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Real men don’t change diapers

Real men don’t change diapers. Now that I have your attention, let me say that I am a strong proponent of every father being an equal partner in doody duty. Unfortunately, most societies have long given all the responsibility of child-rearing (and rear-cleaning) to moms. But modern man needs to step up.

As part of a two father family, men do ALL the dirty work in our house. But I’ve found that each time I change JJ, I’m being told that It’s Not My Job. Or that I Don’t Know What I’m Doing. Or that I’m Just Not Worthy. By the WIPES.

You see, we use Safeway’s store brand wipes. They’re great quality, inexpensive, and come unscented (a lot of name brand wipes are overly mediciney, IMHO). But the problem lies in the brand’s name: Mom to Mom.

I’m sure you can understand why I, the Daddy in a Daddy/Papa/Baby family am offended by this. But my problem lies not only in excluding families without moms, but in giving a pass to dads everywhere on taking care of business. I would say something about this sexist (Dad-ist?) brand feeling right at home in the 1950s. But even today, every sitcom or romcom about new parents features a sight gag of a father losing his mind (or lunch) over the idea of CARING FOR THE NEEDS OF HIS CHILD.

Granted, baby poop stinks and is messy. Especially in the bathtub. Or baby’s hair. Or yours. But seriously, if we’re going to promote stereotypes, aren’t fathers all about the messy and the smelly (plumbing, car repair, pet burial)?

You may be asking yourself, “Why don’t you just change brands?” I considered that. But as the blog name states, I’m a Designer Daddy. And as much as the Mom to Mom moniker bugs me, these wipes are just the perfect size and color scheme for the cute little baskets on JJ’s changing table. Hey, a man’s gotta pick his battles.

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