Defining Dad Bloggers
Mothers have been able to organize in a way that has taken advertising, the internet and the world by storm. People take the sheer number of mommy bloggers and their followers seriously (even if they do have mommy wars). According to Mashable, as of last year, there are 3.9 million mommy bloggers in North America. They expect the number of mommy bloggers to grow to 4.4 million in 2014.
I am not knocking moms. I love moms. Mothers have been able to do something that dads have not been able to do, and they were able to do it right. They were able to blog with style and define themselves. They are organized, taken seriously and followed passionately. Mothers have found their voice online that dads are only beginning to find.
Blog:
Source Merriam-Webster: A website that contains an online personal journal with reflections, comments, and often hyperlinks provided by the writer; also: the contents of contents of such a site. First Known Use: 1999
— blog verb
— blog·ger noun
— blog·ging noun
Discussing
Dad
Bloggers
Talking about fatherhood is fun!
Recently, I guest posted on Our Crazy Boys owned by Becca Ludlum. She wanted me to discuss what it is like being a dad blogger. It is a question that I found difficult and easy to answer. I started my blog as a keepsake for my son, but I have also found it as a way to help others. It is a way that I can share about a fathers perspective on parenting. The longer I have blogged the more I have discovered that many people care about what I have to say about fatherhood.
While I was trying to define what exactly a dad blogger entails, I found it interesting that there is no real statistical data online about dad bloggers. I can not say how many dads bloggers are online currently. However, I could find the top 50 dad blogs (according to mom parenting sites).
I have often wondered why men do not blog or write about their children as much as women. I know it is not because fathers do not care about their kids. On the contrary, fathers are just as concerned, involved and loving about their children as mothers.
As I was growing up, I rarely saw my father. Do not get me wrong, I did see him, but we did not spend a lot of time together. When he was home he was tired or to busy with work. At times, as a young boy, I was disappointed or felt like I did not matter. It was only as I got older that I understood my father was from a different generation. My father’s generation took a “hand’s off” approach on parenting.
Today, men are redefining fatherhood online.
1. Hands on approach – We are not afraid to get our hands dirty. It is acceptable to change a diaper and make jokes about it.
2. Emotions – It is okay to show our sons and daughters that we are human. We can feel the entire spectrum of emotions and show them without fear of retribution.
3. Tough Topics – We are not afraid to talk about the tough topics with our children; e.g., drugs, peer pressure and sex.
4. Parenting – We will take part in the decision-making process, in our children’s lives. We no longer want to be left out or have others tell us we should not take part in the decision-making process.
5. Gender Roles – We understand gender roles, and we are not afraid to play dress up with our daughters or have our little boys wear pink shoes.
Dad Bloggers Future
Dad Bloggers Facebook Group Logo
Until recently, one thing that dad bloggers lacked was organization. Oren Miller (A Blogger and A Father) started a group on Facebook for Dad Bloggers to share ideas and work together. The intent is to show the world that dads are serious, and we are here to stay as fathers and bloggers.
I am a proud member of the Dad Bloggers Facebook group. We are a group of men that is not afraid to blog about our children. I believe that this group is a step in the evolution of dad bloggers and will help define fatherhood and blogging in the future. (The group is open to all dad bloggers)
What do you think about dad bloggers? Do you take them seriously? Do you think they are here to stay or just a joke? Do you follow dad bloggers? What do you think about a dad bloggers group? Tell me in the comments!
Read my last post here Are Superheroes Part Of Childhood?
Visit my home page and see more great posts on blogging, fatherhood, humor and life fast forward!
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Tags: being a dad, blogger, bloggers, dad bloggers, mom, mommy wars, parenting, personal journal, reflections
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David
Dad Bloggers have to be taken seriously. These days when the maternity leave is over Mum often is ready to face work again and she may have the highest earning capacity in the house.
Also, it should be noted Aaron that you say you father was of a different generation, Dad worked, Mom stayed at home. These days there are mothers who don’t want to spend all day at home. They have careers, friends at work, a social life. Giving baby up to minders is a possibility but so is letting dad do it. Its not frowned on these days and less people find it strange. I dare say some older folk wish the option had been around years ago.
You are the early educators of our children, our hope for the future so it’s good there is a male influence to mould slightly as from nursery onwards there will be a lot of female influences. You can break down the belief that man is always violent and watches nothing but football and war films.. You can show that men cry on occasion and it doesn’t lessen them in any way. You can show that men are tolerant and want peace in the world.
Go forward Dad Bloggers on behalf of all of us who missed out on the chance.
David,
Thank you my friend. I know that men have been blogging for a long time online about their children. I would have been there with them if we had been able to have children easily (but as you are aware it wasn’t so easy for us to have a child and darn lucky to have the one we do have).
I find it interesting that I can find so much information online about mom bloggers but relatively little about dad bloggers. It makes you wonder how come…..
Aaron Brinker aka DadBlunders
Today I had my first dad meeting this year for one of my students. I can respect those of you who are fathers and involved in your kid’s life. But the number of moms v dads is still not equal or close to it. I would love to see more dads involved. Keep plucking away.
How do you know that to be true? Is that based on your experience or a study?
In my opinion, most fathers want to be involved in their children’s lives. I know as a social worker I have had mothers and fathers both tell me that a dad is not a good parent, that they don’t matter and that they can not make a difference in a child’s life. I can’t even say its from one socio-economic class over another…I have heard that sentiment in all categories.
I have taken the time and explained to parents that fathers matter. It is something that has become a stigma on men and I believe that society is to blame for a large part of this stigma. The only way to change it to keep moving forward and showing positive parenting in all aspects of fatherhood.
Don’t get me wrong. There are lots of good dad’s out there that do know how to do all the right things. I believe that it is our responsibility to help show other dads the right things to do too.
Aaron Brinker aka DadBlunders
I sound obnoxious saying this, but I have been blogging since 2004 and I wasn’t the only father who blogged then by a long shot. We have been around forever.
I never doubted that dad haven’t been online for a long time. The problem is we aren’t taken near as seriously as moms. We aren’t taken seriously as bloggers, in the media or as parents. The only way that things change is by talking about it and by trying to show others that dads are here to stay. We are trying to make a mark like moms have and want people to know that we are serious as parents ….that’s my point. It’s pretty sad when you can find statistics on almost every aspect of mom bloggers but very few on dads….
I was a social worker and investigated child abuse before I was a stay-at-home dad. I have had many parents tell me over the years that dads do not make good parents. I tend to disagree with this sentiment and believe the best way to change the attitudes of others is by showing dads in positive light as much as possible.
Aaron Brinker aka DadBlunders
Wow…I wasnt aware of the Dad Bloggers FB page!!!! I just liked it. I think dad bloggers have been there from the day blogging has made a mark in this internet world. The only reason why no one writes about us or publishes stats on our numbers is we tend to keep it quiet
Praveen,
I agree. We do tend to keep more quiet and I believe that’s why we do not have “dad wars” like moms do. I knew that dads had been blogging for a long time I just find it funny that they have never really made a mark near as big as moms have.
Aaron Brinker aka DadBlunders