Everyone knows that parenthood is a challenge.  You can take all the courses and read every book on the subject that you can find but you are never really prepared.  The problem is that everybody’s life is different.   Every child – and parent! – is unique and this is something that we should never forget.  Luckily there is a whole host of dad – and mum! – blogs out there to tell us about this and we can easily see from them the challenges that other people face and how they work to overcome them.

Flatpackdad.com

Here the flatpackdad’s challenges are mainly due to his DIY efforts around the house and his poor family’s efforts to cope with them.  Having a family is not easy and when there is DIY taking place around the home it is even more difficult.  Luckily for this particular dad blogger, he seems to have a very understanding wife and kids.  I’m sure I’m not the only mum blogger who thinks that a less understanding woman might have shown him an alternative use for his drill before now!

Stephenlitel.wordpress.com

This is the blog to read for all those dads out there that are facing more than the challenge of being a parent.  Stephen says..is a blog which is about the challenges of raising children as a divorced father and doing this alongside issues such as depression and autism.  One of the best things about this blog is how candidly he talks about his problems.  He has recognised them as a part of his life and he does not mind sharing with the rest of the world.  This is not a blog which is filled with funny moments although there are some there.  This is a blog which mum bloggers like me read to be able to understand that men have their vulnerabilities too.

Daddownunder.com.au

For a bit of everything there is the Dad Down Under blog.  This Australian writer shares a lot of his life with his readers and covers topics from food to travel.  It is in the travel part that he details some personal challenges.  He chose to hike through the middle of nowhere for six days.  In Australia this is something of a feat, given the possibility of meeting snakes and other creatures that can cause a bit of damage.  This is a trek that took place before he became a father and he talks about how he feels it prepared him for fatherhood.  I’m not sure if that is entirely possible, but I suppose that his ability to do that and survive means that fatherhood becomes less of a scary prospect.

Not everyone wants to share their personal challenges and I think that is fine.  However, we can all learn from others and the rise of the dad blog means that is it not just the wisdom of the woman that you can read now, but that of the father.  No matter what the subject there will always be more than one point of view out there so reading a few can really help.