Two leading fatherhood support networks will soon unite as a single organization dedicated to championing fathers and helping them succeed at being actively engaged parents.

City Dads Group and Fathering Together will operate as one, creating a stronger and more comprehensive platform to help provide vital resources and connections to fathers in and through local communities across the globe.

City Dads Group is a diverse community of fathers dedicated to being actively involved in their children’s lives. Founded in 2008, City Dads Group has chapters in 41 cities across the United States and Canada. The chapters focus on holding in-person gatherings of fathers, with or without their children present, where bonding, commiseration and support can take place.

Fathering Together is a nonprofit global network of more than 125,000 fathers and allies around the world dedicated to promoting active fatherhood and providing support, resources, advocacy and education for dads. Established in 2018, Fathering Together started years earlier as a Facebook group “Dads with Daughters” which quickly blossomed to include tens of thousands of fathers sharing stories, seeking advice and offering wisdom.

The new organization, to be headed by Fathering Together’s current leadership team, is a strategic partnership that will result in a broader online and in-person network, enhanced programming, and a more significant impact on the lives of fathers, families and communities.

“We are thrilled to join with Fathering Together to strengthen, sustain and expand our communities,” said Matt Schneider, co-founder of City Dads Group. “We have a real opportunity to positively impact the way we view and value fathers as a society.”

Lance Somerfeld, co-founder of City Dads Group, added, “Since the pandemic, we’ve been trying to figure out the best path forward for our communities of dads to evolve, grow and thrive. We felt that the most authentic, seamless, and strategic partner to fulfill that goal was joining forces with Fathering Together.”

Key benefits of the partnership include:

1. Expanded Reach: The new organization will reach over 150,000 dads across the globe with in-person groups in Canada, Kenya, Malawi, and the United States.

2. Innovative Programming: The entity will offer more robust programs including school-based “social emotional learning” for dads, online panels, and in-person meetups to empower dads to be advocates for change.

3. Inclusive Community: As members define fatherhood for themselves, regardless of background or identity, all will be welcome to share their story, and grow together in their journey.

Brian Anderson, co-founder and board president of Fathering Together, said, “We are honored that City Dads Group places their faith in us to continue advocating for fathers worldwide. We look forward to bringing the City Dads Group community into ours so we might empower dads to be emotionally courageous, connected, and committed to their families.”

Read the official press announcement.

Photo by Tyler Nix on Unsplash

Happy Father’s Day

 Sunday 8:30am:

I am making a bagel while putting away clean dishes, waiting for my coffee to be done brewing and singing along with Pearl Jam. My boys are watching Larvas on Netflix in the living room and my wife is back asleep in bed (she was probably up at 5am with Mason). Miles turns 8 this Saturday. This is my 8th Fathers Day?!?!

This is fatherhood at it’s best

I am not bragging, but more enjoying this parenting bliss that can go as fast as it comes. The first full week of summer had a bit of a rough beginning but ended amazing. I feel like I am standing in the eye of a hurricane – I want to hold on to this as long as I can!

I took a big step back from social media to re-evaluate what was happening in my life. People ask if I am ok, worried I might be depressed. It’s actually the opposite, I haven’t been happier and more relaxed in a long time. I appreciate things more, I am communicating with my family better. Changing my focus has been awesome, but not without some downfalls.

 The time is flying by faster everyday. I rarely see my friends and although it does make me a little sad, I am happy to know that when I do see them it won’t be long until we fall right back into each other’s world laughing about old time and making new memories.

Fathers gather together

Last night was an amazing night at a friends house where we celebrated Father’s Day on Father’s Eve. I got to see friends I haven’t seen in a few years and meet new friends. For just for few hours we ate, drank and shared stories.

I am so blown away by the stories, it humbles me. There were all kind of dads, new dads, old dads, dads with a single child to dads with six kids! The diversity made it an incredible experience.

One dad had become a dad on a month’s notice. He stepped up to a bad situation and made sure he took care of what was most important (family). He has altered his whole existence for this child and it is the most unselfish thing a person can do. I won’t go into all of his story but it is one of many from last night.

There were different items being given away last night, such as Britax’s B-Mobile Stroller

The dads who were interested put their names the drawing and although I didn’t need it I wanted to put my name in and if I won I was giving it to the dad above. As luck has it, I won it and it was awesome to be able to give this guy something I know he will get good use out of!

Other dads had to wait years to have a child, which then ended up being twins. I can image the highs and lows of that situation. All of the fathers there had different stories of where they are, where the came from and where they are going.

I am extremely honored to be able to hang with these amazing fathers.

We are all on our own journeys but we all have the same objective, to be the best father we can be. I salute all the fathers out there that are taking an active role in their kids lives and I look forward to sharing many more Father’s Eves/Days with amazing fathers like last night.

We were invited by Britax to join them at Safe Kids Day, a family-friendly event to benefit the life-saving programs of Safe Kids Worldwide.

Why is Safe Kids Worldwide so important?

Safe Kids Worldwide is a global organization dedicated to protecting kids from unintentional injuries, the number one cause of death to children in the United States. Throughout the world, almost 1 million children die of injuries each year. That is all we needed to hear, we are thankful to be able to help spread the word.

What was going on at Safe Kids Days?
They had a fun filled day of activities that included:

• The Smurfs
• Clifford and the Imagination Playground
• Skate dogs
• Exotic animals and and and and so much more!

They provided some great food such as In-N-Out Burger, Sprinkles, Greeenleaf, Coolhaus, Bon Puf and much more! So Yummy!

Needless to say, it was amazing. Do you know what was even more amazing,

Did you know?
3,817 child deaths from car crashes in 2014
or
#1 killer of children ages 1-4 is drowning

The sponsored activities made the event not only fun but more importantly engaging. The engagement makes learning fun! The have stations throughout the event ranging from building blocks, playing on a fire truck, competing in a safety seat challenge, and a safe biking station. Each station had a fun activity that helps create what we call a “learning experience”. These are the type of experiences are effective nontraditional interactions through games that will leave a lasting impression.

One example from the bike station was learning how a helmet should fit properly:

• When you look upward the front rim should be barely visible to your eye
• The Y of the side straps should meet just below your ear
• The chin strap should be snug against the chin so that when you open your mouth very wide you feel the helmet pull down a little bit.

Please check out Safe Kids Worldwide for more preventable safety tips!

Enabling families to travel safely!

Britax is and has been a huge supporter of the City Dads group, and we are very appreciative and grateful for their support. We have worked with Sarah Tildon (who is one, if not the top expert in car seats). We have had classes on the ins-and-outs of car seats. You would think that we would know, but even our very own Eli Lipmen learned a super important lesson about forward-facing versus rear-facing car seats, especially for toddlers.

You would think that we would know, but even our very own Eli Lipmen learned a super important lesson about forward-facing versus rear-facing car seats, especially for toddlers. He had just turned his two-year-old’s car seat around – and, yup, he did it too soon! As we spoke with Sarah, she broke it down as an expert, but also as a parent. She asked a few questions, but the first was the best – “Did he [your son] ask to be turned around?” She explained that the law says two-years-old but you can keep them rear-facing for as long as the seat allows and the simple solution was to use a car seat wedge!

Thank you @britaxus for inviting us to Safe Kids Days event – it was such a great time! We will be sharing all kinds of awesome stuff in an upcoming blog. In the m an time, you should also ask @elipmen the important thing he learned from @sarahtildon (you know the national car seat expert) about the car seat for Cal! #sharesafety #citydads #britax @safekidsworldwide @safekidsfoundation

A post shared by LA Dads Group (@ladadsgroup) on Apr 23, 2017 at 3:57pm PDT

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Do you have questions about your car seat? You should visit Britax’s safety center to get answers.

Britax’s mission: To be the leader and innovator that inspires and enables families to travel safely and grow with peace of mind.

If you can prevent an accident – DO IT!

We want to send a huge thank you to Britax and Safe Kids Day for such a spectacular event!
We want everyone to be safe, keep all children safe and since PREVENTABLE INJURIES ARE THE #1 KILLER OF U.S. KIDS. Let’s work on being more aware of the things we can change and make good decisions – because “Saving lives is a decision we can all make every day”.

We all feel the stress of life as a modern-day parent.

School. Work. Traffic. Bills. Politics. Scheduling kids’ activities. Shuttling kids to those activities. More traffic. Sometimes it feels like we are on a wheel that never stops.

To decompress, our family a few times a year tries to visit relatives who live on a 15-acre farm in Sonoma County — about an hour north of San Francisco and just west of Napa Valley.

It is a beautiful vineyard with views of the valley below. Every morning roosters and geese wake you as they go out in search of food and water. The daylight has a soft glow to it that is refreshing and, at night, you can see every single star in the pitch black sky. “Grandpa Stan” — the farm’s owner and resident for the past 30 years — calls it his “little slice of heaven.”

But what I love so much about visiting the farm with the family is the simplicity of the life there. Working the soil with your hands and tending to the grapes. Fixing everything on the farm from a broken ladder to a tractor engine. Picking strawberries and collecting eggs for the freshest breakfast you can ever imagine. All these little tasks are so foreign to our “city kids” but so meaningful because it connects them to the food they eat, the things they own and the people they love (mostly us).

Our kids soak in so much when they are in nature, especially when they are young. My 5-year-old is learning about seeds at her pre-school and she was fascinated every time she identified seeds on the farm. And my 2-year-old is into dirt — picking it up, crumbling it in his fingers … tasting it. And there was lots of dirt for him to play with on the farm.

As “city dads,” it isn’t such a bad idea to take our children out of the city every once in a while. A little time to commune with nature and to learn where things come from and how to make them. Maybe then they can appreciate all they have in the city, too.

Post your stories about your experiences to get the kids out of the city.

The highlight of my Dad 2.0 Summit 2017 experience was when I had the privilege of moderating an exclusive talk with Marc Webb for the  City Dads Group.

If you are not familiar with Marc, I am sure you know his work. He is a producer and director, known for 500 Days of Summer (2009), The Amazing Spider-Man (2012) and The Amazing Spider-Man 2 (2014). We got to chat with him about his new movie coming out, Gifted.

Gifted

Gifted caught my attention because it tugged on that “fatherhood string.” I mean, what would happen to my boys if something were to happen to my wife and me? I can’t even imagine what would happen. The second thing that caught my attention – Captain America (actor Chris Evans)! But it wasn’t Captain America at all, just a regular guy who finds himself in an unexpected and challenging situation.

I don’t think any father is ready for the full scope of parenting, no matter how much they prepare. Fatherhood is just never what you think it’s going to be. The main character – Frank Adler (played by Chris Evans) – becomes a parental figure after his sister is unable to raise her daughter. I can feel for that guy. We all have difficulties, even when we start from birth!

I am also glad to see that through it all, family is the most important. I was impressed with their choice of Mary (played by Mckenna Grace). Marc found a shooting star that magically lit up the screen with her personality. In the interview, Marc discusses their hunt for her and the difficulty in the search for the actor with just the right personality.

The actors in this movie just seemed to click. You can’t fake this kind of chemistry, and I think there are only a few people in the world that can create this kind of magic. Marc obviously has the experience to not only work with big names but bring the magic to the big screen.

I am looking forward to seeing Gifted with my wife. The full movie comes out in April and rolls out to theaters everywhere after that. In the meantime, you can check out the trailer here. Check out our Facebook Live interview here. And stayed tuned, we will do our best to bring you all the newest information as it comes!

See you at the movies!

I moved to Los Angeles about 12 years ago following a business opportunity. I was growing tired of the gray weather in Seattle and jumped at the chance to start a new chapter in my life. What wasn’t exciting about L.A.? Disneyland, Hollywood, amazing beaches and more.

When you first arrive in Los Angeles you are as much a tourist as those who are just here to visit. The city is a hot spot for sightseeing, people watching, movies, concerts, sporting events, shopping and beaches. The list is nearly endless. And when you move here you do all that. Then, after a while, you begin to get a sense of the sheer size of L.A. It covers 467 square miles – not including the surrounding five-county metropolitan area, which boosts it up to more than 34,000 square miles. We’re talking millions of people (and consequently mind-numbing traffic).

Los Angeles has a different meaning to me now that my oldest has turned 6 and is more ready to enter the fray that is our great city. I want my boys to be citizens of the world and L.A. provides us some great stepping stones. Want to experience a Chinese New Year celebration? Chinatown is a hop, skip, and a jump away. Feel like eating traditional Korean barbeque? Yup, Koreatown has that. There is such a wealth of culture here that we don’t often realize it until we look through the eyes of a newcomer or child.

Let’s not forget the great outdoors. Yes, even our concrete jungle has a wealth of nature. From hiking experiences and parks like North of Malibu, Griffith Park and Baldwin Hills; to sandy beaches like Santa Monica, Venice and Huntington Beach. Swim, surf and sunbathe – you want it, we got it. And none of this even includes the amazing Los Angeles Zoo.

But let’s be honest, the heat can be scorching and a little much for outdoor activities. Never fear, museums are here! There is the Getty or Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) for the older crowd; to name just two. Then there’s Kidspace Children’s museum in Pasadena and Zimmer Children’s Museum for the younger crowd. There are free options as well, so don’t bust your wallet!

After living here over a decade, and being that both of my boys were born here, I consider Los Angeles home. I can’t wait to explore it all over again, this time through the eyes of my sons!

Los Angeles Dads Group will join the effort to raise awareness and funds to battle childhood cancer by setting up an Alex’s Lemonade Stand on Saturday, June 11, 2016.

L.A. Dads Group is one of 5 outposts of the national City Dads Group network to host lemonade stands that day. Other chapters include City Dads Groups inChicago, Cleveland, Dallas, New York City, and Minneapolis-St. Paul. All money raised will be donated to the Alex Lemonade Stand Foundation (ALSF) for its work funding research to find better treatments and cures for childhood cancer.

“This is a great opportunity for our members and their families across the country to come together for an excellent cause close to all of our hearts,” said Lance Somerfeld, co-founder of City Dads Group.

The stands are City Dads Group’s contribution to Alex’s Lemonade Days, a three-day national event. The event grew from an initial front yard lemonade stand set up in 2000 by Alexandra “Alex” Scott, a 4-year-old Pennsylvania girl with neuroblastoma. Her first stand raised $2,000 and received national attention.

Since Alex’s 2004 death, “Alex’s Lemonade Days” are held every year over the same June weekend with an estimated 10,000 volunteers hosting more than 2,000 Alex’s Lemonade Stands around the nation making a difference for children with cancer. This year’s Alex’s Lemonade Days are set for June 10, 11 and 12.

Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation, a registered 501(c)3 charity, has raised more than $120 million to date toward fulfilling Alex’s dream of finding a cure, funding more than 550 pediatric cancer research projects nationally.

“Los Angeles City Dads Group is honored to partner with ALSF to shine a light on the need to fund pediatric cancer research,” said Trevor Mulligan, co-organizer of the L.A. Dads Group.

You can help Alex’s Lemonade Stand in Los Angeles by donating today at: www.alexslemonade.org/mypage/1223934. You can also help volunteer or recruit volunteers by emailing co-organizer Trevor Mulligan at mtmulligan@gmail.com. Location details for the fundraising effort will be posted on the blog shortly.

Welcome to Dallas Dads Group, we are glad you have found us. You can join us via our Meetup page.

I am a father of two young boys and we live in Waxahachie. My wife and I moved from Illinois in 2009 to the great state of Texas to be closer to family and find more affordable housing than we could find in Chicago. Due to our work schedules, we made the decision for me to stay at home with our children and take on the primary caretaker role. Months turned into years and one of my greatest difficulties was finding a place to take my boys to interact with other kids and I could find some adult conversation. Every dads’ group I found was inactive and the more I looked, the more I realized how few opportunities fathers have to spend solo time with their children while hanging out with other guys.

Think of it, children growing up thinking it was normal to be hanging out with not only their father, but having adventures among multiple involved fathers. That is why I started Dallas Dads Group. I believe that mothers and fathers are equally capable parents and it is time for fathers to find their own space within this mom-centric world of raising children. If you are still reading this, I would bet that you think that way, too. Dallas Dads Group is in the hands of its members. We will continue to set up Meetups and look for more opportunities to gain visibility with the ultimate goal of reaching more fathers, but any member can post a get-together on our calendar. We want fathers to be able to find other dads in their area and create memories with their children. We do not care what your life situation is, the only requirement to be a Dallas Dad is to be a guy who wants to spend time with his children and hang out with some other guys while doing it. Dallas Dads Group will be as great as we all make it. We do not want this to be another dads’ group that becomes inactive as soon as our kids get older. We want to build a foundation that fathers can use in a year, in five years, and in twenty years. Thanks for checking us out and I hope to meet you and your kiddos soon.

Check us out on social media:

• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DallasDadsGroup
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/DallasDadsGroup
• Instagram: http://instagram.com/dallasdadsgroup

Not in the Dallas/Fort Worth area? Check out other chapters of City Dads Group around North America.

Dads: You’ve come a long way with your babies.

Nearly six years ago, Matt Schneider and Lance Somerfeld started NYC Dads Group so local fathers had access to the same kind of parental camaraderie, support and network that the mothers they encountered around Manhattan had built and relied upon.

Today, NYC Dads Group consists of 1,000 fathers strong.

Today, Matt and Lance are participating in a special one-day conference at The White House with business leaders, Obama administration officials and others, such as N.Y. Mets’ second baseman Daniel Murphy who some criticized this year for taking paternity leave, to discuss the evolving role of fathers in raising children  along with issues working fathers face these days. It is part of The White House Summit on Working Families.

Today, at that conference, they will be joined by fathers from dads’ groups in Boston and Philadelphia that are part of a new national network of “communities for fathers” that Matt and Lance have helped spread in recent months.So, today, we are proud to announce the official launch of that national network and its website under the banner of City Dads Group.

City Dads Group is a dynamic and diverse community of fathers dedicated to being active in their children’s lives and, by example, redefining what it means to be a dad in the 21st century. We have groups centered around 11 major metropolitan areas throughout the United States.

City Dads Group – like the NYC group — brings fathers together, online and in real life, to:

• Support each other’s efforts to be the best father and parenting partner they can be
• Share their parenting perspectives, knowledge and experiences – good and bad – with each other and those who care about them
• Demonstrate that the new reality of parenting includes caring and capable fathers who are actively involved in the upbringing of their children

The new website, CityDadsGroup.com, acts as a hub of information for all the organization’s outposts. The site:

• Puts every city group’s many Meetup events in one location that is easily sorted by location and date
• Houses our award-winning blog filled with tales of fatherhood that give you food for thought, inspiration or a chuckle – sometimes all three.
• Hosts The Modern Dads Podcast with experts in parenting, work-life balance and more.

The NYC Dads Group blog will remain, but it will revert to a more localized source for our NYC members rather than the broader “news all fathers can use” site it has become at times.

So please: visit, bookmark and subscribe to our new City Dads Group site and all it’s social media features today … for who know what great things tomorrow holds for us, you and fathers everywhere.