Thought Catalog: This Heartwarming Video Challenges Your Image Of Dads

I don’t know if you’ve heard, but dads have changed quite a bit over the last generation. Like a LOT. The only problem — so it seems — is that there’s still a bunch of old-fashioned stereotypes of dads that show up in media. And pop culture. And maybe with you. So here’s an unscientific test to see where your head is when it comes to your image of fathers. Scoring’s not required. Thinking is.

1. You see a dad pushing a grocery cart — complete with a kid strapped in the child carrier. It’s 2:00 on a Tuesday. Do you assume he’s unemployed?

2. You notice a 30-something year old guy watching kids at a local playground. Is your first thought that he’s up to no good?

3. You watch a dad being portrayed in one of your favorite TV comedies. He’s domestically challenged and can’t figure out how to use the washing machine. Do you think that’s the norm in houses across the country?

4. You see a dad sitting in the pediatrician’s office with a sick kid. And you don’t know why. But it makes you feel uncomfortable.

5. You see a dad out with his young daughter buying clothes. He’s standing outside the dressing room. And the first thing you wonder is “Where’s the mom?”

All right, all right. I could go on. But you get the idea. So are you walking around with out-dated ideas about dads?

Apparently a lot of people are. A new research study from Dove Men+Care reveals that 2/3 of all dads feel that they aren’t accurately portrayed in media. Crazy, isn’t it? 

That’s part of the reason behind their new short film — ‘Calls for Dad’ — which is meant to document the simple, real moments that define what fatherhood means today. You’ll enjoy it. Welcome to 2014.