I occasionally use a service called HARO, which stands for Help a Reporter Out. It's basically a website and emailing list that allows you to contribute your experience and expertise to local and national news stories. If your suggestion gets picked up, it's a really cool way to get some free exposure for whatever you're doing or working on. It 's also just a good way to get your name out there.
I thought that this might be a good way to promote Baby Daddy Blog. I sit here writing stories about parenting and pregnancy nearly every day, and I really like to explore the topic. I bring a lot of cultural knowledge and expertise as a former university teacher. I even have a handful of regular readers (about 100, if you're wondering). So what's the issue? It's that dads apparently shouldn't have anything to say about raising kids.
It's nothing wrong with HARO. They're really nothing more than a platform to put reporters and experts in touch. It's the news producers themselves. Every news query I've seen about parenting is either directed at doctors, psychologists, or moms. Dads are nowhere to be seen in discussions of parenting, and I think that's a real shame, because I know for a fact that there are a lot of caring, insightful fathers out there who actively care about and participate in their children's upbringing. Not me, but they're out there.
Now I get that the majority of kids are still raised by their mothers, but to assume that all of them are, or that fathers don't want to participate in parenting discussions is a real loss. Some kids have two dads. Some kids have one dad and no mom. Some kids are raised on a commune. By excluding a wide range of perspectives from mainstream discussions, we're allowing historical bias to pointlessly sculpt a supposedly more enlightened and educated present. I know that marketers obviously want to target a coherent group when it comes to parents, but it's a shame when it starts limiting who can say what. I say open the doors and let in as many voices as possible (and not just as curiosities or special interest pieces).
Let's bust this world wide open!
I remember when I was in grad school, being confronted with assignments that forced me to see the world form perspectives with which I thought I'd have little in common. What did I know about African or lesbian writers, say? Could I even ethically say anything? It took a lot of work to get into these assignments, but they turned out to be some of the most interesting and educational topics I've worked on. They expanded my sense of self. By being more inclusive in discussions of parenting, who knows what great new collaborative or alternate ideas we'd come up with?
I wish people would stop labeling parenting products "mommy this" and "mommy that". My wife and I saw a "mommy calendar" in Staples the other day, and she was seriously mad about it (and I felt her pain). She said it was absolving dads of all responsibility, and she was right. What message does it send that moms are the only ones responsible for appointments, classes, sports, etc.? What does a mommy calendar teach our kids? Needless to say, we will not be purchasing the mommy calendar.
Anyway, I could go on and on, but I'll leave it there for now. Feel free to weigh in in the comments.
I thought that this might be a good way to promote Baby Daddy Blog. I sit here writing stories about parenting and pregnancy nearly every day, and I really like to explore the topic. I bring a lot of cultural knowledge and expertise as a former university teacher. I even have a handful of regular readers (about 100, if you're wondering). So what's the issue? It's that dads apparently shouldn't have anything to say about raising kids.
It's nothing wrong with HARO. They're really nothing more than a platform to put reporters and experts in touch. It's the news producers themselves. Every news query I've seen about parenting is either directed at doctors, psychologists, or moms. Dads are nowhere to be seen in discussions of parenting, and I think that's a real shame, because I know for a fact that there are a lot of caring, insightful fathers out there who actively care about and participate in their children's upbringing. Not me, but they're out there.
Now I get that the majority of kids are still raised by their mothers, but to assume that all of them are, or that fathers don't want to participate in parenting discussions is a real loss. Some kids have two dads. Some kids have one dad and no mom. Some kids are raised on a commune. By excluding a wide range of perspectives from mainstream discussions, we're allowing historical bias to pointlessly sculpt a supposedly more enlightened and educated present. I know that marketers obviously want to target a coherent group when it comes to parents, but it's a shame when it starts limiting who can say what. I say open the doors and let in as many voices as possible (and not just as curiosities or special interest pieces).
Let's bust this world wide open!
I remember when I was in grad school, being confronted with assignments that forced me to see the world form perspectives with which I thought I'd have little in common. What did I know about African or lesbian writers, say? Could I even ethically say anything? It took a lot of work to get into these assignments, but they turned out to be some of the most interesting and educational topics I've worked on. They expanded my sense of self. By being more inclusive in discussions of parenting, who knows what great new collaborative or alternate ideas we'd come up with?
I wish people would stop labeling parenting products "mommy this" and "mommy that". My wife and I saw a "mommy calendar" in Staples the other day, and she was seriously mad about it (and I felt her pain). She said it was absolving dads of all responsibility, and she was right. What message does it send that moms are the only ones responsible for appointments, classes, sports, etc.? What does a mommy calendar teach our kids? Needless to say, we will not be purchasing the mommy calendar.
Anyway, I could go on and on, but I'll leave it there for now. Feel free to weigh in in the comments.
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