It's been a big year for dad bloggers. They got their own dad conference! They made The New York Times! And now they're celebrating Father's Day!
If you don't regularly have at least a few dads on your blog roll, you're missing out big time. Their perspectives of kids aren't better than moms', but they're certainly different … and men like Mike Adamick, Zach Rosenberg, and Tom Burns are putting it all out there for you to take in every day. Here are some of the best dad blogs on the Internet today — give 'em a read and say Happy Father's Day to these great guys:
1. Cry It Out/MikeAdamick.com — For seven years now, San Francisco native (and buddy of mine) Mike Adamick has been a stay-at-home dad, and it's brought out the MacGyver in the former journalist. Whether he's whipping up an iPhone crab cam to capture the critters' undersea adventures or crafting a set of circus stilts to let daughter Emme see the world from on high, he's sharing it all online … and now in the rad new Dad's Book of Awesome Projects, the one craft book that teaches you to make things your kids will actually USE (and think you're a superhero for crafting).
2. 8 Bit Dad — It's a blog of all things fatherly and ferociously cool, especially in the video game genre (if you didn't guess that from the blog's title already), but the very best of 8 Bit Dad comes in the weekly vlogs from creators Zach Rosenberg and Bryan Ferguson, one of whom loves to rock it in a bright pink, fuzzy bathrobe. You'll have to watch to find out who. Trust me. It's worth the bottle of laptop screen cleaner you'll have to buy to make up for the spit-out-your-drink laughter that ensues.
3. Sweet Juniper — Jim Griffioen is a father of two, including sweet little Juniper who was born in 2005, and primary writer at this Motown-based blog about urban living … with kids! He's crafty. He's quirky. And he really gets this childhood thing. Maybe because he's a giant kid?
4. Honea Express — When your last name is Honea, you spend a lot of time explaining how to pronounce it, but this blog title sums it up nicely. He's Whit Honea, rhymes with pony, and this father of two quickly growing little boys has got a way with words that will make you laugh and cry … sometimes at the same time.
5. Building a Library — Tom Burns is a bit obsessive about books. He's been building his daughter's library since before she was born, and now that she's in elementary school, he's realized he was just getting started. His blog might be about finding the best book for your babe, but it's more than that: it's how the love of books and our kids intersect. Think of it this way: bedtime just got easier.
6. How to Be a Dad — If you have somehow missed the hilarity that is the infographic on the unvarnished truth about sleeping with kids, don't worry! Charlie Capen and Andy Herald have plenty more like it on their blog (not to mention an entire book!). You don't have to be a self-help type to get their brand of funny. You just have to (sort of) like your kids and love to laugh.
7. Gay NYC Dad — Ten years ago, Mitch and his husband adopted a baby boy, and the adventure began. The celebrity-obsessed stay-at-home dad isn't just a dad blogger. He's a voice for gay parents everywhere who shares it all on his blog, from adoption truths to answering the hard questions like "do I have a mom?"
8. Bacon and Juice Boxes — The name says it all, doesn't it? Who doesn't love bacon? Jerry Turning does, but he also loves his little boy … so much that this cop by day has used the adventure of parenting a child on the autism spectrum to become a blogger by night, helping others to join the "accept camp" of autism parents.
9. The Good Men Project — More Internet 'zine than one dad's blog, the good men behind this project call it "a social movement from the front lines of modern manhood." That movement, started by dad Tom Matlack, has opened up a no-holds-barred discussion about what it means to be a father in 2013 … and beyond.
10. Ishq in a Backpack — When Navdeep Singh Dhillon started writing about travel, he and wife Sona were on a honeymoon adventure. Then came baby, and their whole world up-ended. But the taste for adventure didn't go away, so these days they're a "travel mad mum and dad" who can't stop moving … and are more than happy to take you along for the ride.
What is your favorite dad blog on the Internet?
Image by Jeanne Sager
