Thursday, April 16, 2015

Dads Who Do Chores Bolster Daughters' Aspirations - I'm Proud To Be A Swiffer Dad




As the father of a bright and curious six year old daughter, I want to do what I can to make sure there are no ceilings to whatever personal and professional dreams she may want to pursue in life.  If she wants to be an astronaut, doctor, lawyer, scientist, teacher or stay at home mom, I want my daughter's decisions in life based on her own interests, passions and desires rather than dictated by stereotypes and biases of what a woman's role in society should be.  So I try to lead by example and demonstrate that men and women can have equal roles when it comes to family responsibilities.  I help with the laundry, washing the dishes and all the other chores around the house to show her that these are family responsibilities rather than a mother's burden.



A recent study in Psychological Science, the journal of the Association for Psychological Science, supports the premise that dads who help with household chores are more likely to raise daughters who aspire to less traditional jobs and pursue more advanced, higher paying careers.  The study demonstrated that how parents share responsibilities like washing the dishes, folding the laundry, and  other household chores plays a key role in shaping gender attitudes and aspirations of their children.  By my actively participating in helping out around the house, I'm setting an example for my daughter that girls aren't the only ones responsible for housework and teaching my son that men shouldn't expect women to take care of them. Now some guys may say that attitude is not being very manly or macho, but my response to that is being an outstanding man involves ensuring that your family is healthy, safe, happy, and well-cared for so if you are not helping out at home you really are slacking as a modern day dad.



It's surprising that today, dads are still often portrayed as guys who don't really know how to run their home or manage their kids because that simply is just not the case.  According to the Swiffer Cleaning Index, Dads today are pitching in nearly two times more than their dads did.  In fact, the roles have really shifted as half of dads today say they do the lion's share of the cleaning in their home, dividing chores with significant others.  So its appreciated that Swiffer has teamed up with bloggers like me to speak out about the role of the modern dad and challenge societal stereotypes that mock or diminish men's role in helping out around the house.



As part of its  #SwifferDad  campaign I was asked to help spread the word about the positive role of modern dads by sharing Swiffer's "A Clean House With Swiffer Dads" video with A Geek Daddy Blog's readers and provided a Swiffer Wet Jet care pack to review. 


A big green Swiffer box arrived on our doorstep at just the right time.  We live in a hundred year old house and while it is a charming place, our home is unfortunately starting to show its age with numerous cracks and creaks.  To rejuvenate the place we just wrapped up tearing out some of the walls and ceilings throughout the house and having them re-plastered.  When our Swiffer package arrived the whole house was covered in dust, debris, plaster, and paint. Ugh! the place really was a mess!


We received a Swiffer Wet Jet along with a box of pad refills and a bottle of Wet Jet antibacterial cleaner.  It really came in handy!  Instead of dealing with a mop and bucket, which sometimes leads to just as much of a mucky mess as what we're trying to clean up, the Swiffer Wet Jet locked up all the dirt and grime quickly and easily. It was easy enough to use that my six year old son was able to help me out in cleaning our kitchen and dining room hard wood floors so that they were spick and span.  When we were done it was just a matter of ripping off the Wet Jet's cleaning pad, throwing it away and replacing it with one of the refills we were provided. Quick-Simple-Easy = I like that.


This Swiffer product was really great because it let us clean up a really messy situation quickly and effectively so that my kids and I could spend time on something a little more interesting to do -  watching the Detroit Tigers baseball game on TV of course!  The Swiffer Wet Jet helped us have more time to soak in making family memories rather than cleaning up messes around the house. That's the #SwifferEffect.


     

    Since the Swiffer Wet Jet made such a positive impact on our old house, I was glad they gave me two big green boxes so I could share one with one of my best buddies as he and his family moved into a brand new house last weekend.  He was thrilled because he knows it is not easy to keep a house looking as nice and clean as when you first move in so this Swiffer Wet Jet should really help him out.




    I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.

    4 comments:

    1. I love both my regular Swiffer and wetjet for my hardwoods and tile floors. How awesome that you got to try it free.

      Also, I love how you are teaching your kids that men should help around the house and that all roles aren't gender basis. You are an awesome dad!

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    2. Wanna come over and do some swiffering at our place? With a cat we're always finding all kinds of dust bunnies around. We use the Swiffer Wet Jet at our place because we have all hard floors.

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    3. I love when my husband helps. He helps a ton with laundry.

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    4. This is fantastic! And not only is it a great example for your daughter, but also your son. I hate those stereotypes of clueless dad's, I think it does a major disservice to us all to continue to perpetuate those kinds of ideas. I think our sons need to see more examples like this #SwifferDad thing! Very cool :-)
      Oh, and I totally feel you on the whole wood floors/old house thing!!

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