I posted this idea to the other dads on the Dad-o-Matic email list and a few folks thought it was a fun idea.  I know Clay at DadLabs (awesome site if you don’t know it) has also talked about this I believe.  My friend Rick Trader and I were musing a few years back about the fact that Moms get to have awesome baby showers with gifts, a party, bonding, etc., and dads get…to carry stuff home from the party.

Here’s the thing if you haven’t been to a shower yet (men or women) – the main reason they’re awesome in my estimation is the advice friends give.  The stuff is great, sure, and you can NEVER get enough diapers.  But for our two kids, my wife had showers where people told her tons of great tips, told stories, and even prayed for her.  I was genuinely envious (in a loving, husbandy kind of way).

So Rick and I thought there should be a trend for Dads to throw each other showers (Clay at DadLabs recommended “Keggers”).  We went so far as to wonder how you could create a product to help dads throw said events and ended up with (I kid you not) a cigar box filled with a DVD (tips for new dads), movie coupons (to get him out of the house), and a number of refrigerator magnets with Dad-friend names on them he could call in an emergency.

It’s that last item we thought might really have traction, if dads were into actually letting other guys know they needed their help (which we all do, especially as new dads, whether we admit it or not).  The idea here was that friends of the new dad each volunteered to help out with a central aspect of daddydom for their friend, and the fridge magnets simply have their phone number and what they’ll do when the new dad needs them.  So for instance, magnets might say:

• Steve – Two diaper runs on short notice
• Chris – My teenage daughter will give you/your wife a date night
• Bob – My wife will hang with your wife/kids while we see a movie
• Etc.

We also liked this idea because it extended beyond the shower event to let a guy know his buddies would support him in the trenches (aka “poop”) when his son/daughter arrived.  The other component of the event itself was that each guy was asked to write down a story/bit of advice on fatherhood they had (either from their dads or if they were fathers themselves) to contribute at the Daddy Shower. And the event itself could happen at a bowling alley, restaurant, bar, after a movie, etc.  The important part was letting a guy feel like he WASN’T ALONE.

But we do need a better name.  Do you have one?  Leave a comment and start a trend!