If someone asked you where to find real life advice, tips and tales about parenthood today, you’d be forgiven for suggesting Instagram, Tiktok and YouTube as the first ports of call. But look back 15, even 10 years, and the online parenting world was a very different place. Mum bloggers ruled the roost, using WordPress and Facebook (the mother of the socials at the time) to share the ins and outs of parenting life online. Social media was still in its infancy, with Instagram – a relative newborn – merely a place for posting uber-filtered selfies and holiday snaps, while TikTok was nothing more than the sound a clock makes. The voice of modern fatherhood, meanwhile, was all but non-existent. That is, until a small group of dad blogging trailblazers emerged on the scene.
These pioneers changed the parenting narrative online, from one focused solely on the highs and lows of motherhood, to one where mums and dads both had a voice. Where the role of fathers in raising our children was no longer a side note or bad joke based on outdated stereotypes, but something to be celebrated and shared. Where dads were not only hands-on, but were stepping up to the plate to be equal partners in parenting and, in many cases, taking on the lion’s share of caring responsibilities at home.
For the first time, thanks to these fatherly forerunners, perceptions were well and truly changed. In parenting debates and events, dads finally had a seat at the table. New and expectant dads finally had a place to go online to find other likeminded guys, who talked about the topics that really mattered to them, speaking about fatherhood in their own language.
As a consequence, this sparked a new wave of dad bloggers in the community – me included – who were inspired by what they had to say and encouraged to share their stories too. I’d even go as far as saying that every dad influencer on social media today owes these guys a debt of gratitude for starting a conversation about fatherhood and giving it the platform it enjoys today.
So, to all the dad blogging trailblazers below, who inspired me and countless others to join this online community, we salute you. Whether you’re still writing regularly about dad life, or have hung up your blogging boots to focus on bigger things, the wealth of information and advice you have shared online over the years has and continues to make a huge difference to dads the world over.
Because, even though so much of the parenting conversation now takes place on social media, in a world where Google is still the first place you go if you need help or advice, there will always be a place and a need for great blogging content like yours.
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John Adams – Dad Blog UK
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Al Ferguson – Dadsnet (originally The Dad Network)
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Beau Coffron – Lunchbox Dad
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Tim Liew – Slouching Towards Thatcham
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Karl Young – The Yorkshire Dad
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Nigel Higgins – DIY Daddy
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Tom Briggs – Diary of the Dad
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Martyn Kitney – Inside Martyn’s Thoughts
Haha! Thanks for the mention and very kind words. Look, I’m even coming out of blog retirement to respond! The world changes, trends move on and as you say, more of these conversations take place on social media these days but I do love speaking to young people and going “yeah, what you’re doing, I was doing that a decade ago.” Anyway, you made the one interesting comment in your post. You highlighted how expectant and new fathers had somewhere to go for info and advice. Part of the reason I gave up blogging is because there was no market for a dad like myself who was writing about raising tweenage and teenage kids. The world has woken up to the fact fathers can be heavily involved carers in the early years of parenthood, but it hasn’t quite accepted that fatherhood is a lifelong commitment. This, to my mind, is the next step in fully recognising and accepting fathers’ contribution to family life. I’d also say the teenage years can present issues that are ten times more complex to handle than the early years, yet there ain’t any dads talking about these issues. Anyway, delighted you put me in such good company! Over the years I had dealings with virtually all the dads on that list and they are indeed a fantastic bunch. A la prochaine, as they say in France.