Actually, Piers, We DO Want Extended Paternity Leave

I’m not exactly sure where to even start with this one. I’ll just come right out and say it. Piers Morgan should just stop talking. No, really. He apparently believes he speaks for all dads. Oh, I’m sorry, just “most” dads. Ehhh! Wrong! This morning, the former CNN host–and all-around blow-hard–dropped this little ditty on Twitter–after saying stupid, offensive, possibly sexist stuff on “Morning Joe” on MSNBC.

I don't think @morningmika liked me saying most men don't actually want extended paternity leave. But it's true… we don't.

— Piers Morgan (@piersmorgan) May 7, 2015

I was alerted to this tweet By Josh Levs, author of All In – How Our Work-First Culture Fails Dad, Families, and Businesses-And How We can Fix It Together. Levs responded with some tweets of his own.

.@piersmorgan @JoeNBC Wrong! Today's dads want MORE time for caregiving: http://t.co/XukyYf23f0 #AllInBook https://t.co/FIlXmJCNpc

— Josh Levs (@JoshLevs) May 7, 2015

Do you think Morgan was finished there? Oh, no, my friends. He continued to antagonize and shout down those of use who completely disagreed with him. Also known as modern parents.

Most mothers I know can't wait to see their men back to work. We get in the way and are invariably utterly useless in the baby department.

— Piers Morgan (@piersmorgan) May 7, 2015

I suspect all these Paternity-leave-loving Dads have not actually become a Dad yet. Come back to me when you have.

— Piers Morgan (@piersmorgan) May 7, 2015

Mind you, I can change a nappy/diaper in 2 minutes from start to finish, one-handed – while on the phone with the other. #superdad

— Piers Morgan (@piersmorgan) May 7, 2015

None of my 4 children has ever said: 'Dad, I so wish you'd spent more time with me as a three week old baby.'

— Piers Morgan (@piersmorgan) May 7, 2015

What happened while all of his idiotic and 1950s-era tweets were flying was that fathers everywhere were letting him know that he was, in fact, wrong. Both of us (Nick and Ben) did not have paternity leave available to us when Maddie and Emma were born. So, Ben had to use vacation time and unpaid time off to stay home with his newborn baby girl. I, also used vacation time and telecommuted briefly when Maddie was born.

When Sophia was born, I had just lost a job, so I stayed home with her for six months. And it was amazing. Don’t try to tell me that every dad having the opportunity to stay home for a month, maybe two, with their newborn babies isn’t good for them, for the baby, for their partner, and for their life. It’s how it should be and it’s a damn shame that we have to fight to have any paternity leave time.

We didn’t let Levs have all the fun with Piers Morgan. Nope, I was busy throwing tweets back at that smug excuse for a journalist.

@piersmorgan @morningmika And by "we" do you mean you? Do some research before making a sweeping generalization that is just not true

— Poppin' Bottles (@PBDadCast) May 7, 2015

@piersmorgan Well that's one view. It's wrong, but it's one view. Maybe sit a few plays out. Or, better, just stop talking.

— Poppin' Bottles (@PBDadCast) May 7, 2015

And my personal favorite:

@piersmorgan By one-handed, did you mean you point at the nanny to change the diaper for you?

— Poppin' Bottles (@PBDadCast) May 7, 2015

We weren’t the only people taking Piers Morgan to task for his out-of-date, and out-of-touch views. Many a dad hopped on the train and told him how wrong he was. It’s views like his, and his insistence that he is right, that are a serious problem in this country. He’s not right, and he needs to hear it, learn it, and understand that their is a new breed of fathers in this country–hell bent on turning around the stereotypes of the idiot dad and the dad that just works and yells at their kids.

This is the most inane comment about fatherhood. Keep your uselessness to yourself instead of speaking on our behalf https://t.co/DdL9pgkpjD

— Charlie N Andy (@HowToBeADad) May 7, 2015

A spatula. #ThingsThatAreBetterAtParentingBabiesThanPiersMorgan

— Charlie N Andy (@HowToBeADad) May 7, 2015

Today in irony, @piersmorgan regains a moment of relevance through an admission of irrelevance. The Internet is funny.

— Whit Honea (@whithonea) May 7, 2015

@piersmorgan "Honey! Piers said I'm useless and in the way with the kids. Call me when dinners ready I'll be at the tavern with da boys!"

— John Joyce (@poochamungas) May 7, 2015

You keep using that word (we). I do not think it means what you think it means. YOU are in the way & useless. https://t.co/vXW4ZnQPqj

— DadLabs (@DadLabs) May 7, 2015

I suspect they say the same thing now. https://t.co/p0btWOl2WA

— John Willey (@DaddysinCharge) May 7, 2015

.@piersmorgan Hey Piers, 1955 called. It wants its opinion back.

— John Kinnear (@askdadblog) May 7, 2015

Diaper changing, @piersmorgan? THAT'S your #superdad bonafides? Does knowing how to roll a burrito make you a #superchef too? #raisethebar

— Chris Routly (@ChrisRoutly) May 7, 2015

.@piersmorgan I'm sure you honestly feel that way, but speaking for all #dads is presumptive. And ill-advised. @HuffPostMedia @morningmika

— Doug French (@mrdougfrench) May 7, 2015

So, Piers, instead of shouting us down for calling you out–and for forcing one of your co-hosts to roll off the set–maybe you should listen and learn. That way, we can all move forward.