Dads do way more housework than we used to. Now, let’s take on more of the emotional load. (used with permission) In a lot of ways, in terms of working and taking care of our home and our son, my wife and I have something relatively close to a 50/50 arrangement. However, in one critical way, I have not been holding up my end of the bargain. I have not stepped up to take on 50% of the emotional load. (Please follow that link for a GREAT visual explanation). Let me explain. For

In one year, Huggies’ advertising went from depicting dads as incompetent boobs to depicting them as capable involved parents. Here’s a brief analysis of how and why they made the change. What a difference a year makes! That was then: ABC News’ coverage of Huggies’ March 2012 ads that depicted dads as “hapless and hopeless in caring for their babies” (click on the picture to watch the piece) Way back in the Stone Age of March 2012, Huggies ran some ads to show that their diap

I was happy to be asked to join a panel of experts and parents on HuffPost Live for a half-hour live show,  “Leaning Together,” about Sheryl Sandberg’s “Lean In” and Lisa Belkin’s article about how, in order for women to “Lean In” to careers, men have to do more at home. A screencap of my 3/19/13 appearance on Huff Post Live! The segment originally aired Wednesday afternoon, but you can watch it here at your leisure. http://live.huffingtonpost.com/r/segment/sheryl-sandberg-le

I realize this doesn’t apply to everyone (and is absolutely a first-world problem), but I suspect many of the busy career-oriented dads reading this blog have more money than time at their disposal. Luckily the one can be traded for the other- there are many ways to buy yourself time. This time can then be better spent on being a great dad than on housely tasks that sap your (and/or your wife’s) energy. Here are a few examples of things we can do to buy time. Your mileage may

Updated 3/25/13 The stereotype: “Housework is the only activity at which men are allowed to be consistently inept because they are thought to be so competent at everything else” – Letty Cottin Pogrebin The reality: “The fellow who owns his own home is always coming out of a hardware store” -Kin Hubbard Jobs using these do not get counted in major studies of housework (photo used under Creative Commons agreement) For decades, The Bureau of Labor Statistics has conducted the Am