Dads need to change diapers sometimes, too

This past weekend, my family and I went to eat a nice meal at the Columbia lakefront. Upon exiting the ladies room, I observed a man wandering around the area near the bathrooms with a baby in his arms. He looked perplexed, so I asked if I could help him. He stated that he needed to change his baby's diaper but there were no diaper-changing facilities in the men's bathroom.

I was aghast at this, but when I asked my husband, he confirmed that a large number of men's bathrooms have no diaper-changing facilities in them. Is this really what we think about men and fathers, that they don't care for the needs of young children? That only women would ever have a need to change a baby's diaper?

What about single fathers, or men out with their kids alone? Until we provide equal opportunities for men to parent, we cannot expect them to do so. I would encourage every restaurant in Howard County that wants the business of families to provide a diaper changing area in both the men's and women's restrooms.

 

Leeann Niccolini

Ellicott City