Mark Zuckerberg Changes Diapers; Should We Be Impressed?

It’s been a while since I went off on a rant. But after seeing a photo of Mark Zuckerberg changing his baby Maxima’s diaper on his Facebook page, I couldn’t hold back.

The picture shows Zuckerberg affectionately looking at Max while holding her legs with a burp cloth placed neatly on his shoulder and a caption that reads, “One more down, thousands to go.” With almost 2 millions likes and over 21,000 shares I wonder, should we be impressed?

Clearly most people on Facebook seem to think this is a big deal. Once person comments, “It’s so nice to see you participating in the wonderful moments with your daughter, even if that means changing her diapers!”

Since the status update, the media has chimed in. Us Weekly reports, “Dad on duty! Mark Zuckerberg is getting right into the swing of things with diaper duty.”

USA Today reported that the Facebook creator has “scored some serious social points” with this photo.

Really? Since when does a father score points for being a father? Am I the only one who thinks this is weird?

My husband changes diapers, cooks, cleans, does the laundry, among other things. Why should he get credit for doing something he’s supposed to do?

Don’t get me wrong; I appreciate all that he does. I’d go nuts if I had to bare the brunt of taking care of our kids and our home.

But why should my husband get a pat on the back for doing something he’s supposed to do? Why should Mark Zuckerberg be applauded for changing his daughter’s diaper? Is it because he defies a stereotype that’s been embedded in our society for so many years? Is it because he’s filthy rich and we expect him to have nannies on staff to help with raising his child?

It seems as if women are held to higher standards than men. If a mother changes a diaper, I highly doubt that it would make headlines. But if a father is seen doing it, he gets brownie points. I guess I’ll never quite understand that logic behind showering a man with compliments for doing his normal fatherly duties.

On the flip side, I do think it’s great that Zuckerberg decided to take a two-month paternity leave following Max’s birth. It’s obvious that he does enjoy being a dad and if that means inspiring other fathers to play an active part in raising their child, then I’m all of giving him props.