This Girl Dad Has A Blunt Message For Every Person Who Pities Him For Having Daughters
“Nobody says that stuff to my wife. They only say it to me.”
One girl dad has a blunt message for anyone who apologizes to him with sympathies for having four daughters. He doesn’t need any sort of pity, and he’d like to know what you mean when you say, “I’m sorry!” after learning he’s surrounded by girls.
“My daughters can understand you. Every single time I go out, people will come up to me. If I have my four daughters, they'll come up to me and they'll be like, ‘Oh, I'm so sorry,’” Austin von Letkemann explained in his now-viral TikTok.
“All my kids can speak and understand English. They know what you're saying — hurts their feelings.”
He goes on to say that the old joke about daughters being a burden on their parents is tired (not to mention sexist!).
“I'm not sorry that I have daughters. I love being a girl, dad. I love having girls. The joke is old. It's worn out. It's not original. It's not clever. It doesn't even make a lot of sense. I'm so tired of people coming up to me and telling me that they're sorry that I have daughters,” he continued before giving an example of another worn-out joke so many people still think is funny.
“Oh, make sure your shotgun's ready!” he imitates. Gross!
Though this kind of sexist and lame jokes won’t cease any time soon, he does have a wonderful and direct clapback that typically stops the banter in its tracks.
“Funniest thing is, if you ask them, ‘Why?’, they immediately get very uncomfortable. Why are you sorry? What are you getting at here? I actually had one person get mad at me one time for asking why. Don't ask me silly goose questions and I won't give you silly goose questions,” he said.
“Honest to God, if I had a fifth child, which is not going to happen, God willing, if I had a fifth child, I'd hope it was a girl. I love having girls. I love being a girl dad. There's nothing to be sorry about. There's nothing to feel sorry about, and it really is very hurtful to my daughters.”
He continued: “So, if you meet me in person and you see them, please stop doing that. And if you say that kind of stuff to other people, stop saying it to them too. Nobody says that stuff to my wife. They only say it to me. I think it's funny commentary on specific aspects of society too, when you think about it.”
In von Letkemann’s comment section, several TikTok users agreed with him, including fellow girl dads who felt so seen.
“Girl dad of 3. Thank you!!! I used to want to punch people that said ‘you gonna try for a boy?’ Instead, I rebut with ‘Why? Are my girls not good enough?’ Love watching them squirm with awkwardness,” one user wrote.
“‘You’re outnumbered in your house!!’ um.. no sir we’re just a family there’s no teams 😭😭,” another wrote.
“THIS! My dad raised 5 girls and he'd tell EVERYBODY that ‘There isn't a damn thing your boys can do that my girls can't do better!’ 😊,” another shared.
He’s totally right. What is so horrible about having a bunch of women in your life as a dad specifically? Are girls too “emotional”? Too “needy”? Too “everything”? The stigmas attached to women and girls and the female gender, in general, are so tired and overdue for an overhaul.
And it starts with men like von Letkemann who are willing to stand up, be vocal, and take down these ridiculous stigmas.
