Posted on 21. Sep, 2004 by Brian Reid in General
Positive Reinforcement: OK, so I’ve aimed slings and arrows at Parenting for ignoring and mocking fathers. Some have questioned — in comments and in private — whether any parent-oriented magazine can make any sort of effort toward men. The answer is yes.
Parents this month (October) makes a stab at at least making fathers feel included. In addition to their traditional dads page, they’ve run a piece on “Smart Daddy Tricks,” culling child-care tidbits from fathers. And … in their tiny “overheard on our boards” segment about the website’s message board they ran an e-mail from a dad lamenting the lack of changing tables in men’s bathrooms. Finally, they ran a mom-focused martial advice story (“Are You Mad at Your Husband”) that is a) written by a … guy and b) has actual advice. Now, I won’t say any of the above make for gripping or enlightening reading, but someone at that pub obviously is interested in taking dads seriously. (Full disclosure: I have worked for Parents in the past on a freelance basis and may again in the future. But I don’t think that colors my analysis.)
Parenting is positioned as the slick, hip player in this media space, with sassier writing … and a total avoidance of serious dad issues. Parents is proving that it doesn’t have to be that way.
Ab_Normal
21. Sep, 2004
I feel better than ever that we were too broke to subscribe to that type of magazine when the sprog was young. In fact, while my husband will gladly read the manual when he’s fixing a car, he steadfastly refused to read any of the books I picked up while I was pregnant. I think that made him more confident. At least he wasn’t second-guessing himself.
Fred Vincy
24. Sep, 2004
I hate to say that I’m underwhelmed. A whole article devoted to clever things fathers have done! It sounds like the whole concept of the article reinforces the assumption that fathers are dim, uninvolved, and useless, even if it plays off that assumption by offering a few counterexamples.
I do read parenting magazines from time to time, and mostly I just make the mental adjustment and pretend that when they’re talking about mothers they’re really talking about me, but if I stop to think of it the presumption in these magazines that the reader is female is rather alienating. I suspect it would take changing the sexism _and_ improving overall quality of content to make me a more regular reader.
RebelDad
24. Sep, 2004
Fred -
You’re absolutely right. I didn’t find any of the tips to be terribly surprising. Heck, there wasn’t even a reference to duct tape.
The parenting mags are in a tough spot: they have to repackage the exact same themes again and again and again. And it shows …
— rD
amy
24. Sep, 2004
Unfortunately, that’s because the consumers buy the same things over and over again. I used to work for Rodale, and I was aghast at the text-repackaging business there — a single empty paragraph could easily end up in six or seven products, many of which could be sold to people who already had the text in other formats. Hell of a thing to say about people, but there it is.
Tips and tricks, it’s what they want. Or, as my favorite copywriter said, “a magic brownie.”
Dan Jacobson
28. Sep, 2004
I still don’t like being treated as a novelty with a little wink to the readership, like “we all know this is really for you mothers, but let’s humor the guys for a bit.”
It’s like we’re allowed to participate inasmuch as we’re willing to reinforce gender stereotypes like being into gadgets or whatever, or to act as comic relief-look at him, he’s trying to be a mother! A little neutral language could go a long way.