"The New Face of Dad"... Who, me?

I am so totally going to be famous.

Why?  Because I'm going to be on YouTube!  No, I won't be riding a skateboard into an empty concrete fountain, or having a cat attack my face in public, or lip syncing Lady Gaga in my boxers while bouncing on my bed.  Not that any of those wouldn't be Internet Viral Gold.

Instead of having to resort to such tactics, I was given the opportunity to do something different over the weekend.  Philips Norelco (home of the clean, close shave) is kicking off a new campaign: "The New Face of Dad." They tapped five guys to record a short video about what it feels like to be a father.  Not the stuff we do everyday -- taping chore charts to the fridge, teaching our kids to vacuum, coaching Little League, or warning them about swear words in public -- but what we think and feel about those daily dad acts.  What it feels like to be a Dad.  Right here, right now, today.

I originally thought that recording a video where I talk about why being a Dad is the most important gig in the world to me would be a total no-brainer.  Fifteen takes later, I realized I probably would've been better off going with that whole Cat-Attack-On-Face concept.

My video will undoubtedly be the dorkiest of the five, is all I'm saying.  (Turns out my ears are even bigger on camera than they are in life.  Plus, where'd that big zit on my forehead come from?)  However, when it's all put together, you'll see some great thoughts from some great fathers.  Check out the roster, and you'll see what I mean:

White from Honea Express
Jim from Bobblehead Dad
Clay from Dad Labs
Jon from Blurbomat

These are big-time guys, am I right?  And I'd say each one qualifies as The New Face of Dad.

And... well, then there's me.

I don't know how it'll all turn out, but I do want to thank Philips Norelco for including me, and giving me the chance to talk about a couple recent experiences I had with Mini-Pirate that tell me that there's no better job than being her father.  Looking like a total nerd on the Internet is a small price to pay for the opportunity to talk about my daughter's awesomeness.

Hey, what do you know? Maybe I actually am The New Face of Dad.

But if I am... then so are you.

*

P.S. I have a couple things to add to the above post.  First, the blogger at the top of the roster above is, of course, WHIT from Honea Express, not WHITE.  That's what happens when you type fast and don't proofread, kids.  Take heed.


Second, there's actually a lot more to say about what Philips Norelco is doing, which I didn't have the chance to articulate when I first put this post up.  They're stepping up and taking part in the dialogue that's happening right now about the new role of dads, the value of dads, and the fact that this new face of Dadhood is, in fact, changing for the better.   As part of that dialogue, the other New Face Dads and I will part of a Twitter party on Thursday June 14th (same day as the video's release) from 8:00 pm - 9:00 pm Eastern time.  You can find it by using the hashtag #NewFaceOfDad.  You don't even have to shave first.  Just be there.   If nothing else, you'll see the many ways Whit finds to mock me for misspelling his name.