Dad's Round-up: An autumnal mix

What do you get if you take a psychotherapist, two stay at home dads, one of whom likes to write about feminism and a dad that has a thing for laundry bleach? You get the dad bloggers that feature in this month’s round up, that’s what. I’m sure you’ll agree that’s a real autumnal mix. Without further ado, here they are

Every now and again I visit the Famiality blog, written by Gerhard Pretorious. Gerhard is a blogger with a difference. He is not only a husband and father but also a psychotherapist that specialises in working with families.

You’ll find all manner of advice and help on his blog, from coping with stress to dealing with teens. His most recent blog post, however, focuses on how his first child was conceived via IVF. It was refreshing to read a man’s perspective on this issue but also a delight to hear that baby number two is going to arrive imminently.

As a stay at home dad myself, I’m always keen to read about how other dads in my position cope with things and how they ended up there. I’ve been reading the One Man and His Sprog blog and the similarities with my own story are staggering. It has crossed my mind that Dan, the author, could actually be my twin. This post about how Dan became a stay at home dad is a good introduction to the blog.

Another stay at home dad who writes interesting stuff is Man vs Pink. In his words, the blog focuses on fatherhood, feminism and food. A recent post was about going to playgroups if you happen to be a dad. If this applies to you, there’s a good chance you’ll be the only male in a room full of mums. This is a scenario I’ve had to handle many, many times. I personally think it gets easier but this guide may well prove useful to a less experienced dad.

Over at the Dad Network, Al has been listing things he can’t do now he has a baby. I found myself nodding to much of the list, apart from the bit about always having to wear white. My clothes are frequently covered in paint, ink, mud and various excretions from the children. Although I do occasionally wear white, it tends to be when the kids aren’t around!

Finally, the one big topic of conversation among the dad bloggers is the Love All Dads awards. It’s back for the second year and the finalists have been announced (declaration of interest; I am one of them). The winners will be announced on 19 October and in a welcome change to last year, one of the categories is open to the mums. Good luck to all those in the finals!

Thanks for reading. I wish you all the very best for October and see you again next month.

About John Adams

John Adams is a married with two young daughters. He has been a stay at home dad for almost four years. John started blogging back in 2012 after being invited to one-too-many "mother and toddler groups." This inspired him to write about the issues he faced as a stay at home dad and the gender barriers men face as parents. John continues to write about lie as a stay at home dad. He also writes about every aspect of parenting; schooling, education, pregnancy and birth, childcare and so on. Over time he has broadened the focus of his blog so he now writes about family finances, photography and occasionally covers men's style and fashion. John was originally a journalist. He concedes, however, that was a long time ago.