DADsquared℠

So I will be turning 56 this coming Fall. I can hardly believe it.  Quite honestly I have never really felt my age. I often joke that the reason why my marriage is so successful, despite our 13 year difference in age, is that my husband is so mature and I, well not so much. The past few years, as some of you know, have been difficult. Unlike years gone by I never noticed the changes in my face but when I hit 50 I started to become so much more aware of my skin. I was also keenly aware that I had not been caring for myself as I once did. Kids do that to us right? Not enough sleep, stress, unhealthy diets and on and on. Well, last year I decided to do something about it. Nothing grand nor earth shattering. Nothing that required a moving truck, scalpel or a divorce lawyer. It was a tiny move that has changed my life. Mad Hippie Love... Not this kind, But rather this kind... Yes, I changed my skin ca...

Another Mother’s Day is right around the corner. Our fourth since our son was born. As any writer will tell you, especially a gay dad writer, this day gives birth (pun intended) to many articles about how our types of families handle this yearly event. And let me tell you, that there are countless scenarios playing out all over this great big world of ours, this is just humbly.. mine. Read full article  HERE

I recently read a comment about a truly important world event, the wedding of Lance Bass to now husband Michael Turchin. Okay, so world news might be a bit of an overstatement but the comment was extremely interesting and got me thinking. The commentator basically stated, and I paraphrase, that he found the fact that E News was going to be airing a show called “Lance Loves Michael: The Lance Bass Wedding” not merely nauseating but he also referred to the happy couple as “Assimilation Gays,” a term that I have seen popping up all to often. Read the full article  HERE

Family Equality Council's Executive Director Gabriel Blau to write the forward for our upcoming book "Dads Behaving Dadly: Truths Tears and Triumphs of Gay Dads."  Gabriel, was recently named one of The Advocate magazine's 40 under 40, a Dad Fighting for All Dads.   His tireless efforts as a representative for all LGBTQ families and our children makes him the perfect activist, warrior and gay dad for the job. We thank Gabriel for all he does and continues to do and are so proud to have him join this project. Be a part of history, be a part of the book. For submission information go to  dadsquared.org Gabriel Blau, 34 New York, D.C., Boston During the big Family Equality Council events, executive director Gabriel Blau and his family often end up in photographs projected on giant screens. He and his husband and son are just one of the many families Blau is fighting for in his everyday work. But that enormous photo on display i...

Henry Amador-Batten is proud to announce that he will be co-authoring an exciting new book that will shine a light on gay dads like never before. Award winning author Hogan Hilling, who to date has published six books on fathers and parenthood invited Henry Amador-Batten to join him on the third "Dads Behaving Dadly" book. " Dads Behaving Dadly: Truths Tears and Triumphs Of Gay Dads " will feature gays dads, worldwide, as they share their beautiful and unique stories of fatherhood. "With more and more gay men joining the ranks of fatherhood, there has never been a better time to share these dads, these families and these stories with the world. It has become my honor and my obligation to become a storyteller for these dads, It is my sincere wish that this book will build bridges, touch hearts and help to solidify our place within the global parenting community."  Henry Amador-Batten Amador-Batten and Hillings invite all gay dads to share the...

By Henry Amador Tired, irritated, angry, distant, envious, tired, overwhelmed, tired, judgmental, did I say tired? These are some of the ways I have been feeling lately and that really has me feeling, well... tired, irritated, angry, distant, envious, overwhelmed, judgmental and tired, really tired. I was recently featured in an article on  Buzzfeed  about how dads balance work and family. I apparently wrote my contribution under the influence of an alter ego or perhaps a nice Riesling or through a pair of rose colored glasses or a sunny day in Winter, I'm not quite certain, but it made me feel like a fraud. Read full article  HERE

By Dara Fischer Henry Amador recently wrote an excellent article for The Next Family entitled, "Eight Things These Gay Dads Don't Want To Hear"  The article was so clever and hit the nail right on the head.  After reading the blog, I got to thinking about all the questions I have been asked over the years being raised by gay parents, yes, a gay mom and a gay dad! I have picked just a few to share. 1. Are you adopted? No, I am not adopted.  I am genetically 50% my Mom and 50% my Dad.  Though depending on which parent I had ticked off that day, those percentages would increase or decrease.  I also have two non-biological parents, my Terri, whom I have written about before and my Mom’s partner.  I do not differentiate between my parents.  Though I will admit to liking Terri more than my Dad most of the time.  Dad can cook but Terri was a hairdresser who could not only perm my hair but brush it without ripping it out....

1. When are you going to tell him he's adopted and do you think he will take the news well? We're not, we are planning on waiting until he is either eighteen or just senses that he's different to SURPRISE him with the news. Adoption is not a bad word, we have used the term since he was born. Firstly we are two men, as soon as the birds and the bees fly into our home he might start to get an inkling but by the time that rolls around he will be very comfortable with the idea of how our family was created. Read the full article  HERE

Dear little man, It will soon be 2015, and although your little mind can not understand this yet, we are on the edge of some exciting and momentous of things. read the full article  HERE

As the new year approaches we often find ourselves feeling a tad overwhelmed, frustrated and oh so weary. It’s as if we are looking at life, at ourselves and all the people we encounter with those horrible magnifying makeup mirrors.  Every flaw, every nuance is exaggerated and every feeling seems designed to personally attack and put us on the automatic defense. We want things to be perfect.  We need things to be perfect and quite frankly we are setting ourselves up for disaster. I learned a long time ago that are some simple, yet powerful actions I could put into place to avoid heartache, disaster and allowing the Grinches in. Here are three. Read the full article  HERE

I just had the pleasure of reading  The Christmas Truck  to my three year old son, He sat enthralled and excited through each and every page. "That little boy has a Daddy and Papa just like me!' he exclaimed and there is no greater joy for me than when my boy sees his family represented, especially in such a loving and special way. The story takes us along with a cool same-gender family as they embrace the true spirit of Christmas, The spirit of giving. We tag along as they prepare their home and their hearts for the holidays. They teach their son about giving to others less fortunate than he and about overcoming obstacles. With the love of his family and the quick thinking of his awesome grandma nothing gets in the way of making a special Christmas wish come true. The Christmas Truck , lovingly written by J.B. Blankenship and beautifully illustrated by Cassandre Bolan  has already become one of our holiday traditions and I hope ...

One of the most amazing gifts I get from working with DADsquared is the building of relationships. I read and share stories daily from families all over the country. We hear of their struggles, their triumphs, the stumbling blocks on the road to parenthood and some of the tools that led to success. One voice I do not share often enough is that of the surrogate. Many of us have have become parents with their help. Some of us maintain these special relationships in so many different ways. They may be our child's special "aunt" or a close family friend. Some of our children know them truthfully as their birth-mothers and yet others may never know them at all. Regardless of what place they may hold in our hearts they are undeniably magical, special and for many.. mysterious women. I often hear.. "how could a woman do that?" "I could never carry a baby and then give it up." I will say that I have learned that for some surrogates it is a ca...

Working as a Holistic Parenting Coach and especially working with LGBTQ families, I have learned that while many parenting issues are universal and effect all parents, there are indeed issues that arise that are unique to gay parents, and deeper still to gay dads. The following list was compiled from some of that work. It is not meant to be a definitive “how-to” list. There are some lovely treasures here. Take what resonates with your heart and remember to love one another fully, passionately and knowledgeably. Read the full article  HERE Photo “ Love Is What Really Matters ” by  Purple Sherbet Photography  is licensed under  CC BY 2.0

This time of year always finds me giving thanks. I give thanks for the life I have, the family and friends I have and for the moments that define me. I wanted to reach out to just a few of the dads in my life, a few heroes that have pursued their dreams to become fathers. They have pursued those dreams against great odds and are opening doors, minds and hearts so that others will follow. All around this world, the number of gay men choosing to become fathers is increasing, rapidly. They are setting goals, taking out loans, loosing friends, family and sometimes faith in order to have the honor and the privilege to raise a child. This journey is aw inspiring and at times emotional beyond comprehension. The journey, the destination called parenthood comes at a great cost for many of us and yet gives birth to moments of both sheer beauty and devastating pain. Moments that at their finest and at their saddest, take our breaths away. Read the full article...

I am happy to say that as I write this articles my husband and I have completed the required classes in the MAPP program, Model Approach to Partnerships in Parenting for North Carolina. We received a lovely certificate as our class mates cheered as each of our family names were called. I am also happy to say that ALL three of the same-gender families that started the program were among the recipients of the coveted certificate. So what does that mean? Do we now get down to the business of meeting children and growing our families? Well....... not exactly. read the full article  here

Its just a ceremony, it doesn’t really mean anything.  I mean, we have been together for 10 years and we have a 7yr old child.  We already committed to each other long ago.  That’s what I kept telling everyone.   Its not a “Wedding” wedding, Its just a formality. We decided last year that we needed to get married.  There were many reasons for the decision. The biggest one was so I could legally change my last name in order to start the process of all three of us having the same last name.  Or course there were other reason too.  For instance, I am on T’s health insurance at his work.  His employer is nice enough to offer their health insurance to domestic partners of employees.  This means that regardless of if your partner is the same sex or different sex, they can be covered through the employee’s health insurance without being married.  The bad part is that you are taxed on that benefit.  It’s...