Dan has written an interesting post over at all that comes with it regarding the nature of “Daddyblogging”. The standard definition of a Daddyblogger appears to be more than just a dad who blogs, as there are no doubt thousands of blogs being written by men who also happen to be fathers. A daddyblogger is, more particularly, a dad who blogs about being a dad.
I stopped myself from using the word “parenting” at the end of that last sentence after a sudden realisation that I hate the word. Parenting is one of those horrible nouns-forced-into-verbs that exist only for officialdom to use as replacements for more emotive and meaningful words. When a father mends a bike, changes a nappy, or beams with pride at his child’s latest achievement, he’s not “parenting”, he’s being a dad.
I am spending a fair amount of my time being a dad, of late, and my blog has obviously reflected this. I, like Dan, kind of baulk at the idea of being confined by the definition of being a “daddy blogger”. I think specialising too much in that way limits creativity and interest for both the author and the reader.
Those who know me well will know this isn’t my first blog. My previous blog was, ostensibly, about a fairly specialist subject, but I made a big effort not to to be constrained by that subject when I wrote for it.
I like to think that it was for that reason I picked up many readers who didn’t have the slightest interest in the over-arching subject of my blog, including (probably) people like Dan himself. I also like to think that they might have learnt interesting stuff about the specialist topic I was blogging about which they would have never have been exposed to if I’d confined myself to blogging about just that topic.
God, I’m being terribly vague aren’t I? But I’m afraid when you’re on the run for revealing US military secrets that’s the nature of the beast.
So, anyway, call me a daddyblogger if you will, I’m more than happy to be counted as part of that crowd. But don’t expect every post to be about my thoughts on fatherhood, and definitely don’t come here looking here looking for examples of “parenting”!
It’s your writing and your humor that I come back for, not the subject matter.
Well that and the fact that you and I share frighteningly similar tastes and ideologies (aside from a couple of specialist areas).
Incidently, if you decided to throw yourself back into the whole blogging thing I envisage that you could become very big should you wish to be. The British Mum and Dad blogging scene is growing massively and to be honest you would probably be the best thing in it.
I know that’s probably not something that particularly appeals, but i’m just saying. Plus if you want to go down the comercial route its exploding at the moment. I get about 10 PR pitches a day now. I ignore 99% of them, but i am going on a free 7 day holiday to france in a couple of weeks in return for a review. I feel I’m selling out, but at least I’m selling out for a free holiday.