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
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Matt, Liz, and Madeline
The “About” page of Matt Logelin’s superb blog comes with a warning: “My blog deals with adult themes,” he says, “like sadness, loss, and death.” After a difficult pregnancy, the last month of which was spent on bed-rest, his wife, Liz, gave birth to a healthy baby girl, Madeline, via C-section. Liz was just about to meet her daughter for the first time when she suddenly and unexpectedly died: “shitty luck and a pulmonary embolism are what led us to the saddest, most horrific moment of my life (and many other people’s lives).”
The blog, #4 on last year’s list, is many things: a tribute to Liz, a record of Maddy’s childhood, a supportive community for those who’ve gone through their own tragedies. (Logelin’s memoir, Two Kisses for Maddy, spent five weeks on The New York Times bestseller list.) Reading it can also be inspirational; as Matt notes, “Despite my circumstances, there are plenty of uplifting moments.” Those involve not just raising Maddy, but meeting his girlfriend Brooke, to whom he is now engaged.
Matt’s smart, honest writing about life’s unexpected calamities – and miracles – is what keeps us coming back.
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I am humbled to be included.
Many thanks.
Mitch