Media...

[Sianide]

I rarely see stuff on tv or hear radio ads with the father of a child in it. Its usually about the mothers loving there kids then it mentions they need some product. Now don't get me wrong the mother of my child is always there for him and I have nothing against mothers. Just irritates me a bit. I'm a stay at home dad. Maybe I should be happy I'm not manipulated into buying products..

 

[NancyM]

I rarely see stuff on tv or hear radio ads with the father of a child in it. Its usually about the mothers loving there kids then it mentions they need some product. Now don't get me wrong the mother of my child is always there for him and I have nothing against mothers. Just irritates me a bit. I'm a stay at home dad. Maybe I should be happy I'm not manipulated into buying products..

Now that you mention it I see your point. I think I've seen maybe one or two where the dad was caring for the child, but I can't tell you which commercial it was.

lol interesting.

 

[cybele]

We have quite a few here, including that horrible natural confectionery one with the little girl with the whiny sooky voice, caked in make-up whining "Don't the dinosaur daddy" oh how I hate that ad.

 

[mom2many]

You aren't the only dad on here who feels that way, and all I will say is that the target audience is still woman, they are still the largest SAHP group and the 'main' caregiver. I'm not discounting dads, just saying.

 

[akmom]

I hate that paper towel commercial where a mother in a spotless house is advertising the product, then a group of rowdy kids run by in dirty clothes, knocking stuff over, and she just smiles like it's cute. Uh, it's not cute when a bunch of muddy kids run through the house with their shoes on. Moms don't think it's cute either. And there's no way she'd have a house that clean if she allowed them to do that... not even with the strongest, most absorbent paper towels on the market!


And what is with the toddler pouring his own milk from a gallon jug? Really? At that point, I don't think the brand of paper towels is the issue. Just pour it for him already!

 

[csdax]

It's not just ads - it's everything. Look in a toy store at the 'boys' aisle and 'girls' aisle, which tell kids what they're 'supposed' to be interested in. You won't find dolls or cookware in the boys' section. Go to the park and hear "he's such a boy", when a kid climbs high. In a playgroup, a girl playing with a baby hears "Are you being a Mommy?", whereas a boy playing with a baby hears "Are you looking after the baby?" Look at Halloween costumes, where boys are animals and superheros, while girls are princesses or witches in pretty dresses. Watch movies or TV shows where the whole premise of the comedy is the fact that it's a man as primary caregiver, rather than a woman.

However much I try to even out the score (I'm a SAHM with a degree in Mechanical Engineering), my daughters are bombarded with this bullshit all the time.

Be irritated!

 

[singledad]

IDK. I don't mind the adds that much. Actually, I make an effort not to watch adds. I'm sick of having products pushed down my throat, especially considering that so many adds these days are all about convincing you that you have a problem that you never knew about...

What ticks me off is the other places where dad's are excluded. Eg - this wasn't the first parenting forum I checked out. But it was the only one where I felt welcome as a dad. Many parenting forums are very anti-man. Then there are all the other things - <U>MOMS</U>&amp;tods. <U>MOMMY</U>&amp;baby fairs. Single <U>MOTHER</U>'s support groups. Letters from the school that are addressed "Dear <U>Mommy</U>". (In all fairness, it only took one objection from me for them to change it to 'Dear parent').

And don't get me started on being a single, working dad and trying to get the same freedoms that are afforded to single, working moms, or ever married, working moms... Yes, I need to stay home with my sick child sometimes. Yes, sometimes I come late because I had to talk to her teacher. No, I can't work late because I have to pick up my kid from school. Yes, I want the day off because my kid has a sports day at school. None of these things would have been an issue if I was a woman...

 

[Shaun Austin]

I know what you mean us dads go through a lot too. There is still the image that mum does everything well in our house thats not the case. Having had our kids in two sets really close together (17 and 16 then 8 and 7) it meant my wife who is a vet still had a career. when Callum (our 16 y/o) was about 4 she went back to work part time as both kids were in school, going up to full time just a year later she then left to have Cameron (our 8 Y/O) when Maddie (our youngest) turned four she went back to work part time again. She now runs her own practice and can be extremly busy. I also work full time and so life can be busy. I think its time us dads were catered for cause I do just as much in our household.

 

[Cartter]

Its all about marketing and it can be anything for it maybe it has become trend or fashion to show of like this

 

[cybele]

We have this series of ridiculous ads for Kmart here (I don't know... do you guys have Kmart? It's like Target pretty much) where a couple hundred hysterical mothers run through the store and start screaming and dancing because of all the low low prices.

It's the most hilarious thing ever. Yes, us mothers are so dull that a $2 soup bowl causes us to scream and cry hysterically.