Dammit, Pampers. Not Again.
Posted on 10. Sep, 2010 by Brian Reid.
So the fine folks at P&G have been keeping a low profile, not sending me much in the way of e-mail since Father’s Day, when they embraced dads for at least 24 hours via a Drew Brees-fueled media blitz.
But today, they figured they’d try again, and I received a “Gifts to Grow” e-mail that went like this:
Hello BRIAN,
We hope your summer has been filled with sun and fun. This month, you’ll find great deals for redeeming your points, a code for 5 bonus points and much more. Enjoy the rest of your summer. And be sure to tell other moms about Gifts to Grow. (ital. mine)
Now, I have been mocked for my obsession with diaper marketing (especially since it’s been a long time since I actually bought or changed diapers) and my frustration that Pampers keeps assuming I’m a woman, but — c’mon people — they keep baiting me.
| Hello BRIAN, |
 |
| We hope your summer has been filled with sun and fun. This month, you’ll find great deals for redeeming your points, a code for 5 bonus points and much more. Enjoy the rest of your summer. And be sure to tell other moms about Gifts to Grow. |
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“Baby Blues” and Dad School
Posted on 02. Sep, 2010 by Brian Reid.
For copyright reasons, I can’t pull in the image, but it’s worth clicking over to see the charming Sunday comic from Baby Blues. Nothing I like more than the celebration of fatherhood, in all of its diaper-changing, football-tossing glory.
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Raging Hormones and Good Dads
Posted on 31. Aug, 2010 by Brian Reid.
One of the more impressive changes I’ve seen in dad research in the time I’ve been writing about this is the science base for the ways that fatherhood changes men, biologically. The first in-depth introduction I received was Kyle Pruett’s talk at the 2005 At-Home Dad Convention. In it, he gave some details on the way various hormone levels fluctuate throughout pregnancy and infancy.My eyes were open.
Two years later, Slate did a nice piece of dad hormones, and USA Today followed up around Father’s Day with this gem.
But that’s only the start. This month brings fresh evidence of the ways that dads change over the course of childrearing: oxytocin (the so-called cuddle hormone), which has been long known to shoot up in new moms, shoots up just as much in dads. (This had been discussed before, but never published in a scientific journal.)
The research was straightforward. Eighty couples were followed for 6 months, their oxytocin levels checked a few times during that span. Levels of the hormone were similar in both men and women. What’s confusing is that we don’t really know why men release more oxytocin during this time. (It’s more clear in women, where lactation plans a part.)
What’s really interesting, though, is the conditions under which dads produce the most oxytocin. From the press release:
Finally, the findings revealed that oxytocin levels were associated with parent-specific styles of interaction. Oxytocin was higher in mothers who provided more affectionate parenting, such as more gazing at the infant, expression of positive affect, and affectionate touch. In fathers, oxytocin was increased with more stimulatory contact, encouragement of exploration, and direction of infant attention to objects.
No idea what it means, but it sure sounds like another argument in favor of the “activation parenting” theory, which holds that a crucial part of child development is parents who allow their kids some leeway to explore.
All food for thought. Any long-form journalists want to tackle this?