Bad examples?

Movies like “Daddy Day Care” and “Mr. Mom” don’t just perpetuate gender stereotypes (“What’s So Funny About a Guy Taking Care of Kids?” May 11). They perpetuate the idea that women always have to be able to cope no matter what situation they are in while men are allowed to fail. In the above-mentioned movies, if the man is left alone with the kids, chaos reigns, while the woman adjusts very well to the workplace. Another example is the J.C. Penney commercial in which Dad is home with the kids running amok while Mom is out breezing along shopping at Penney’s. That must insult every man’s intelligence.

Lynn Smith really hit the nail on the head by saying these movies perpetuate gender stereotypes, but she used two stories that were exceptions to the rule -- “Three Men and a Baby” and the episode of “I Love Lucy” where Lucy and Ethel went to work in the candy factory. In “Baby,” the father turned out to be very capable and had things under control. In “Lucy,” Lucy and Ethel made Fred and Ricky stay at home to find out that it takes skill to be a homemaker. It doesn’t matter if you are a man or a woman.

Grace Hampton

Burbank