The toy-maker Playskool unintentionally sparked controversy this week with a tweet that took aim at dads:
The backlash came fast and fierce. Many dads, and some moms, pointed out that dads these days are active, involved and just as "in charge" as moms at home.
Some went straight for the burn:
Ouch! Playskool apologized profusely, saying that what they meant is that the kids are really in charge.
We asked TODAY's Willie Geist, the proud father of Lucie, 5, and George, 3, what he thought about the whole kerfuffle. Willie writes:
I’m not offended by Playskool’s tweet – they certainly aren’t the first to tweet before thinking – but it does reflect a dated vision of the American household.
Men are neither the Ward Cleavers of old, handing their briefcases to their waiting wives as they walk in the door, nor the clueless, fantasy football-obsessed boobs of the modern beer commercial. The stereotypes are stale.
Most of us dads today view parenthood as a team sport – sometimes your wife or your girlfriend needs to tag out of the ring for a breather…and vice versa. It’s not purely out of duty – a lot of us rush home to spend whatever free minutes we have with those little tag-team monsters. But let’s be honest: the kids are really the ones in charge.
What do you think? Was Playskool's tweet offensive or OK? And who's really in charge in your household?