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Scott Beller, Editor and Contributing Writer
Since February 2020, the DADDYING blog has provided weekly commentary, personal narratives, reviews, research, poetry, and other creative expressions from a diverse group of colleagues, guest writers, and experts to promote the benefits of lifelong Dad involvement to kids, families, and communities.
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A Long Year of Reflection and Daddy Blogging
Just as daddying doesn’t take place in a vacuum, but within multiple contexts and social systems, so it has been with our Daddying blog.
Allan Shedlin
Mar 18, 2021
I'm Forever Holding Onto Fond Memories of My Dad
We didn’t know we were poor. We had the richness of the affection of our parents; we basked in their love...
Allan Shedlin
Mar 11, 2021
First and Foremost It’s About the Children
DADvocacy can rightly be viewed as encouraging enhanced partnerships between fathers and mothers.
Allan Shedlin
Mar 4, 2021
It's The Little Things They Will Remember
...engaging my children in making fresh pasta or brewing a cup of espresso, is a lesson in the joy of those simple things.
Allan Shedlin
Feb 18, 2021
It's No Surprise: Crying Can Be A Dad Strength
the birth of one’s first child often provides the chink that breaks through the masculine armor that has formed throughout a boy's life...
Allan Shedlin
Feb 11, 2021
Saying Goodbye to The House Where I Grew Up
When people ask me where I grew up, I usually say “Springfield, Virginia,” but that’s not entirely true.
Allan Shedlin
Jan 28, 2021
The Vital Importance of A President's and Daddy's First 100 Days
The presidency, like daddying, does not take place in a vacuum – both occur within a dynamic social system.
Allan Shedlin
Jan 21, 2021
Lessons From 2020: 192 Dads and Granddads Can’t Be Wrong
The end of each year is traditionally a time for us to reflect on the year just passed and, for many, to make resolutions for the year ahead
Allan Shedlin
Dec 17, 2020
Hammering Out Life's Lessons
I was born in 1951 when my Dad was almost 40. That was the time when fathers were supposed to dispense advice to children based on TV shows.
Allan Shedlin
Dec 2, 2020
A Good "Family Man" Can Be Hard to Define
I have been a dad for 48 years and a Grandpa for 12. My "kids" have thanked me, over and over, for their growing up.
Allan Shedlin
Oct 22, 2020
Be the Role Model You Wanted As A Kid
What I wanted back then was access to an adult with whom I could take refuge & trust to let me vent...Luckily, my dad recognized this too.
Allan Shedlin
Aug 6, 2020
Mommying Helps Me Cope with COVID-19 Isolation and Dad Grief
My own personal grief has been set aside while we mourn so many things before COVID19. The pandemic made me be the mother I dreamed of being
Allan Shedlin
Jul 30, 2020
Rebuilding My Relationship With Dad Now That He's Gone
It was only in the following days, weeks, & years that I realized his passing was just the beginning of a new kind of relationship with him.
Allan Shedlin
Jul 16, 2020
A Eulogy For My Socially-Distant Dad
By the time he died, my father had become adept at social distancing. I didn't know it would take me more than 15 yrs to write his eulogy.
Allan Shedlin
Apr 22, 2020
Soul Searching and Daddy Yearning In COVID-19 Isolation
The men of my family were men of small rooms. I think of this as I begin another week of social distancing.
Allan Shedlin
Apr 15, 2020
Fathering The Sickness (AKA Ministering to the Sick)
Dad wouldn’t have done anything different in a pandemic. He was always stockpiling essentials.
Allan Shedlin
Apr 8, 2020
Our Nest is Half Full
Daddying blog editor Scott Beller chooses to look at his imminent empty nest as half full.
Allan Shedlin
4 days ago
Why Not Speak the Truth to Our Kids Through History?
Daddying blog editor Scott Beller suggests letting the truth of history be the guide when talking with our kids about important topics that too often have been politicized and obscured with misinformation.
Allan Shedlin
Apr 9
After 20 Years, We're at the Right Place at the Right Time and Still Having A Ball
On the occasion of his 20th wedding anniversary, Daddying blog editor Scott Beller reflects on how being in the right place at the right time can be life-changing.
Allan Shedlin
Apr 3
Preserving Your Daddying Heart
Daddying Film Festival founder Allan Shedlin writes that men are more than capable of exceeding cultural expectations for Dads when they embrace delivery-room vows and nurture their daddying hearts.
Allan Shedlin
Mar 25
Springing Forward but Dad's Still Keeping Time
Daddying editor Scott Beller adapts to an evolving Spring Break schedule with his teen daughters, one in college and one still at home.
Allan Shedlin
Mar 20
What Floats to the Top
Daddying Film Festival & Forum (D3F) founder Allan Shedlin, whose older brother is battling cancer, reflects on the importance and true masculinity of men expressing emotion, tenderness, and compassion.
Allan Shedlin
Mar 10
Daddying and the Toys That Bind
Daddying editor Scott Beller returned from Toy Fair 2026 inspired and ready to roll out expanded blog and Daddying Film Festival content to include a focus on the importance of play.
Allan Shedlin
Mar 4
A Special Dad's Quest to Balance the Needs of the Many
Guest writer Clint Harrison, a Dad of Two, adoptive Dad of six, and foster Dad to many, explains some challenges involved in caring for his uniquely blended family.
Allan Shedlin
Feb 26
What Fatherhood Taught Me About Leadership, Accountability, and Legacy
Guest writer Joe Henderson, men's coach and founder of Lead Don't Blame, discusses the importance of presence and reveals how true leadership in the adult world begins at home in how you respond to everyday interactions with your kids and family.
Allan Shedlin
Feb 18
Halftime Shows, Dads Playing with Kids, and OTHER Sources of Joy
Daddying Editor Scott Beller's pursuit of joy in 2026 takes him from the Super Bowl to Ticketmaster to Toy Fair in New York City in search of meaning, music, and the importance of being a more playful, involved Dad.
Allan Shedlin
Feb 13
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