Finding my Community
One of the things I often hear from stay at home parents, both moms and dads, is that they feel a sense of isolation. We spend all day with a kid who may or may not be able to converse with us. Even if they can talk its not the same as interacting with another adult. Most of my friends had older kids already and I didn't have any gay friends with kids so I had to go find some new friends. Most of us know that as an adult it can be a little difficult to make new friends unless you join an organization of common interests.
Moms groups and other mom-centric activities have been around for quite some time which has helped moms with that sense of community. Dad groups on the other hand are pretty new and many places don't have one. Even though I live in Portland Oregon, a pretty liberal and accepting town, I was unsure if there was a dad community or not. I hopped online and looked up dad groups. I was surprised to find that there were actually several. These have become my saving grace. The two major national groups are The National at-home Dad network and City Dads Group. Both groups provide an online and local support network. City Dads has grown from the original New York group to 34 groups across the country in just the last 5 years. Suddenly I had thousands of dads across the country I could connect with. Locally we have an at-home dads group of over 300 members and a general dads group of over 400 members. I also found a gay dads group with 80 members. Now instead of feeling isolated I have other dads I can talk to and get together with to make sure I avoid being isolated and the depression that often comes with it. This makes me a happier dad which in turn makes me a better dad which leads to a better childhood for my son.
If you're feeling isolated as a parent I highly encourage you to find a group. Get online. Search Facebook and Meetup. Put yourself out there. You, your spouse/partner and kids will all benefit from it.
Moms groups and other mom-centric activities have been around for quite some time which has helped moms with that sense of community. Dad groups on the other hand are pretty new and many places don't have one. Even though I live in Portland Oregon, a pretty liberal and accepting town, I was unsure if there was a dad community or not. I hopped online and looked up dad groups. I was surprised to find that there were actually several. These have become my saving grace. The two major national groups are The National at-home Dad network and City Dads Group. Both groups provide an online and local support network. City Dads has grown from the original New York group to 34 groups across the country in just the last 5 years. Suddenly I had thousands of dads across the country I could connect with. Locally we have an at-home dads group of over 300 members and a general dads group of over 400 members. I also found a gay dads group with 80 members. Now instead of feeling isolated I have other dads I can talk to and get together with to make sure I avoid being isolated and the depression that often comes with it. This makes me a happier dad which in turn makes me a better dad which leads to a better childhood for my son.
If you're feeling isolated as a parent I highly encourage you to find a group. Get online. Search Facebook and Meetup. Put yourself out there. You, your spouse/partner and kids will all benefit from it.
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