Over the last few years my wife and I have really loved having so much great local produce available to us from some wonderful farmer’s markets, roadside stands, CSAs and co-ops in the area.

It’s been particularly nice because, despite big dreams and great intentions, our ability to actually grow food ourselves has been . . . well, not without its highs, but mostly a bit of a gong show.

While I wouldn’t exactly say we have green thumbs, it’s not that we don’t know what we’re doing. What it really comes down to are the twin problems of a lack of space (we live in a small apartment, with only a small patio available for us to use) and that what space we have is not very conducive even to container gardening, as it gets very little direct sunlight (maybe 5 hours on a clear, sunny day). Herbs do okay, and we’ve been told we could grow lettuce (OH BOY! LETTUCE!). But anything more than that has just not really done very well. . .

After listening to our feedback, Huggies has gone back and remade the commercials from their “Dad Test” series of advertisements, to make clear that it is the DIAPERS being tested, not the DADS.

Below is the a special preview for the new version of the “Easy Chair” ad, which will begin airing on Monday, March 26th. I’ve been given permission to share it with you all!

Kudos to them for making such a big change and taking seriously the opportunity to show real, involved, competent and confident dads with their babies.

I look forward to seeing the rest of the newly revised campaign.

(NOTE: You can still see the old version of the “Easy Chair” ad here for comparison, though I don’t know for how long.)

No one makes change on their own, but small voices together can make big changes.

A clever graphic can explain and spread an idea faster than a hundred well thought out blog posts.

A petition’s worthy cause isn’t newsworthy, but a petition actually working? Oh yes.

Dads’ voices matter, and more and more people and corporations are recognizing that.

Sometimes recognizing good intentions and maintaining respectful dialogue gets better results than demonizing.

More men than you would think are not just unoffended by dumb-dad stereotypes, but invested in them continuing. Mostly to get out of diaper duty.

The greatest advocates that dads can have is moms. Until moms demand better of advertising in how they portray dads, it won’t really change.

The most reluctant to give up their stereotype about dads is . . . also moms. Some seem more interested in protecting the freedom to mock their husbands’ parenting abilities than in helping their husband be a more able, involved parent.

No, seriously, there are actually people out there in the world who are so loyal to their brand of diapers that they will send you hate mail for daring to make a complaint about them. Whodathunkit?

I have a thicker skin than I thought.