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This 'Dad's Don't Babysit' Shirt Has An Important Message To Society About Fatherhood

April 27, 2016

It should be obvious that fathers are parents and not babysitters, yet dads today are still hearing comments that suggest otherwise.

That's why Al Ferguson from The Dad Network designed a T-shirt to remind the world: "Dads Don't Babysit (It's called 'Parenting')."

via imgur

The shirt is available on Teespring until Thursday, and it's not just for men - it comes in women's sizes, as well as baby, toddler and youth versions.

All proceeds from the shirt sales will go toward the NAHDN Scholarship Fund, which helps low-income fathers attend the organization’s Annual At-Home Dads Convention.

The Teespring campaign states, "Help the National At-Home Dad Network spread the message that a dad cannot babysit his own kids. If he’s caring for them, it's called 'parenting.'

After the photo was posted on Reddit, fathers began sharing their experiences:

"Aww, it's so nice of you to babysit and give mom a break."

"It hurt really bad when I was a new stay-at-home dad and people would ask about me babysitting… It really made me almost cry sometimes because it was like they couldn't see me as a caretaker."

"Single dad here. It's even worse when my seven year old wants to have a sleepover… I call the parents. I explain she wants to have a sleepover and your kid is invited. Then the awkward question, will mom be there? And when you explain, no mom here - sorry, there's that long pause. Sad to say to this day she still hasn't had a sleepover."

"The bar has been set so low by previous generations that literally anytime I take my kids somewhere in public people will say 'Wow you're such a great dad.'

Al Ferguson says it's not just the language that contributes to the gendered stereotypes, there are other barriers to equality that they're fighting, such as baby changing facilities typically being in the ladies toilets.

"Now there are more working moms and more stay-at-home dads," he told BBC. "There's been a cultural shift. I think that people need to move with the times."