• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
NNED – National Network to Eliminate Disparities in Behavioral Health

NNED - National Network to Eliminate Disparities in Behavioral Health

  • News & Events
    • News & Announcements
    • Upcoming Events
  • Opportunities
    • Funding
      • Funding Opportunities
      • National & Local Foundations
    • Professional Development
    • NNEDLearn
  • Connect
    • Partner Central
    • National Behavioral Health Consultants and Experts Group
  • Resources
    • NNEDshare
    • Webinars
  • Join the NNED
    • Member Login
    • Join the NNED
    • About the NNED

Dad’s Comics Promote Empathy, Tolerance and Love

November 27, 2017

For the past five years, Chris Grady has been drawing his experiences as a dad and sharing them in a web comic called Lunarbaboon. Grady has a 7-year-old son and 2-year-old daughter. His comic offers a humorous take on classic parenting struggles, from noisy toys to toddler tantrums.

Many of his drawings, however, also feature more earnest messages about tolerance, empathy and being a force for good in an often dark world. 

Grady, who works as an elementary school teacher in Toronto, told HuffPost he created Lunarbaboon as a form of therapy to deal with his anxiety.  “I needed a positive place to focus all my thoughts and found that when I was making comics I felt a little bit better,” he said. “After posting the comics on social media for a few months, I began getting messages from many people about how they connected to the comics and it gave them hope and strength as they went through their own dark times.”

As Lunarbaboon gained a bigger following, Grady decided to use his popularity for good. He often draws comics with positive messages that touch on social justice, gender issues, xenophobia and more.

“I think it is impossible not to be influenced by the world around you. There is a lot of bad things happening in the world, but there is also a lot of good,” he said. “I try to find the good or humorous in the difficult things that happen to us every day.”

Grady noted that his wife influences his work as well. “I am very lucky to be married to a very smart, strong, opinionated person who is constantly fighting against injustice,” he explained. “A lot of what she and I talk about on a daily basis makes it into the comics.”

The response to Grady’s work has been positive. “People like knowing they aren’t alone in life’s daily struggles,” he said. Today, Lunarbaboon has more than 900,000 followers on Facebook. In April, Andrews McMeel Publishing released a book compilation of Grady’s comics called Lunarbaboon: The Daily Life of Parenthood.

As a teacher and a father, Grady aims to mold young minds into caring, thoughtful members of their communities.  “I want both my kids and my students to grow up to be good people,” he explained. “Kids are always watching adults, and they look to the adults as role models. I try to show them that even with all my flaws and weaknesses, I am still a good person, and I can still make a positive change in the world.”

“Nobody is powerless in this world, as humans we have the ability to change another person’s day by what we put out,” he added, noting that this mindset sometimes seeps into his comics. Grady told HuffPost he hopes his comic brings people joy and inspires them to spread positivity to those around him, even in difficult times. “Although we don’t have complete control over our thoughts and emotions as we go through life, we do have control over our actions,” he said. “So do good things with your life.”

Read more and see the Lunarbaboon comics at HuffPost.com

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

You must be logged in to post a comment.

Primary Sidebar

Recent Posts

  • Partner of the Month – March March 3, 2025
  • SAMHSA’s $10M Grant to Maternal Behavioral Health Aims to Transform Care for Mothers and Families January 17, 2025
  • New Walk-in Center for People in Mental Health Crisis Offers Alternative to Jail, ERs January 15, 2025
  • Boosting Community Partnerships for Immigrant Mental Health January 13, 2025
  • U.S. Naval Hospital Guam Transforms Mental Health Crisis Care January 10, 2025

Latest Funding Posts

  • January 6, 2025

    Alcohol and Other Substance Use Research Education Programs for Health Professionals
  • January 6, 2025

    Proposal Development Award
  • November 21, 2024

    Rasmuson Foundation Community Support Grant
  • November 15, 2024

    Pacers Foundation Grant
  • November 15, 2024

    Grants Facilitate Empowerment of People With Disabilities
  • November 15, 2024

    Information Resource Grants to Reduce Health Disparities and Promote Health Equity
  • October 22, 2024

    Developmental AIDS Research Center on Mental Health and HIV/AIDS
  • October 4, 2024

    Alcohol Research-Related Resource Award
  • October 4, 2024

    Seeking Products to Address Social Needs impacting Substance Use Disorders
  • October 26, 2020

    The Block Foundation Sustainable Community Grant

Footer

Facebook Logo
Linkedin Logo
Twitter Logo
The NNED has been a multi-agency funded effort with primary funding by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). It is managed by SAMHSA and the Achieving Behavioral Health Excellence (ABHE) Initiative.
  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy Policy