouldn’t be frowned upon but rather encouraged if it is the most sensible decision. We need to encourage women to do more than be house wives but to begin careers and encourage men to put their families first. Due to the fact that we have been so fixated on gender and sex when it comes to parenting, we judge and sneer at households that aren’t necessarily “conventional.” Thus, in order to discontinue the seeds of patriarchy we must begin to reform the dynamics of parenting.

            An example of parenting unbound is the movie Daddy Day Care. Daddy Day Care directed by Steve Carr is a well-known movie starring Eddie Murphy, Jeff Garlin and Anjelica Huston.  It begins to critique parenting through a parenting unbound lens. Fathers are running a daycare and staying home with the children while the mothers are going out to work.  When looking past gender and sex we are able to see that this decision shouldn’t be judged or critiqued but rather it should be praised. Murphy was unable to find a job so he stayed at home with his son. This is the most economically sensible decision made. If we ignore his gender it allows us to focus on the decision itself and how smart it was. It allows him to not only spend more time with his child and relieve the burden off his wife but also encourages his wife to make a living.  We must start allowing women to embrace their lives and search for true happiness outside of the home. If we are able to put their career first rather than their family then that may be a mode to fulfillment. If we make this a norm for women to want to be in the workforce rather than at home then men caring for the house wont seem abnormal or odd. In this movie it emphasis that men are just as capable as women to care for children but due to the many misconceptions about men it is very difficult to see. This again is shunned upon being that men are expected to be very stern, angry and unsupportive beings and aren’t suited for parenting. However, if we ignore that and purify parenting of “norms” than we would see this set up is perfectly fine. We want to encourage a healthy family dynamic.