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4 daddy blogs you should be reading

4 daddy blogs you should be reading

iStockphoto.com Image by: iStockphoto.com Author: Canadian Living

Family

4 daddy blogs you should be reading

While women are naturals at communicating and forming communities, it's tougher for us guys. I was a stay-at-home dad for many years—I even had a blog called Mack Daddy, which quixotically tried to make being an SAHD seem cool—and I know that, as a dad, you can feel isolated, like you're the only guy in the world going through what you're going through. Reading some other dude's blog is one of the best cures. Dad bloggers offer a unique window into what men think about their lives in the wake of having children.

Maybe in some utopian future when we're all riding around in hovercars, we will speak only of "parent bloggers," making no distinction between male and female. Until then, dad blogs add a spicy flavour to the blogosphere. A flavour kind of like…barbecue.

Here are some of my go-to sites that let me know I'm not alone:

How to Be a Dad is my favourite, mostly because it's really funny.
Charlie Capen and Andy Herald are the two heavily caffeinated, sleep-deprived dads behind this guy-type-humour blog. They're located in California, but fatherhood truly is a universal (and universally funny) experience, as proved by their posts. Check out pieces like "Types of Diaper Load" (which includes diagrams of "the log jammer," "the inverted exorcist" and "nuclear nugget") and "Zombie vs. Baby," which reveals the surprising similarities between the two creatures ("no sense of right and wrong…keeps you awake at night in fear…can turn others into zombies"). After all, if you can't laugh about things, what's the point?

Canadian Dad is a blog run by Ottawa father-of-two Chris Read. Chris speaks more to the sentimental side of fatherhood, and he recommends products and activities. His blog has a pro-fatherhood bent, aimed at counteracting the image of fathers as disengaged doofuses. Example: In a recent post he took a hotel commercial to task, wherein a kid wishes his father didn't have to be away on business and could read him a bedtime story. Cut to: Dad having a great time relaxing at the hotel. Ladies, that's not us. We're better than that—or at least we're trying to be. Canadian Dad is great because he never pretends to be perfect. Like most of us, he's just trying really, really hard.

The Urban Daddy is the blog for products and practical tips, especially for things to do when your kids are driving you up the wall. Warren Orlans, the Toronto father behind the blog, says he's "not your typical daddy," and I'm not quite sure what he means by that. (What's typical these days?) But, like me, he has a three-kid, two-career household. Also like me, he and his wife have the odds stacked against them: three to two. He's very good on the topic of "juggling"—which is especially useful for readers who live in urban jungles. Don't kid yourself: It is a jungle out there, and Urban Daddy is a great guide to avoiding the bear traps, vipers' nests and poison darts.

Dad Camp was started in 2009 by a Calgary dad Buzz Bishop as a way of connecting with other dads. But it quickly became a place for parents of both sexes to communicate and share stories and practical tips on how to navigate "the parenting minefield." I like Bishop's raw honesty. He's not afraid to "go there," like when he took heat for admitting that, although none of his children get preferential treatment, he does have a favourite. In response to headlines like "Father Admits to Having Favourite Child, Faces Backlash," he tweeted: "I am not afraid to say what everyone thinks deep inside. It's the Simon Cowell approach to blogging. If you don't have a fave, you're lying."

If you're connecting with parents online, definitely have a look at 15 amazing moms to follow on Pinterest or if you're looking for a great gift for the dad blogger in your life, check out 8 gifts for under $50 for dads who barbecue.

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4 daddy blogs you should be reading

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