How to lose customers and offend half the world's parents in one easy lesson

Massive congratulations to Chris Routly, a daddy blogger from Pennsylvania whose petition against Huggies' demeaning 'Dad Test' advertising campaign forced Kimberly-Clark (Huggies' multinational owners) into an embarrassing turnaround.

The original campaign was based on the idea that Huggies nappies could withstand the ultimate test - that of being put on and taken off by fathers...who are of course completely incompetent fools.

Yes folks, an idea this sexist, patronising and ridiculous got through whatever processes exist at this huge international company, and was deemed perfectly ok to unleash on the unsuspecting consumers of America.

Thanks to floods of complaints and Mr Routly's petition, the company decided to adapt its campaign. You can read about the whole sorry tale in the Washington Post and on Mr Routly's own blog, Daddy Doctrines.

You really couldn't make this stuff up, could you?

Sticking to the formula - Daddy Daycare Episode 2

OK, so the second episode of Daddy Daycare was essentially the same as the first. We know the formula:

1. Start with a dramatic voiceover pointing out that mums do all the parenting work and dads are useless (this is the same for each episode…just in case anyone were to forget exactly how terrible men are at all this stuff). 
2. Meet the three dads who are going to be ‘knocked into shape’ – in this episode, one who’s a workaholic, another who doesn’t see nappy-changing as his role, and a third who has five children and can’t cope with their behaviour. 
3. Meet the long-suffering mothers of their children, and the all-female staff of the nursery where the men will work for a week. 
4. Light the blue touch-paper and gaze in awe as the men get everything wrong and prove that yes, men really are hopeless. 
5. Slowly, as the film progresses and the men get space to learn and practise, find glimpses of their ‘inner dad’ shining through. 

Let’s not forget the all-important ‘money shots’ though. This week there were two. One was father-of-five Grant crying his way home, realising how much he’s missed out on by dealing with his own children in too heavy-handed a fashion. The second, a moving conversation between the workaholic dad and one of the nursery workers, who had lost her child to leukaemia at the age of 4, prompting her to change careers so as to care for others’ children. The message – life is precious, don’t take it for granted, spend time with your kids rather than in the office.

So far so obvious. The Fatherhood Institute rightly points out that what’s so desperately lacking in this series is a sense of balance. We already know Episode 3 won’t redress that. Although it does hold out hope of yet more obnoxious stereotyping…one of the hapless victims looks set to be not just useless…but also gay!

Preparing to be unprepared

In stark contrast to Daddy Daycare, A Dad Is Born - also made by Love Productions, ironically enough - offered a sensitive examination of what happens when men become fathers. Kira Phillips' film followed several men as they waited for their babies to arrive, attended the birth and dealt with the first couple of weeks at home.

It was moving to watch the men's fear, their attempts to do their best for their partners and children, and the simple day-to-day caring that is so central to becoming a modern father.

Keeping the ship steady...being there...coping with being unable to take the pain away...feeling the love...thinking about what kind of dad you want to be...dealing with your partner's emotions...wondering how other dads feel...holding it all together...

Reading all the books in the world can't prepare you for new fatherhood - but what this lovely little film showed in spades is that dads need to be open to its hugeness. That's something we in the UK do little to encourage, with our icy-cold ideas about masculinity, our father-blind maternity services and our all-too-short paternity leave provision. High time we put all that right.