Despite working 12-hour days and having to go into work the next morning, Joe Duncan was there for his wife and newborn.
A hard-working husband and dad
To outsiders, the sight of a dad sleeping on the floor outside of the Emergency Room while his wife holds her sleeping newborn might seem like he's being lazy and can't stay awake for one of the most special moments of his life.
But the wife and mother in this case, Sara Duncan, knows better. In a Facebook post, she shared how her hard-working husband refused to stay home and sleep despite working 12 hours per day as a cement technician.
"Let’s talk about this because it doesn’t get enough attention," she wrote. "What some may see: a Dad sleeping while Mom stays awake holding their sleeping baby in the ER at 2am. What I see: A Dad sleeping on the hard floor of an ER after working 12 hour shifts 6 days a week for the last month, despite the fact his wife asked him to stay home and rest all because he didn’t want his babies in STL alone. Because he didn’t want his wife to have to do it on her own, no matter how exhausted he is."
She couldn't 'do this life without him'
Duncan told Good Morning America that her husband, Joe, had to return to a morning shift a few hours later, but still took the one-hour drive with his family to the hospital.
Shortly after she'd given birth, Duncan noticed Joe fast asleep in the hall and realized how much she appreciated him.
"I was looking at him thinking how thankful I am for him and how I wouldn't want to do this life without him," Duncan said.
"Parenting is really hard," she added. "I can't imagine doing it without him. Kudos to single moms. I have a husband who cooks, cleans, does diapers and baths, and I'm still exhausted."
In the post, Duncan went on to explain how some think marriage and parenting is splitting everything 50/50, but that's not always the case. "Some days it is. Other days it’s 60/40, 70/30, or even 80/20. And you have to be willing to pull your weight, no matter what your partner needs that day. This is what love is. This is what being a husband is. This is what being a Daddy is. And I wouldn’t want to do this life with anyone else! Thank you for all you do for us Daddy! We love you!"
Many can relate
Judging by the reception to the post (more than 25,000 reactions and comments), the photo — and Joe's parenting — resonated with a lot of people.
One commenter wrote: "A REAL TRUE AMERICAN HERO!!!! FAMILY FIRST!!! GO DADDY !! GO!!!"
Another said: "I HOPE SOMEONE DONATES A MILLION DOLLARS TO THIS DEDICATED MAN.God bless him and his family. Hope his little girl is okay."
Not all dads (but some)
If you were to form your opinion of husbands and fathers by watching movies or looking at famous people in the media, you might think that all men aren't doing enough for their families. And while there is still plenty of work to do for gender equality, there are good guys out there working hard for their families — and Joe Duncan appears to be one of them.
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