Why my crying babies don’t need your comfort

I used to cry crying to my mom about my babies crying. I’d be at my wit’s end and she’d tell me it was normal. That my baby wouldn’t cry if they were content. I’d smile and nod, but I wanted to argue. “There’s just something wrong with him.”<br><br>I’ve since learned that my babies aren’t crying for comfort. They’re crying for an end to the patriarchy.<br><br>I’ve done lots of research and I’ve learned that babies are hyper aware of patriarchal society. When I’m feeling stressed about oppression, and it hits, they can feel it. They cry because they feel sympathetic to that plight. Imagine being so attuned to the dismay of others that you wail at the mere thought of mansplaining.<br><br>I work in the service industry and I see patriarchal injustices happen at work every single day. I’m not saying I’m some kind of feminist warrior, but I’ve definitely thrown a few subtle eye rolls at misogynistic remarks. My baby has picked up on that. I know this because I’m very intelligent and can read body language.<br><br>Some nights my partner has to take care of the baby while I’m at work. He does this by sticking the baby in a compressed sack and ignoring them until they get hungry. They never cry. It’s almost like they know he’s not as woke as me.<br><br>I give the baby a bath sometimes and that’s when the crying really starts. I think my crying babies don’t want the bathing water to be too warm because warm water feels too patriarchal. Imagine being a baby and having your bathing water dictated by someone else. It’s hard to feel like your identity is valid and being told what water temperature is right for you. When my crying babies are crying they just need a break from patriarchal bathing.<br><br>I don’t want to go into too much detail but my crying babies don’t want to sleep in the nursery right now because the nursery is very patriarchal. These walls are closing in on them and the furniture is oppressive. I can feel their pain. It’s like they’re begging me to smash the patriarchy with a feminist hammer.<br><br>When my crying babies cry I give them some space. I let them process the patriarchy. I take a deep breath, smile at them, and say “I know the patriarchy is making you cry but it will stop. Eventually.”