Dad
Top 50 Dad Blogs of 2012
Last year, when we inaugurated our Top 50 Dad Blogs list, we praised dad bloggers for “changing the way we think about fatherhood.” Indeed, a number of our favorite bloggers on this, our second Top 50 list, insist our thinking needs to be changed. They describe themselves as advocates for fathers, taking to their keyboards in order to counter dominant cultural stereotypes of dad-as-incompetent-buffoon. (You don’t believe them? Tune in to most any family sitcom on most any night of the week.) Others on the list aspire simply to entertain us with funny, relatable tales from the trenches. A few write to work through the shattering grief of losing a child or spouse.
This list features straight dads, gay dads, working dads, stay-at-home dads, geek dads, single dads, and more. In a culture where the dominant conversations around fatherhood center simply on whether dads can deign to change their kid's diaper, it's refreshing to see these guys take the public perception of parents into their own hands. We are again struck by the variety of their voices and experiences, which itself puts the lie to the notion of any one “typical dad.” A lot of our favorites from last year are back, while many worthy entrants are making their debuts. We hope you’ll enjoy laughing, crying, nodding, and discovering along with them as much as we have. As dads' online influence grows, this list will only become more and more difficult to curate — and that's a good problem to have. If you think we missed any of your favorite dad bloggers, nominate them here. – Barbara Spindel and the dad blog panel
11 / 50
Blurbomat
You’ve heard of Mr. Mom? Jon Armstrong has generally been known as “Mr. Dooce,” husband to famed Dooce.com mom blogger Heather Armstrong. The two separated this year, leading to some piercingly honest posts on his site, like the one written after his two daughters spent the night at his new apartment for the first time. (“All night I was on the verge of happy tears,” he writes of the experience, which exceeded his hopeful expectations.)
Even with the personal upheaval, pop culture is still a mainstay on the site, which appeared on this list at #18 last year. Music plays an especially significant role – in addition to being a photographer, he’s a musician and has been in a number of bands. What keeps us coming back to Blurbomat, though, are the images. Armstrong has an artist’s eye, and it comes out in his gorgeous photographs, which can be purchased through the site.
« Go back to Dad
I am humbled to be included.
Many thanks.
Mitch