Real talk from real dads
Essays, diaries and stories about raising kids as gay dads — the good, the bad and the “we should have known.”
The Chicken Whose Dream Almost Got It To End Up In A Noodle Soup
Gay dad Kyle Ashworth answers homophobic comments on social media with a story about his chicken. A hen whose dream to become a mother realized in a non-traditional way– but didn’t make her less of a mother. (This amazing story also teaches us how great the power of knowing what you want is.) Guest Post…
Heart for the Shirtless Selfie: The Paradox of the “Gay” Naked Body
For years I’ve been struggling with shame, thinking that I’m not good enough. But how much of it is constantly being fed by things that I don’t even notice that I’m doing? A quick search on Google images for “gay” leads the results of what Google thinks we all want to see: perfectly-shaped muscular torsos…
From Koobeh to Charlie
Do you believe in pet reincarnation? I think I do. Especially after this crazy experience. August 23, 2019 was the day when the tragedy hit us. We were on our way to Las Vegas for a weekend, drove nearly six hours from LA with our kids, and as just we arrived in ‘Vegas we got…
Gay Friendships and Why I’ve Joined Gay Group Therapy
For years I’ve been struggling with friendships. It was never easy for me to “make friends,” and since I arrived in America 11 years ago it’s only become harder. But what I’ve discovered lately is that I’m not alone in this, and it’s not just an immigrant thing. I see gay men who seem to…
Lessons Straight People Can Learn from Gay Marriage
I believe that gay marriage is here to ‘fix marriage.’ I know, it’s a little controversial, and you’ve been hearing me saying this on our podcast, but think about this: for years, we gay men couldn’t get married and had to base our long-term relationships on the daily question of ‘do I want to be…
How Our kids Learned Reading and Writing Before the Age of 4
I have a video of our son Ben at the age of 20 months standing in front of a sign to a “My Gym” and pointing while saying each letter on the sign. Our kids started learning to
VIDEO INTERVIEW Shocking UK Surrogacy Laws leave British Gay Men with Nearly Zero Rights On Their Way to Fatherhood
You expect a country like the UK to be progressive with its laws when it comes to surrogacy for gay men, but the truth is far from it. Apparently, the woman who gives birth is recognized as the legitimate mother, and gay dads have to apply for paternity—even if one of them is the biological…
Normalizing Kids’ Screen Time
Screen time for kids is always a sensitive issue in parenting. But sometimes I think we look at it all wrong; Humanity is ever-changing, and parenting should precede our evolution. I remember sitting outside Music Class waiting for my kids on a pre-CoVID-19 weekend. I was talking to another parent and we somehow got to…
Daddy Squared Greatest Hits
Alex and Yan look back at the three seasons of the show. Daddy Squared: The Gay Dads Podcast first aired in September 2018. Since then we have done three seasons, a COVID-19 thirty-day challenge and a Pride 2020 episode. This extended episode gives you a taste of what the podcast is all about using clips…
Coming Out of Quarantine
As COVID-19 quarantine rules are relaxing and we’re about to go out to the world again, John Volturo, Author, Speaker, Executive Coach and dad of twin girls, shares his thoughts on how to do it wisely. Dear Dads, Guncles and others caring for our beautiful kids, We’ve been sheltering in our homes for like 100…
Covid-19: A Guide for the Socially-Anxious
Shame, embarrassment, shyness, fear of rejection: these are the components that have been putting me in quarantine long before it was “in fashion.” On the other side of the boxing ring lies the fear of missing out and the desire to have meaningful and true friendships. Who wins this fight? For years I’ve been struggling…
Tackling Racial Issues in Surrogacy for Gay Men
Married couple Justin and Didier reflect on their thoughts and the challenges they’ve faced on their surrogacy journey as people of color. Justin and Didier started researching family-building about 4 years ago. They attended monthly and annual conferences of Men Having Babies in New York, which has been an invaluable resource for them. “These proved…
Las Vegas With Kids: Following Blippi’s Favorite Places
Vegas With Kids. Sounds like an oxymoron? Not really. Apparently kids’ YouTube star Blippi has turned Sin City into kids travel destination too. When all of the kids in their class were asked by their teacher what they wish for themselves for the New Year, they all said they wanted some sort of a new…