When Our Babies Become Adults, Daddying Work Persists
- Allan Shedlin
- Sep 24
- 5 min read
Updated: Sep 25
By Scott Beller
Daddying Editor
A recent poster in a Dad-blogger group asked if anyone was still blogging regularly, admitting he wasn't since his kids were now older. The implication seemed to be that he (and his kids) had aged out so, his writing about them was no longer relevant or useful. Many of the other dads in that post thread also had stopped writing for similar reasons. Some even opined that Dad blogs were, in essence, a dead medium.
I respectfully disagree.
Our daddying job never ends, it evolves. Half of our work is figuring out where and when we can best fit into our kids' lives – to share an experience, offer advice, or a shoulder to lean on. And then we sometimes just have to wait for their invitation. We must stay connected because we need and benefit from each other's presence, though we may not immediately recognize that fact.
I began blogging in 2016 by writing about my kids for the STEM parenting blog Raising Nerd. What I enjoyed most about that time was not only the process of writing on educational topics that were interesting to me, but also writing about things that enabled me to include my daughters in the learning and creative process.
I wrote about our trips to museums and adventures exploring other places together. We reviewed new STEM/STEAM toys together. I reviewed books we read together. And I got to interview creative thinkers and problem solvers that inspired me as much as they impressed the kids. At the time, I wasn't sure what if any long-term impact my work would have on them beyond the invaluable benefits of our Dad-daughter bonding time. Now, my college freshman, who was and still is an artist, has taken the guitar she taught herself to play during COVID lockdown to school with her and chosen to pursue a STEM career in neuroscience! My high schooler, who excels at math (but doesn't particularly love it) and still likes to tackle a challenging LEGO set, on occasion, is considering architecture as her future college major.
Our daddying job matters, and it never ends. It evolves.
I've been writing for the past 5+ years about my kids as they've transitioned from tweens to independent teens. I've also written extensively about my own parents and how those relationships shaped my (often limited) understanding of and approach to being a Dad...until I actually became one. Those parenting issues continue to be worth writing about, if not to help other dads who might feel alone in their "I don't know WTF I'm doing" moments, then to help me recognize and work through my own parenting faults, strengths, and blind spots.
It's been a challenge to know exactly how well I've been doing as a Dad, since I spent most of my teen years without either of my parents around. I relied on what Allan often refers to as a patchwork of other dads as my exemplar for what it takes to be a "good Dad." If you ask my kids to rate my performance, so far, I hope they'd say I've succeeded much more than I've failed. Actually, they'd probably just smile, shrug, and leave the room.
Our daddying job never ends, it evolves.
My oldest daughter turned 18 this week. She's now officially "an adult." It was the first birthday I wasn't able to be with her to celebrate. My youngest is 16 and a high-school junior immersed in championship-level rowing and SAT prep. None of that means my kids need me in their lives less than they did when I was making them lunch and taking them to and from preschool every day. While they can now feed and drive themselves, both still need me to be there for them, literally and/or figuratively, when they come home. At minimum, it's easy for me to remind them I'm just a text, email, or phone call away.
Our daddying job never ends, it evolves.
Sure, it may be easy to say Dad blogging is "dead" if you've stopped because your blog doesn't boast 100K subs and isn't awash in ad dollars (that would be a great bonus, of course), but is that really why we do it? It's not why I do, and it was never the Daddying blog's reason for being. Our mission is to tell daddying stories here and tell them well. Our own along with a diversity of other stories from Dads, Granddads, dad figures, Moms, Grandmothers, daughters, and sons. These stories all share a universal message:
Dads are important to kids and families, in their presence as well as their absence.
Monetized to the hilt or not, we aim to tell daddying stories and to share them with as many people as we can. We started with this weekly blog back in 2020. A couple years later, we expanded to unleash the power of film to encourage and reach even more audiences worldwide (45 countries and counting!) with the annual Daddying Film Festival & Forum (D3F). Our job – our daddying journey, online and off – has always been about staying connected.
Daddying is lifelong. It matters in every phase of our kids' development and our own. It is priceless and it never ends.
It evolves.
Thanks for coming along for the ride.
* * *
Speaking of journeys: I'm heading north tomorrow to spend Parents Weekend with my now-officially-adult daughter and probably dozens of her new college friends. The football tailgate awaits! Happy 18th again, Morgan – Go, Orange!
Daddying Film Fest 2026
Forty-five countries and counting! The 5th annual Daddying Film Festival & Forum (D3F) welcomes film and video submissions, including TikToks and Instagram reels, from students (3rd-graders through undergraduates), Dads/Granddads, Dad figures, and indie filmmakers worldwide! Dads/Granddads, Dad figures, and students can submit videos/films for FREE on D3F's FilmFreeway page through Friday, Oct 3, 2025. Regular entry deadline is Monday, December 8. Celebrate the importance of involved Dads and send us your stories!
Send us your Daddying films & videos and celebrate D3F's 5th Anniversary on Eventive this January 9-15, 2026!
Scott Beller is the proud, imperfect crew Dad of two teen, mighty girls, imperfect partner of their rock-star mom/regatta chaperone, a truth teller, former youth soccer and basketball championship coach, part-time driving instructor, late-night filmgoer, photobomber, resistance writer, purveyor of banned books, Editor of the Daddying blog, and Director of Communications for DCG and D3F. He's a seasoned writer and PR agency veteran with more than 35 years of experience helping organizations of all sizes reach audiences and tell their stories. Prior to launching his own creative communications consultancy in 2003, he led PR teams with some of the world’s most respected agencies, including Fleishman-Hillard and The Weber Group. As a consultant, he’s helped launch two other parenting advocacy nonprofits with DCG founder Allan Shedlin, REEL Fathers and Dads Unlimited. His first book, Beggars or Angels, was a ghostwritten memoir for the nonprofit Devotion to Children's founder Rosemary Tran Lauer. He is formerly known as "Imperfect Dad" and Head Writer/Editor for the Raising Nerd blog, which supports parents in inspiring the next generation of scientists, engineers, and creative problem solvers. He earned his BA in Communications from VA Tech so many years ago. You can follow him on Instagram and BlueSky!
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