SMA - Dads’ Promise | TV's Worst Adverts

SMA - Dads’ Promise

14 January 2008 by Silky

Christ, I hate these SMA adverts! They really make my blood boil.

Not because I give a rat “with an increased risk of asthma” ass about whether bottled milk is better or worse for a baby than breast milk but because the ads portray everything that is still wrong with the perceived roles of mothers and fathers:

These are the words of conceited, self-satisfied dad:

“I promise to do at least my fair share of nappy changing and night feeding.”

“I promise to tell you often how much I love you…”

Well, whoop-dee-doo! Give yourself a medal!

I can’t stand people who expect congratulations for doing something that they should be doing anyway. It’s not the 1950s any more, so get the message: it’s your kid too, you arrogant fuck!

What’s that? You’re whinging about having a job? Have you tried looking after a kid for 6 months? It’s not a fucking holiday; so get over yourself and do your share.

I told you SMA makes my blood boil.

2Responses:

Bex

June 13th, 2008 9:47 am

Off the point, I detest the 3 Ps: Pointless Pedantic Parenting. Even the fucking neanderthals could look after their babies (the evidence being our own existance) so why do people make such a bloody big deal about every gas molecule which goes up their tiddlers’ noses?

And what the hell is up with all this “promising”? Everyone knows that promises, like rules, are made to be broken. If you can’t be arsed to care for your own family don’t go on TV to lie about it in a sickening “love-filled” voice. “There’s nothing harder than being a parent” so fucking deal with it. That family are gonna be on Jeremy Kyle by the time the kid is ten.

“But he promised…”
Pleased

August 4th, 2008 2:42 pm

I completely disagree. I think this is a fantastic advert.

I don’t think men deserve a medal for doing their fair share of childcare. It absolutely should be what is expected of every dad. But the reality is that, even in this day and age, it often doesn’t happen. It’s a vicious cycle of fatherhood being undervalued (involved dads still being seen as unmanly or henpecked), and men undervaluing their own roles as fathers and just generally bottling it. This isn’t helped by consistently negative portrayals of fatherhood in films and TV. So it’s really nice to see an advert like this that actually portrays fatherhood in a positive, yet realistic light.

Promises are a start, Bex. Many men can’t even manage that. And some men do keep their promises, there’s no need to be completely nihilistic about it!