A few months ago, when I wrote the article about the best mom bloggers, I suddenly realized we don’t praise dads enough. I started to research a bit on the Internet. I discovered so many great dad blogs about parenting. I found blogs about fun and sometimes funny outdoor adventures. There were blogs full of fatherhood advice about being a supportive and caring partner while raising kids. So many dads did the necessary research to create blogs full of parenting resources and advice.
Whether you’re looking for stay-at-home dad blogs, geek and tech dad blogs, first-time dad blogs, or just old-fashioned dad blogs, you’ll find them. In addition, most dad blogs also write about everyday life with blogs about movies, sports, and travel tips. You can find advice from these dads about fitness and maintaining an active lifestyle as a dad or parent.
Parenting is challenging for all. It’s a challenge for heterosexual couples, gay parents, single parents, stay-at-home parents, and busy parents. Well, you get my point. Our newborn didn’t come with a tutorial or manual on how to raise kids.
We interviewed many dads with amazing blogs about fatherhood, and we are amazed at what these gentlemen do during the day, month, and year. Check their fatherhood journey stories and be inspired.
Meet Brent from designerdaddy.com
- Tell us a bit about yourself.
My name is Brent Almond, and I’m a graphic designer, blogger, and dad. I live in the Maryland suburbs of Washington DC with my husband and our 12-year-old son.
- How do you balance your work/life balance? Do you take time to focus on your well-being?
As a creative person, I always try to have a creative outlet that isn’t work-related. It’s great for me emotionally and inspires me. My creative outlet for many years has been to sing with the Gay Men’s Chorus of Washington DC. My work, while creative, is something I do primarily alone. Being in a chorus allows me a greater sense of community while expressing my creativity.
- How do you deal with your kid’s Emotional Dysregulation?
While we utilized therapy and medication in the past to manage my son’s ADHD and related emotional issues, we phased out those this past school year. Public school was a real struggle for him and multiplied 10-fold during quarantine/lockdown. As we approached the next year going back in person, we decided to put our son in a private school that specialized in students with ADHD and other learning challenges. The smaller class sizes and better communication with his teachers have done wonders this past year. But it also has to do with how my husband and I react when our son struggles. We’ve had to train ourselves to exercise more patience and give our son room to express himself, meltdown, cool off, and revisit whatever is causing the stress.
- What are your thoughts about Emotional Social Parenting?
I’m a big proponent of emotional and social learning and am all for applying the same principles to myself and the way I interact with my child.
- What is the best advice on fatherhood you have ever received? What advice can you give our readers?
Allow your child to feel what they’re feeling and go through what they’re experiencing. As long as they’re not harming themselves or others, trying to stop a process is an act in futility. Kids are emotional creatures, in a constant state of learning how to understand and express these emotions. Be present, give them the space to feel these emotions, then guide them to a place of safety, security, and learning.
- What are the main challenges parents face?
I can’t speak for all parents, but for me, I’d say my main challenges are being present and not taking things personally. Life has so many distractions and responsibilities that it takes a concerted effort sometimes to listen to and be there with my child. As for taking things personally — when my son lashes out or acts in a way I’m not comfortable with, my knee-jerk reaction is to respond in kind. But it’s rarely (if ever) about me. I try to remind myself of this and be calm amidst the preteen storm.
Meet R.C. Liley from going-dad.com
- Tell us a bit about yourself.
My name is R.C. Liley; I’m a health and fitness advocate with a loving wife and two kids. I’ve been an at-home dad for over eight years and do my best to keep the house together and cook almost all of our meals. Strength training is my favorite form of exercise, and I make it a priority to stay active throughout the day. My highly energetic kids make that part easy!
- How do you balance your work/life balance? Do you take time to focus on your well-being?
I go on walks and lift weights in our garage gym. It’s usually with kids, but it helps with stress management while leading by example for my kids.
- How do you deal with your kid’s Emotional Dysregulation?
My wife and I are still trying to find what works best. We keep a calm tone and acknowledge they are upset while letting them know how they act is unacceptable. We also allow them time to take deep breaths and calm down before anything else.
- What are your thoughts about Emotional Social Parenting?
I believe it’s effective and supports other parents using it.
- What is the best advice on fatherhood you have ever received? What advice can you give our readers?
Whether you think/feel like it or not, you are your kids’ hero. Show your kids how to live a healthy life by leading by example. Everyone wins this way!
- What are the main challenges parents face?
Agreeing on how to handle their kids since it seems that moms and dads have opposing views on how to approach different situations with their kids. Finding time for each other without the kids is challenging too.
Meet Evan from dadfixeseverything.com
- Tell us a bit about yourself.
Hi! My name is Evan, and I’m a dad to two girls (7 and 2) and a writer living in Atlanta, GA.
- How do you balance your work/life balance? Do you take time to focus on your well-being?
As a writer and blogger, I’m lucky to have a lot of flexibility in my job. I spend a lot of time with the kids and am often the one who takes off work when they’re sick, drives them to the dentist, etc. I exercise almost every day for a little “me-time,” but outside that, things are chaotic with two!
- How do you deal with your kid’s Emotional Dysregulation?
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- What are your thoughts about Emotional Social Parenting?
We are big on helping our older daughter, in particular, name and express her emotions. It can be challenging for her to open up and explain what she’s thinking, so being able to start by attaching even a simple label “sad” or “mad” can get the ball rolling. We try to teach (and demonstrate!) that it’s OK to have strong emotional reactions to things. The hardest part is expressing our emotions honestly (explaining why we might feel sad or bad) without placing the burden of “fixing” those emotions on our kids. It’s a tricky balance.
- What is the best advice on fatherhood you have ever received? What advice can you give our readers?
I’ve had fellow dads use the phrase (and I’ve since read the book) “All Joy, No Fun” — I think it’s an excellent attitude to have at the beginning of your parenting journey. It often won’t be fun, and it’s not designed to be! But when it gets hard, you have to remember the deep joy it brings you, how fulfilling it ultimately is at the end of the day, and that it will one day be over, and you’ll miss it all terribly — even the worst parts of it.
- What are the main challenges parents face?
Lack of sleep, sense of individual identity, and keeping romance alive with your partner. There’s barely enough time and energy to do it all.
Meet Tobin from GoodBadDad.com
- Tell us a bit about yourself.
I’m a busy father of five – my oldest is 16, and my youngest is 6. I love to read and enjoy all sports. My favorite activity is taking summer road trips with my family.
- How do you balance your work/life balance? Do you take time to focus on your well-being?
My well-being is, shamefully, my lowest priority relative to the well-being of my wife and kids. I’m a provider, a nurturer, conscious of the need to include “me time” into my busy, daily routine.
- How do you deal with your kid’s Emotional Dysregulation?
Our household thrives on honesty. When things go well, we’re honest. When they go sideways, we’re honest. Being open generates the trust needed to get through the tough stuff together.
- What are your thoughts about Emotional Social Parenting?
There is a level of physical parenting with younger kids that allows emotions to take a backseat. As kids age, though, I have found ESP critical in helping kids diagnose, better understand, and find solutions and ways to push through tough times. Whether it be the pressures of social media, new relationships, bullying, or just having a bad day, dealing with the emotional turmoil takes practice – not just physical presence.
- What is the best advice on fatherhood you have ever received? What advice can you give our readers?
There is only one you – know it, love it, and use it to help your kids find their best selves.
- What are the main challenges parents face?
My biggest challenge is one-on-one time with each of my five kids. Carving out quality time takes constant, intentional effort.
Meet Pat from ithinkthereforeidad.com
- Tell us a bit about yourself.
I call myself an average guy trying to raise normal kids. I have three kids (ages 6, 4, and 2) and a wife. In my free time I like to run, read, and write.
- How do you balance your work/life balance? Do you take time to focus on your well-being?
My job allows me to work fully remote, so I am home with my kids a lot and have a flexible enough schedule to almost never feel like I am neglecting my family or personal life for the sake of work.
- How do you deal with your kid’s Emotional Dysregulation?
I try to put myself in my theirs shoes when they are upset and relate to them in terms they understand.
- What are your thoughts about Emotional Social Parenting?
I think it is important for kids to learn how to understand and regulate their emotions, and recognize the emotions of others.
- What is the best advice on fatherhood you have ever received? What advice can you give our readers?
The best advice I received is not to get upset over little things because they don’t really matter in the big picture. The best advice I can give is to make active choices to prioritize being a good parent.
- What are the main challenges parents face?
Raising them to avoid the mistakes and bad habits they see in you.
Whether by birth or by choice: Dads, we celebrate you because:
You show your kids what unconditional love is. You lend your support and guidance when needed and know when it’s time to let your child be their own leader. You aren’t afraid to let your children see your big emotions and encourage your kids to do the same. Play is where you join them in their world of fun and imagination. Maybe this world is a tea party with your little one or shooting hoops with your teenager. You listen to their every word when they are excited about an accomplishment or need to cry on your shoulder. Lastly, you give them your presence as you spend quality time with them.
