As a child, you’re taught to avoid strange men in parks, says dad-of-one Joel Defries. “But once you have a child you BECOME that weirdo in the park. You can’t get enough of mindless chats with strangers by the swings.” Joel Defries on the realities of fatherhood…
dad life
Family
“Within 20 minutes of leaving the house we can be sinking our toes into warm sand or hiking up haunted moorlands. It really is remarkable that such different landscapes can exist so close together.” William Head on adventures with his son in northern Cornwall…
Family
The final day of Stuart Hall’s Dad Diaries. There have been moments of joy – and plenty of tantrums – but we finish on a high, with one of those rare days as a parent when your child is a delight and everything goes to plan. Hurrah!
Family
“Easter Sunday. A time for celebration, family fun and of course lots of chocolate. Not in the Hall household. We had a time of tantrums, relentless crying and our darling daughter turning back into a demon child.” Oh dear…
Family
“When they returned she was covered in dust from her tomato and leek crisps. Apparently, she’d thrown a bit of a wobbly and the only way to comfort her is with food. Fair enough, we do it all the time.” Stuart Hall on Easter Saturday with the parents and in-laws…
Family
On Day 1, Stuart Hall – dad of one-year-old Etta – told us about his daughter’s premature birth and loving mornings with her. Today, things take a turn for the worse and he begins to see what it’s really like for his wife, being at home full time…
Family
“I found the birth exhilarating. Exhausting. But at the same time, it filled me with complete amazement and pride at the strength that my wife showed during the labour and at the sight of an actual human emerging from her lady parts.” Dad-of-one Giles Alexander on fatherhood…
Family
“I lost my father suddenly at the age of 12, so my own personal challenge is to just be there for Otis and Thea whenever they need me.” Children’s book author Mark Lemon on both the beauty and the challenges of fatherhood…
Family
“It’s really important to have a few dad mates locally, going through the same pressures and challenges, that you can go to the pub with and just let it all out.” Founder of Beyond the Stork, Ben Turner, on fatherhood…
Family
Adele’s recent revelation about postnatal depression was a comfort to women the world over, as it showed that successful, talented, rich women can suffer too. But less talked about is paternal postnatal depression, affecting one in ten dads…