Here’s a surefire way to gain a boatload of admiration for women in two “easy” steps:

• Get a woman pregnant (perhaps even your wife)
• Watch that woman give birth

And partners, I’m not talking about just “being present” at the birth. I’m talking about being down by the magic place and full-on watching the miracle of the birth—from “the crowning moment” to the placenta’s world premiere.

Who the hell ever said the female was the “weaker sex”? That’s not a rhetorical question: seriously, who said it? I researched the phrase to no avail. It’s one of those mystical “quotes” that people rail against that were never really uttered. However, they do say that if men had to give birth, the race would be extinct. Ain’t that the truth? I can’t imagine doing what my wife did that day. And she did it without drugs. Twelve hours of contractions and three hours of pushing. I’ve never heard such screaming. And she never once fell back on those clichéd TV moments: like swearing at me for getting her into this mess in the first place.

What if…wait for it…what if the justice system made anyone convicted of a crime against a woman watch the birthing process first-hand? Wouldn’t that change around his perceptions and maybe even get him to gain crazy respect for that gender? Just a thought.

Watching a woman give birth almost makes me want to accept the concept of women’s tees on the golf course.

Almost.

And I don’t even golf.

Gents, did your appreciation of ‘the weaker sex’ skyrocket exponentially on your baby’s birthday?