OPINION: Moms and dads

The Battle of the Sexes reared its ugly head recently as Canadian parents, fueled by the comments of a loose-lipped politician, are asking very pointed questions.

Is Justice Minister Peter Mackay a good boy from Nova Scotia who just wants a normal family life with his former Miss World Canada wife and his toddler son?

Or, as some critics suggest, is Mr. MacKay a “sexist retrograde pig” who wants to take women back to the days of Father Knows Best?
Either way, it looks like Canada has found an emotional motherhood issue to chew on and mommies and daddies have been quick to anger.

Unfortunately for the Minister, his words have become a lightening rod for this stormy affair and his family is on display as Exhibit A.
He is an unlikely villain if you ask me – for all I know he really is a good boy who has done very well for himself and is trying to balance family and career.

However, circumstances and some poorly-chosen words have forced him to defend himself against what he considers a simple misunderstanding at best (or worst).

He claims to have gained new insights in his fourteen months as a new dad and he now knows why there aren’t more woman judges.

His reasoning is unclear and his logic is being questioned – he said it had something to do with motherly devotion versus the drudgery of career and world politics.

In Peter’s case, the missus decided to be a stay-at-home mom and he fully supported her decision by being a Superdad and helping out around the house.

No kidding - his wife, Nazanin “Stand by Your Man” Afshin-Jam defended her spouse with a laundry list of his domestic chores.

In addition to nurturing his new son Kian Alexander, the Justice Minister mows the lawn, does the garbage and recycling and cleans house (his house, not the House of Commons).

He changes diapers, does most of the laundry and heavy cleaning and he even sews, a skill his grandpa taught him.

Based on his hand stitching alone, this is not an evil, bad man – he is just being misunderstood.

But then came Mothers Day and the Minister, like the good employer he is, sent a friendly e-mail to all the moms on his staff.

Nothing was questioned until his Fathers Day message was delivered and the two documents were compared by the watchful eyes of sensitive mommies and daddies.

The female staffers were praised for efficiently handling their home and childcare duties in the morning and then a productive day at Mr. MacKay’s office.

I assume they finish their domestic chores when they get home after work, which is also worthy of praise.

The men were hailed and commended for their tireless efforts in shaping the minds and futures of the next generation of leaders.

Helping out around the house, in the morning or otherwise, was not mentioned although some dudes probably take out the garbage on their way to the office.

For his part the Minister is completely befuddled by the public reaction and has chosen not to fuel things any further by trying to explain himself.

In an interview in 2005 he said that if he were faced with the choice, he would take having a family every time over leading his party or even the country.

He also added, “That’s not to say you can’t do both.”

A few years down the road good boy Peter MacKay will be able to see what path he decided to follow – career or parent, both at the same time or something else altogether.