summer | DADvocacy Consulting

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.

Enabling the Past to Enrich the Present

Daddying Film Fest founder Allan Shedlin urges parents to create mental photo albums providing a safe harbor and calm amidst the storms.

Allan Shedlin

Jun 26, 2024

Discover Your Kids and Yourself: Be A Travel Dad

Editor Scott Beller explains why he's an enthusiastic travel dad and wishes his own dad had appreciated the many benefits of family travel.

Allan Shedlin

Jul 14, 2022

Stepping Back Can Help Our Kids Take Steps In the Right Direction

Daddying editor Scott Beller shares his nephew's story to help dads/moms resist the urge to over-parent when kids seem without direction.

Allan Shedlin

Jul 8, 2021

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

Distant Water Cannot Quench A Thirst

Nicholas Banura Aine writes about his struggles with long-distance parenting, which created deep emotional gaps with his children, one with autism, who needed his presence.

Allan Shedlin

3 days ago

Glad You're Here: A Love Note to My Youngest Daughter on Her 17th Birthday

Daddying blog editor Scott Beller writes a special note to his youngest daughter for her birthday, which coincides with back-to-school and the beginning of her high school senior year.

Allan Shedlin

Aug 28

Modern Childhood: Is The Next Generation of Kids Really The Loneliest One?

Guest writer Tessa Dodson highlights the complexity of modern childhood and offers parents practical guidance for supporting kids in building social connections through open communication, managed screentime, and unstructured play.

Allan Shedlin

Aug 19

The Dads and Sons of Summer

Poet and literary activist E. Ethelbert Miller debuts an original poem about baseball, Dads, and sons in this week's Daddying blog.

Allan Shedlin

Aug 12

I Left San Francisco for Colorado Springs. It Changed How I See Democracy

Youth Documentary Academy founder Tom Shepard writes about how he's been inspired by the diverse stories of his filmmaking students and other young people and what our country's leaders could and should learn from them.

Allan Shedlin

Jul 30

Savoring the Privilege of Lifelong Daddying

Daddying Film Festival & Forum (D3F) founder Allan Shedlin shares the joy of being a lifelong Dad, Granddad, and soon, a Great Granddad.

Allan Shedlin

Jul 30

With Our World in Metamorphosis, Those End-Of-Summer Butterflies Remain the Same

Daddying Film Festival & Forum (D3F) founder Allan Shedlin welcomes back-to-school season and those end-of-summer butterflies with an open mind and open arms.

Allan Shedlin

Jul 23

What Happened to Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness?

Daddying editor Scott Beller laments the continued human rights abuses by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), including murders this past week of Johan Sebastian Duran Guerrero and Lorenzo Salgado Araujo.

Allan Shedlin

Jul 16

A Dad Still Going Along for the Ride

Daddying blog editor Scott Beller embraces his evolving role as a Dad, which will always include being his daughters' safe, reliable ride home.

Allan Shedlin

Jul 10

Something to Celebrate For America's Conflicted 250th: Principles of Our Founding Daddies

Daddying Film Fest founder Allan Shedlin longs for an America that not only celebrates landmark birthdays but also adheres to the inclusive and promising ideals its "founding fathers" clearly expressed in the Declaration of Independence and U.S. Constitution.

Allan Shedlin

Jul 1