Speaking as a mom, I don’t want to give dads a bad rap. Really, I don’t. Like most moms, I’m grateful for you dads out there and all that you do. But what new mother hasn’t laid awake while the baby cried, staring nuclear-powered death rays into her sleeping husband’s back and wondered, “How can he NOT hear this?!!” Admit it, moms, we’ve all done it.
That’s not to say, of course, that there aren’t plenty of dads out there who hop up at the first sound of a whimper – whether it’s coming from a toddler or a teen. But moms have something special when it comes to hearing. We have a supernatural gift called, simply: MOM EARS.
Mom ears allow us to hear a pin drop from three rooms away and immediately assess the danger of someone stepping on said pin. Mom ears let us hear when a toddler has snuck into the kitchen and is helping themselves to the cookie jar. Mom ears allow us to hear even the quietest mutterings of a snarky teenager. And mom ears allow us to know whether a baby’s cry means they’re hungry, they just want to be held, or they need a diaper change…at which point we shout for dad, because, after all, it’s his turn for diaper duty. Which leads us, naturally, to dad ears.
Dads also have a special gift. They have the ability to tune out even the loudest of noises. A baby can cry for 15 minutes in the middle of the night before mom finally gets up to check on him and dad will sleepily roll over and mumble, “Oh…you’re up? I didn’t even hear him.” A toddler can destroy a bedroom, the guest bath, and 75% of the kitchen and dad won’t hear a thing. A raging band of emotional terrorists can enter the house disguised as teenage girls, and dad will just turn up the TV. Compared to mom hearing, sometimes it feels as though dads might as well be deaf.
But then again, dads might just have the right idea. In this hilarious video via The Holderness Family of internet fame, we see the perfect parody of mom hearing vs. dad hearing…and we have to admit, dad looks a WHOLE lot less stressed! Be sure to watch past the first skit to hear the Holderness’s talk to each other about the phenomena of what moms hear vs what dads hear. They actually both make a lot of sense!
In the meantime, you know what, dads, hats off to you. Maybe us moms could learn from you about how to tune out the little stuff and enjoy the peace and quiet – even if it’s only in our heads. But just for the record, when it comes to diaper duty and midnight feedings, well…we’ll make sure you hear what we have to say about that, don’t worry!
For more hilarious and heartwarming videos about parents, kids, and life in general, be sure to check out our entire Share Saturdays series!
