A Facebook group of dad bloggers, of which we are members, is trying to get Amazon to change their parenting program, Amazon Mom, to Amazon Family.

The campaign, begun March 3, has taken off on social media at #AmazonFamilyUS with moms and dads calling on Amazon to make the change like they have in many other countries. So far there have been over 5,000 tweets which have reached over 5 million people on Twitter.

The effort is due to a tight-knit group of dads wanting to show the world the impact one dad had in their lives.
Oren MillerOren Miller of A Blogger and A Father passed away Saturday after a nine month battle with lung cancer. He left behind a loving wife, son (7) and daughter (4).
He began a group on Facebook for Dad Bloggers in 2012 that now has over 1,000 members. “It’s so crazy, it just might work,” he told us when he started it. Many members of National At-Home Dad Network were among the first members.The group has been a great resource for dad bloggers to connect with each other on advice from parenting to writing to working with brands.Oren was also a member of our organization, attending the 18th Annual At-Home Dads Convention in Washington DC in 2012. He was a stay-at-home dad for 6 years.

He cared passionately about equality in parenting. He met with the Governor of Maryland and was active on his blog and social media whenever dads were marginalized or portrayed as bumbling idiots because he knew, as do we, dads are equally capable of being excellent, nurturing parents.One of the things he tried to change a couple years ago was Amazon Mom. He wrote on his blog in 2013,

 “Why did Amazon bother changing the name of its parenting program when the program started in the UK? What made them realize they couldn’t get away with calling it ‘Amazon Mom,’ and why do they get away with it here?”
Amazon responded to him back then and saying,
Despite the name, you don’t need to be a mom to join. Amazon Mom is open to anyone expecting a baby or caring for a baby or young child, whether you’re a mom, dad, grandparent, or caretaker. We just thought ‘Amazon Primary Caretaker’ didn’t have the same ring to it.”
It’s a ridiculous response especially when you discover the same program is called Amazon Family in the UK, Germany and Japan.
Oren was a humble and witty and genuine human. He was beloved for his writing and for his leadership in the dad community. He is missed.The 1,000+ guys in his Facebook Group knew grieving was not what he wanted us to do. He would rather we hugged our kids, kissed our wives and, if there was time left over after that, take action to change the world. He changed the world and to prove his influence among us, we have decided to finish the work he started with Amazon.

Starting on Tuesday, Dad Bloggers began tweeting with #AmazonFamilyUS in an effort to get Amazon’s attention and start a conversation with them about changing Amazon Mom to Amazon Family. We want their program to be more inclusive. Families in the US are not the cookie-cutter 1950’s mom-does-all-childcare and dad-earns-all-the-income anymore. Families navigate childcare responsibilities, including the purchasing of items for their children, in a myriad of ways. It’s not only mom who makes purchasing decisions for children. Ask anyone who does research on consumers: Dads are nearly equal to moms in being involved in the purchasing decisions for families.It is quite shocking a progressive Internet retail giant such as Amazon is so far behind on what is really going on with American families.Several media have picked up the campaign including CNN, Today Parents, BuzzFeed, Ad Week, Market Watch and The Consumerist. A petition on Change.org has 5,000 signatures.

So far Amazon has not responded to any of the tweets or news stories.

Please help us make this discount program for parents more inclusive of today’s families. Tweet @Amazon with #AmazonFamilyUS. Visit their Amazon Mom Facebook Page and leave a comment. We hope our collective efforts will engage them and provide an opportunity to start a conversation.

Also, please join us on our Twitter Chat, Friday, March 6 at 2pm EST at #Dads4Oren to learn more about our dear friend Oren Miller.

Dads feel marginalized in our society because most programs and brands focus on moms. This makes dads believe they are less important parents. We strongly disagree with this premise. It is why we are very passionate about issues such as this. While changing Amazon Mom to Amazon Family may seem like semantics, it isn’t. It offers inclusion. It deflates marginalization. It makes all parents and caregivers feel valued.

Many brands are realizing this. Just look at our sponsors.

They understand, Dads Are Parents Too.

Amazon, it’s time you got it too.

Oren Miller Family