A slumber party seems unattainable for a young girl in Texas, as her single dad expressed pain over his inability to host one. A video posted on TikTok showed a man recording himself as he spoke about an encounter he had last year as a single dad. The caption read, “I’m a dad first before I’m anything else.”
He explained that he was trying to throw his daughter a slumber party and mentioned that no woman was in the house. It was just him and his daughter. He went on to share that he had reached out to one of the mothers, considering she had more experience and could help plan things properly. “And then I ask, does she feel comfortable having…” the father began, before revealing that the woman interrupted him midway, responding, “I don’t feel comfortable with that at all.”
While he admitted that he understood where her response came from, he was also honest about how it made him feel. “I expressed that with other women,” he said. “Well, Mark Anthony, you gotta see where she’s coming from and blah blah blah,” he explained, was the response he got after sharing his concern. “It just hurts to see that as a man, I get labeled as that,” he added, expressing how painful it felt knowing he would never harm any child.
He shared that something similar had happened to him as a kid, by a woman, and now, it hurts to know that people assume he could do the same thing to others. He said it affected him profoundly and was almost a tearful experience. The video quickly gained traction, sparking a mix of empathy and criticism. Some people understood his pain, while others stood firmly with the woman’s decision.
“It doesn’t matter how you feel. Their safety is more important than that,” someone wrote, dismissing his emotional struggle. Another offered a practical suggestion rather than labeling him, saying, “It’s not a label. It’s just not a move a single father should make, for your own protection. Maybe have the grandma host it, or your homegirl host it with you not being there.”
“That woman was not singling you out at all. The answer would be no for any male. And even if the mother was in the house with the father, the answer gonna still be no,” another user added firmly. Someone else compared it to real-life scenarios, saying, “The female nurses will ask if I’m comfortable being alone with a female practitioner at the OB-GYN office, and we’re all female. Men that don’t get it, won’t get it.”
Amid the criticism, a few voices offered compassion and support. “I definitely understand your POV, and your feelings are valid. ❤️” one person wrote. “It’s very sad that as a father you have to deal with a stereotype that assumes you are an abuser. I think your feelings are valid,” another commented.
Highlighting misplaced bias, a user wrote, “Although I get it’s unfair, men are statistically more likely to be predators. People tend to feel a sense of safety if a woman is around in the household, although sometimes that sense of trust is misplaced.” One user expressed frustration at the broader societal issue: “I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, I would hate to be a man in today’s world. You’re automatically looked at as a rapist, serial killer, murderer, or cheater until you prove yourself innocent. It’s sad. 😞.”
