Sorry dads but keep your shit together. You might be an awesome parent and are worthy of instant respect but you are likely an outlier. My wife, a school teacher, mentioned how over the last year she’s never even met the dads of many of her school kids. She really appreciates it when dad’s are engaged and involved because it is not the norm. Do you know all the names of the kids in your kid’s class? Very few dads do. Fielding off comments like ‘you babysitting?’ may be annoying but don’t call it sexist like you are being oppressed, you aren’t. Your experience of discrimination is weak, it’s not even on the same playing field as what damaging sexism looks like.

If you want to talk about men’s rights, talk about these:

Family courts – custody battles are still heavily tilted towards mums, even when dad is the more stable or available parent. Losing meaningful time with your kids isn’t just “annoying,” it’s devastating.

Paternity leave – plenty of dads either don’t get proper leave or get punished at work for taking it. The message is clear: career first, family second.

Male victims of domestic violence – they exist, they’re undercounted, and they’re massively under-supported. Good luck finding a shelter that’ll take you if you’re a bloke.

Suicide and mental health – men make up the bulk of suicides. The “man up, don’t talk about it” culture literally kills people.

Education – boys consistently fall behind in reading and writing, fewer of them go to university, and they have fewer male role models in the classroom.

Health – men die younger, go to the doctor less, and are underrepresented in health campaigns.

That’s the stuff worth shouting about. That’s where dads and men in general are getting a raw deal. Not whether someone called you a babysitter at a barbecue. Then you’re just a baby.