Parenting: Viral Photo of Dad Asleep on Hospital Floor Stirs Reactions
- When Sara and her husband Joe's youngest baby was admitted to hospital, the latter had just come from a 12-hour working shift that went on for six days
- Despite the exhausting schedule, Joe turned down his wife's request to stay home and rest and instead chose to spend in the ward with them
- "Marriage and parenting aren’t 50/50. Some days it’s 60/40, 70/30, or even 80/20. And you have to be willing to pull your weight, no matter what your partner needs that day. This is what love is," she wrote
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Sara and her husband Joe Duncan had a moment every parent goes through once in a while; tending to a sick baby.
Source: UGC
As it happened, the baby's sickness coincided with a time when Joe had a 12-hour working shift that went on for six days.
Despite the exhausting schedule, Joe turned down his wife's request to stay home and rest while she took care of the baby and instead chose to spend in the ward with them.
Sara took a photo of Joe and shared it on her Facebook page, explaining that as much as people may conclude the man is sleeping while mom stays awake in the ER at 2 am, she saw a husband who didn’t want his wife to have to do it on her own, no matter how exhausted he was.
"Marriage and parenting aren’t 50/50. Some days it is. Other days it’s 60/40, 70/30, or even 80/20. And you have to be willing to pull your weight, no matter what your partner needs that day. This is what love is," she wrote.
Whereas Joe is a cement technician at a local factory, Sara is a teacher from Missouri.
Joe had just come off a 12-hour shift the night before and had a morning shift ahead but chose to head to the hospital with the family.
"I knew that he was exhausted. I said, 'stay home. I know my way, and he was like, 'No, you're not going up there by yourself," Sara told Good Morning America.
The mother of two further added that Joe's sacrifice epitomizes what being a husband and father is and that she would not want to do life with anyone else.
"Thank you for all you do for us, Daddy! We love you!" she expressed.
According to Sara, she posted from the bottom of her heart because she is aware she does not give Joe enough recognition for how good a husband and father he is.
Her post received 22 000 reactions, 3 000 comments, and 37 000 shares as the online community added voice to her sentiments.
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Source: Briefly News
Maryn Blignaut (Human-Interest HOD) Maryn Blignaut is the Human Interest manager and feature writer. She holds a BA degree in Communication Science, which she obtained from the University of South Africa in 2016. She joined the Briefly - South African News team shortly after graduating and has over six years of experience in the journalism field. Maryn passed the AFP Digital Investigation Techniques course (Google News Initiative), as well as a set of trainings for journalists by Google News Initiative. You can reach her at: maryn.blignaut@briefly.co.za
Kelly Lippke (Senior Editor) Kelly Lippke is a copy editor/proofreader who started her career at the Northern-Natal Courier with a BA in Communication Science/Psychology (Unisa, 2007). Kelly has worked for several Caxton publications, including the Highway Mail and Northglen News. Kelly’s unique editing perspective stems from an additional major in Linguistics. Kelly joined Briefly News in 2018 and she has 14 years of experience. Kelly has also passed a set of trainings by Google News Initiative. You can reach her at kelly.lippke@briefly.co.za.
