Your “Dad Christmas” May Vary
When SNL aired a lazy skit that made fun of helpless single dads, we reacted with an indifferent shrug. This is progress.
On December 1, Saturday Night Live aired a short film called “Dad Christmas,” when two kids spend the holiday at their newly-single dad’s crappy apartment (complete with a broken futon, “inside cigarettes,” and Deirdre the New Girlfriend). It’s the kind of thing that’s a little bit funny, unless you’re living through it. (And if you are, the time when stuff like this seems amusing again is a good sign that your life is on the mend.)
This is a premise built on all of those negative stereotypes of single and divorced dads that we’ve been shaking fists at for nearly a decade. But we have something now that we didn’t have years ago: progress. Because when we saw it, it kind of barely registered.
Over our tenure, there have been great strides made in the portrayal of fatherhood in media. And while bumbling morons do continue to dot the landscape, they are more often shown in shades of irony, no longer the standard. Even SNL gets it.
We would have linked to the skit for those of you who missed it (and most of you probably did), but when we looked for the URL, we found it had been scrubbed from the Internet. It seems, then, that SNL has overreacted to our underreaction and backed away from the social media backlash, the torches and pitchforks of a moderately peeved Twitterverse.
Regardless of whether SNL’s regret is knee-deep or negligible, we’re happy to say our take on “Dad Christmas” remains the same: relative indifference. And we can afford that, because our culture has less interest in lazy writing tropes. We’ve all moved on.
Which is not to say we won’t still be watching: Tomorrow night, one of our favorite celebrity dads, Jason Momoa (see above), is hosting the show. You better believe Aquaman gets it.
SUMMIT PEEKS
Deadline alert: The Dad Signal is shining over San Antonio, TX! Are you the Dad Blogger Spotlight Reader that we need and/or deserve? Follow the link to read one of your pieces from our main stage at Dad 2.019! The deadline to submit your work is Friday, Dec. 14.
Today we are announcing our first wave of Dad 2.019 Speakers! We’re always excited when we kick off our programming, and you can look forward to Round Two on December 21.
We’re also happy to announce, on Liam Miller’s 11th birthday, the seven recipients of this year’s Miller Grants! Thanks to everyone who donated to help make this fund continue to flourish.
IN THE NEWS
How can parents help teens build their own supportive village?
How will the choices you make now regarding time spent with work and family affect your future relationship(s)?
Bottom line: “So we know a lot, and these new devices put media in the hands of kids at too early an age and are unfiltered — and it needs to be filtered. The filters are parents.”
“The average family barely spends 45 minutes together during weekdays, and less than three hours together during the days on the weekend.”
“I struggle to discover and maintain cheer. I think of the tradition I was a part of, and it strikes me squarely as an impossible achievement. I question the value of carrying such traditions into my children’s lives, even if possible.”
“We encourage all kids to play, create and dream with whatever toy is on their wish list. We believe it is so important to provide the fun stuff that allows kids to imagine and grow, unhindered by traditional gender stereotypes.”
You can learn a lot from a man who works his ass off for a living.
Kids trying to make a buck? Move over lemonade stand (and pretty much any other job ever held by anyone), the real money is unboxing online.
Bedtime can be a battle, put some science in the trenches.
PORCHLIGHT POSTS
- “Just jump in the water and see what happens.” — Jorge Narvaez, The Origin of the “I Take a Nap” Meme, But Animated
- “Memories fade with time. And so perhaps it was with the old photo album, relegated to a second hand table at a local flea market.” — Pete Wilgoren, Mysteries of the Old Photo Album (part 4) Family Found!
- “Cool, you all got two girls, but where’s the boy at?” — La Guardia Cross, First Interview with Mommy
- “If you are good, you may get another video game; however, if you are bad, a horned, anthropomorphic figure described as “half-goat, half-demon” with fangs will come for you in your sleep.” — Adam Cherepski, Snitches Get Stitches: An Ode to The Elf on the Shelf
- “Should you be having lunch with your kid at school every day? No, that’s lunacy… But once or twice a year? It’s a great opportunity to meet your child at THEIR level.” — Christian Lee, Are You An Overbearing Parent For Having Lunch With Your Kid?
‘GRAM OF THE WEEK
Earlier this week, our co-founder Doug French posted this and received messages of appreciation from all over the world. Once again, the holiday season has reminded us that social media can still be wonderful.
Do you receive the Dad 2.0 Summit Newsletter? You should! In it we share all kinds of information and news about the Dad 2.0 Summit. Add it to your inbox! It’s the perfect way to start planning your trip to San Antonio.
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Originally published at www.dad2summit.com on December 7, 2018.
