Stay-at-home dads and work-at-home fathers are scheduled to gather in St. Louis this October for HomeDadCon 2024, the annual conference for these dads to add to their parenting skills, support each other and socialize.

Speakers and topics have yet to be announced for the event, which runs Oct. 17 to 19. Breakout topics at past conventions ranged from dealing with picky eaters to teaching children about sexual consent. Outreach or social activities, such as attending a sporting event, are often part of the program.

The National At-Home Dad Network (NAHDN) event is for stay- and work-at-home fathers who embrace parenting as their most important job. It allows them to network with other active fathers, learn from experts about various parenting and social issues, and take a brief respite from parenting duties. (DISCLOSURE: City Dads Group has been a long-time sponsor and partner with The National At-Home Dad Network for the at-home dads convention.)

HomeDadCon 2024 ticket, hotel information

A ticket to the HomeDadCon 2024 costs $230 for members. It includes access to all event programs, three meals, and a T-shirt. Tickets are only available to NAHDN members. It costs an additional $35 to join the organization for a year.

Discounted hotel reservations are available while they last at the Drury Plaza Hotel St. Louis at the Arch, which doubles as the event venue. The cost is $169 a night for double occupancy. For people wanting to split the rooming costs, the organization has a Discord group to help attendees find a roommate.

+ Buy a St. Louis HomeDadCon ticket +

The nonprofit National At-Home Dad Network offers advocacy, community, education, and support for families where fathers are their children’s primary caregivers. Its stated purpose is to empower fathers and champion a culture that recognizes them as competent parents.

The organization has expanded its work in recent years. It now runs parenting webinars and podcasts plus regular online gatherings for members to discuss issues. The National At-Home Dad Network has also recorded some of the past HomeDadCon sessions, some of which are made available only to dues-paying members.

Editor’s Note: If you’ve ever considered attending HomeDadCon, the annual fatherhood conference held by The National At-Home Dad Network, then this might help make up your mind. It was originally published here in 2014.

When I became a stay-at-home dad in 2008, I was terrified.

My wife and I had just moved from Chicago, where I had lived for 33 years, to upstate New York. I had resigned as a public school teacher after 10 years to stay in our new home and raise our kids, who at the time were 21 months old and 3. I left family, friends, babysitters I knew and trusted, and a community I loved. It meant resetting everything about my life.

The first week was rough. Our son broke his collarbone. Here I was, in a strange city where I was unfamiliar with where the hospital was and I couldn’t get a hold of my wife or her parents who lived in the area for help. I felt lost. I questioned if I really could do this.

A few weeks later, once I got the lay of the land, I sought other dads like me but without luck. I kept seeing the same moms at the gym and at pickup for their kids. Most accepted me as a parent but I still needed guys to share my experiences with.

Then, at church one day, my wife and I met a couple who had kids of similar ages.

“What do you do for a living?” the husband asked.

“I am a stay-at-home dad,” I said, dreading his response.

“No kidding!” he said. “So am I.”

What resulted was a friendship with me, him and his brother-in-law, also a stay-at-home dad. We regularly met on Fridays, which we named “Dads and Subs.” One guy would bring the Wegmans’ sandwiches and the kids would have an instant playgroup while we got to talk to one another about our week.

An at-home dad conference? Really?

In August 2011, my wife received an offer to relocate again, this time to Philadelphia. We couldn’t pass up the opportunity. This was the first city, however, where we knew no one and the first city where we couldn’t rely on family to bail us out of a jam with the kids.

I looked for dads’ groups after we got settled but kept coming up empty. I found plenty of groups for stay-at-home moms of little ones, but nothing for dads. Once, I even tried to join a moms’ group but was quickly rejected because “they didn’t feel comfortable with a man there.” I was on an island with really nowhere to turn.

Then I came across The National At-Home Dad Network’s conference, an event for stay- and work-at-home fathers who embrace parenting as their most important job. It was billed as a chance to meet other active and involved dads, learn from experts about various parenting and social issues, and take a brief respite from parenting duties.

I made plans to go to their convention in Washington, D.C., that next year. My wife and I worked out a schedule with her parents to come while I was gone and watch the kids. I piled into the car by myself and drove to D.C., not knowing what to expect.

It turns out these guys — a fraction of the tens of thousands of at-home fathers in the United States — were just like me.

Focus on being great parents, bonding

The dads came from all over. They stayed home with their kids because it was what was best for their families. They focused on trying to be the best dads they could be.

At the conference, we listened to people who had written books on parenting, a psychologist studying the rise of male caregivers in our society, and a person who had a website devoted to helping male military spouses who were at home.

In break-out sessions, we had honest discussions without judgment. We could share and be heard while dads helped other dads. Panels discussed popular issues with other men just like me. Guys talked about isolation and everything from discipline to diapers and bottles to breastfeeding.

Being around your peers in any field will give you that sense of self-worth. You see that you aren’t the only one dealing with a kid who won’t eat or how your teenage daughter won’t talk to you. I never laughed so much in my life and, at its end, I cried. I didn’t want this feeling of acceptance to end. Finally, I found my people — all in one place, no longer scattered but uniformly united by fatherhood.

The shared moments with them socially and the sessions on parenting were just what I needed. When I returned home my wife saw a change in me. I was dedicated and rejuvenated ready to be back with my kids and be the best dad I could be. It inspired me to start my own dads’ group, which eventually became the Philly Dads Group.

The men I met at the dad conference and of the At-Home Dad Network, an all-volunteer organization working toward the betterment and acceptance of stay-at-home dads everywhere, helped me when I needed it most. These guys became my friends online and in real life. They lifted me higher than I could have imagined.

If you are an at-home dad on the fence about going to the convention, I say take a chance. You never know where it will lead. The National At-Home Dad Network saved me, and it can save you too.

A version of this post first appeared on DadNCharge.

Clear your calendar and line up some childcare for early May! You’re invited to attend the Mom 2.0 Summit parenting conference in Scottdale, Ariz.

Mom 2.0, scheduled for May 7-9, 2023, brings together influencers who create content online and on air in parenting, entertainment, food, politics, business, marketing, technology, social change, travel and design. City Dads Group is a media partner for the conference.

Despite the name, the Mom 2.0 Summit is not exclusively for women. Since its start in 2008, the annual conference has brought together like-minded parents passionate about creating content online, digital entrepreneurship, and writing.

 “We have partnered with the Mom 2.0 team in a variety of ways since our inception, and we know this will be a valuable experience for parent content creators and entrepreneurs,” said City Dads Group co-founder Matt Schneider.

Organizers have loaded the 2023 Mom 2.0 Summit with information from experienced creators and industry professionals. Slated discussions include:

• Turning your content into cash
• Building a successful online writing community, newsletter, or TikTok feed
• Becoming a local influencer
• Prioritizing, organizing and simplifying your life
• Working with brands and using affiliate links

+ + Get more info on 2023 Mom 2.0 Summit + +

Scheduled keynote speakers include:

• Jen Hatmaker. A New York Times bestselling author and podcaster. Her books include For the Love, Of Mess and Moxie and Fierce, Free and Full of Fire. She also hosts the award-winning For the Love podcast and leads an online community that reaches millions of people each week.
• Attica Locke. An award-winning author and writer/producer for television and film. A former writer and producer of the hit TV show Empire, Locke is also a New York Times best-selling author. Her novels include Heaven, My Home and Bluebird.
• Tembi Locke. Actor, screenwriter, TV producer, and like her sister, Attica, a New York Times best-selling author. Her memoir From Scratch: A Memoir of Love, Sicily, and Finding Home was adapted by Attica into the Netflix series From Scratch. The show earned six NAACP Image Award nods and a Los Angeles Film Italy award. 
• Austin Channing Brown. The CEO of Herself Media is a media producer, author, and speaker focused on racial justice in America. She is also the New York Times bestselling author of I’m Still Here: Black Dignity in a World Made for Whiteness. 

Along with scheduled speakers, panels and workshops, attendees will have ample time to network and connect with brands that work with online creators.

Mom 2.0 is to be held May 7-9, 2023, at the JW Marriott Scottsdale Camelback Inn Resort & Spa in Scottsdale, Ariz. Tickets cost $599.

Photo: Courtesy Mom 2.0 Summit.

Milwaukee will host HomeDadCon 2023, the annual conference to help at-home fathers hone their parenting skills, this September.

The National At-Home Dad Network (NAHDN) event is for stay- and work-at-home fathers who embrace parenting as their most important job. It allows them to network with other active and involved dads, learn from experts about various parenting and social issues, and take a brief respite from parenting duties.

The Milwaukee Dads Group will have a hand in planning and coordinating this year’s event. (DISCLOSURE: City Dads Group has been and is a long-time sponsor and partner with The National At-Home Dad Network for the at-home dads convention.)

Speakers and topics have yet to be announced for the event, which kicks off with a welcoming party the evening of Sept. 21 and runs through Sept. 23. Breakout topics at past conventions ranged from dealing with picky eaters to teaching children about sexual consent. Outreach or social activities, such as attending a sporting event, are often part of the program.

Ticket, hotel information

A ticket to the HomeDadCon 2023 costs $225. It includes access to all event programs, three meals and a T-shirt. Tickets are only available to NAHDN members. It costs $35 to join the organization for a year.

Discounted hotel reservations are available through August 23 at Hyatt Regency Milwaukee, which doubles as the event venue. The cost is $167 a night for double occupancy. For people wanting to split the rooming costs, the organization has a Discord group to help attendees find a roommate.

+ Join NAHDN & buy a HomeDadCon 2023 ticket +

The nonprofit National At-Home Dad Network offers advocacy, community, education, and support for families where fathers are their children’s primary caregivers. Its stated purpose is to empower fathers and champion a culture that recognizes them as competent parents.

In the past few years, the organization has added parenting webinars and podcasts to its website. It has also recorded some of the past HomeDadCon sessions, some of which are made available only to dues-paying members.

Editor’s Note: We’ve been reviewing the 14 years of content compiled on this site to uncover some parenting pearls of wisdom that need to be rediscovered. This post about mastering certain parenting concepts was originally published in October 2010.

The recent at-home dads’ convention in Omaha, Neb., was chock full of content. One workshop inspired me the most, though — the feature presentation by Dr. Frank E. Bowers, a supervising psychologist at the Boys Town Behavioral Health Clinic, part of Boys Town Community Support Services in Nebraska, on “the most important job in the world,” fatherhood.

During Bower’s introduction, the audience was told we would “discover why the role of fatherhood is so critical to the success of our children and what we can do better at our job.” OK, you had me hooked!

This thought-provoking presentation revolved around the Top 10 Parenting Concepts to Remember. I will add that these concepts are just as appropriate for moms as well as dads. In fact, I would not be surprised if this passionate speaker, completes a similar inspirational presentation frequently to mothers groups.

Bowers describes the goal of parenting as “safe passage from birth to adulthood.”

So, let’s get down to the Top 10 Parenting Concepts:

1. Adult Think vs. Child Think

As parents, we need to constantly remind ourselves that we are talking to a child and they don’t think the same way we do. Their brains are not yet wired for the same logic we are. Set your behavioral expectations accordingly. Be a firm parent dad with a lot of structure.

2. Emotional Parenting (E-Line) vs. Purposeful Parenting (P-Line)

The aim here (without displaying the line graph) is that as parents we should work hard at hovering close to the “P” line — purposeful, powerful and proactive parenting — rather than hovering on the Emotional “E” line. This will result in a lot more “time in” with our kids than dealing with “time out.”

3. The Secret To Parenting…

The secret is to give our children what they want when they give you the behaviors you want. What do your children want the most? Your attention!

4. How We Learn?

A. Repetition – think about how you learned your multiplication tables.
B. Contrast – think 98.6 degrees vs. 350 degrees
Rule: The greater the contrast, the fewer repetitions needed.

The lesson from touching a hot stove (350 degrees) vs. touching another person (98.6 degrees) requires a lot less repetition to be learned. Therefore, you might have to keep telling your toddler to stop hitting other kids over and over again (lots of repetition). If you ever say to tell your child, “How many times do I have to tell you” … well, the answer is “at least one more time.”

5. Kids Want Structure

They won’t tell you this, but it helps tremendously.

6. Discipline is the Goal

Discipline helps create better behavior in the future. It is NOT punishment, which can be retroactive. Teaching self-discipline is key. For example, you cut your kid’s meat into small pieces so they can eat it with the hopes of modeling so one day they can cut their own food.

7. Set Them Up for Success

•  Provide adequate structure.
• Don’t “invite” them to lie. If you know they took a cookie from the jar, don’t ask them if they took the cookie when you already know the answer.
•  Make expectations developmentally appropriate.

8. Catch Them Being Good!

This one really resonated with me. We are constantly watching for negative behavior so we can pounce on it and correct it.  We should spend more time praising the behavior we want from our children. Therefore, give our kids more attention when acting appropriately than when doing something we disapprove of.

9. Be a Good Role Model

“A lesson is caught more than taught!” The example Bowers used was paying for a movie with your 13-year-old. If the price is lower for ages 12 and under and you tell your kids to say, “I am only 12” to save some cash, you are basically teaching your kid to cheat.

10. Enjoy Your Children

Every stage has its ups and downs.  At least I am on target with this concept — we are having a blast!

Some final food for thought:

• If you argue with your kids, you lose!  You bring yourself to a peer-to-peer level instead of parent-to-child dynamic.
• Sail on the high “SEAS” of parenting: consistent-sea (consistency) and persistent-sea (persistency)

You might think many of these concepts are common sense, but once you reflect a bit on your parenting style, there is plenty here to digest and improve upon. Now, I need to sign off and figure out how to parent closer to the “P” line so I don’t get so emotional and bent out of shape.

Photo: © anoushkatoronto / Adobe Stock.

Organizers of an annual conference for at-home fathers will again try to host an in-person event in 2021.

The National At-Home Dad Network recently put tickets on sale for HomeDadCon 2021, scheduled for Oct 14-16 in Cincinnati, the same locale where the previous year’s conference was set to take place. Health and safety concerns from the COVID-19 pandemic caused the nonprofit organization to scrub the autumn 2020 in-person event for an online only version dubbed DadCon@Home 2020.

The 2020 event would have been the support-and-advocacy network’s 25th annual in-person gathering. Instead, that anniversary will be celebrated at HomeDadCon 2021.

The convention is for at-home fathers who embrace parenting as their most important job. It allows them to network with other active and involved dads, learn from experts about various parenting and social issues, and also gives these full-time parents a chance to relax.

The National At-Home Dad Network is dedicated to providing advocacy, community, education and support for families where fathers are the primary caregivers of their children. Its stated purpose is to empower fathers and champion a culture that recognizes them as capable and competent parents.

Tickets for the HomeDadCon 2021 cost $209. Scholarships are available for those with financial need. Hotel rooms at the convention location are also now available for booking/

* Buy a ticket to HomeDadCon 2021 *

(DISCLOSURE: City Dads Group has been and is a long-time sponsor and partner with The National At-Home Dad Network for the event.)

The network recently posted on its Facebook page a call for speakers and topics for October’s fatherhood conference. In recent years, the at-home convention has held discussions on the importance of the father/daughter bond, budgeting and planning for financial emergencies, strategies for dealing with picky eaters, homeschooling tips, teaching children about sexual consent, and how to discuss diversity and racism with your kids.

Depending on the data source, somewhere between 160,000 and 2 million exist in the United States – a number steadily on the rise in the past few decades as attitudes and gender roles in the workplace and the home have evolved.

Dad 2.0, the conference for fathers wanting to participate in a conversation about the changing voice and perception of modern fatherhood, will bring its usual strong lineup of speakers and panelists for professional and personal development to Washington, D.C., next month.

Organizers of the event, dubbed Dad 2.020 for its ninth year, recently announced many of the topics to be discussed at the summit, slated for Feb. 27-29, 2020, at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel.

Featured Dad 2.020 speakers will include:

• Dan Kois, author of How to Be a Family, a book about how taking his family with him on assignments around the world helped them grow closer.
• Donte Palmer, whose viral photo of him changing his child’s diaper while squatting on a bathroom floor started a national campaign for changing tables in men’s restrooms.
• Taylor Calmus, the creative force behind the popular Dude Dad YouTube channel.

Other topics to be discussed will include:

• Improving one’s work-life balance to feed both our souls and our kids
• Working remotely: Is it a workable solution for increasing family time
• Editing our lives by purging things that obscure our focus
• Coping with substance abuse, either with or as a recovering addict
• Pursuing a career in professional writing
• Trends in influencer marketing
• Creating a blockbuster Instagram feed
• Cutting-edge metrics to analyze your followers
• How to launch your passion project

Dad 2.020 will also feature in-depth information on the campaign for more state and federal paid family leave laws and the D.C. area’s #FlipTheScript campaign to combat negative imagery of men of color and highlight the important role of fathers in early childhood development.

Complete programming is expected to be announced Jan. 23.

The annual Dad 2.0 summit is a national three-day meeting where marketers, social media leaders, blogging parents and regular dads gather to discuss modern fatherhood. Dad 2.020 tickets are on sale now for $279.

++ Purchase your Dad 2.020 tickets here ++

City Dads Group will once again be a media partner for Dad 2.0, a role it has played since 2014. It uses the conference as a national meetup opportunity for its leadership and members.

“Dad 2.0 has been the place we have found the guys who organize our groups, write for our blogs, and help with our influencer campaigns with national brands,” City Dads Group co-founder Matt Schneider has previously said. “Our groups have very similar goals in helping further the importance and positive perception of being an active, involved father, and collaborations like this benefit everybody for the good of all parenting.”

City Dads Group members play an active role in the conference every year. Some of our members scheduled to speak or be on panels include:

• Creed Anthony, Indy Dads Group: My Captain’s Log
• Jeff Bogle, Philly Dads Group: Out With The Kids
• Mitch Chaitin, NYC Dads Group: Gay NYC Dad
• Jim Joseph, NYC Dads Group: Out And About Dad
• Mike Julianelle, NYC Dads Group: Dad and Buried
• Marlon Gutierrez, Orlando Dads Group: Being Papa
• James Lopez, NYC Dads Group: Fatherhood Is Lit
• Aaron Sheldon, Columbus (Ohio) Dads Group: Small Steps Are Giant Leaps

Photo: NYC Dads Group member Jason Greene was a featured speaker at the 2019 Dad 2.0 summit. Courtesy: Dad 2.0

Some NYC Dads Group members will get to enjoy a whole lot of bonding with their children and each other next month at a special lunchtime play date at a major parenting exhibition in Manhattan.

+ Discounted MommyCon NYC ticket offer below! +

The event is one in a series of partnerships parent organization City Dads Group struck with MommyCon, a nationwide educational/product exhibition series dedicated to natural parenting. City Dads chapters in five U.S. cities are to host play dates when MommyCon comes to their areas this year.

MommyCon NYC, scheduled for April 7 at the Grand Hyatt hotel next to Grand Central Terminal, is to feature more than 100 exhibitors, speakers and panels. A dozen NYC Dads Group members and their kids will receive free admission to the event so they can attend the play date, slated for 11:45 a.m. to 1 p.m., by RSVPing through Meetup.

“We appreciate this opportunity to partner with MommyCon to create an opportunity for new and expecting dads to connect with City Dads Group across the United States,” said City Dads Group co-founder Matt Schneider. “Parents are in this together, so it great to see the MommyCon team welcome dads into the mix.”

The NYC play date will be the second of the partnership following a triumph in Chicago earlier this month. Other events will take place this year in Charlotte, N.C.; Orlando; and Pasadena, Calif.

The lunchtime play date provides an opportunity for NYC Dads to promote our group’s social and support benefits to MommyCon attendees while bringing some of our dads out to the convention to learn and shop.

MommyCon NYC 10% ticket discount

As part of our partnership with MommyCon, NYC Dads Group members and friends can buy tickets now and receive 10 percent off by using promo code: citydads10

+ Buy MommyCon NYC tickets now + 

One thing we know about Dads is that when you get a group of them together great things happen! That has been one of our guiding principles here at the Chicago Dads Group. From fun playdates in the park, weekly pick-up basketball games, to epic Dad’s Night Out activities our group has become a great resource for Chicagoland dads to bond over Fatherhood. That’s why we are super excited when the good people over at MommyCon asked us to participate in their DaddyCon programming; a separate track of educational panels, activities, and workshops focused on fathers.

What is DaddyCon?

DaddyCon is focused on bringing fatherhood to the forefront of the parenting conversation. This is their debut year (March 3 & 4) and Chicago Dads Group is excited to be a part of it. The event will feature two days of interactive sessions, workshops, exhibitors, giveaways and the Dad Games Competition. There are over a dozen speakers including a few members of our group. Their goal is to have a meaningful and playful discussion about all aspects of fatherhood: from being there at birth through every diaper change, scraped knee and ballet recital.

Chicago Dads Group @ DaddyCon

Needless to say we are excited about DaddyCon! We will be there on Saturday 3/3 for a special lunchtime Meet Up and we will be participating in  a panel discussion on Sunday 3/4.

As part of our partnership we are giving away 2 free tickets to Daddycon and here is how you can win them:

Win 2 Free Tickets to DaddyCon

Come join us March 3-4. and check out over 100 exhibitors, interactive workshops, inspirational speakers and more. It is a great chance to learn all there is to be a new dad at the Chicago

A little food, a little play and a whole lot of bonding between fathers and children — and probably among fathers themselves. That’s what City Dads Group will be bringing to major parenting events in five cities this year.

Local City Dads chapters will host lunchtime playdates for dads and kids at MommyCons being held in Charlotte, N.C.; Chicago; New York City; Orlando; and Pasadena, Calif.

MommyCon is a nationwide educational/product exhibition series dedicated to natural parenting.

“We appreciate this opportunity to partner with MommyCon to create an opportunity for new and expecting dads to connect with City Dads Group across the United States,” said City Dads Group co-founder Matt Schneider. “Parents are in this together, so it great to see the MommyCon team welcome dads into the mix.”

In Chicago and Orlando, City Dads Group will actually be involved with DaddyCon, a separate track of educational panels, activities and workshops focused on fathering that runs concurrent with some MommyCon shows.

Chicago site of 1st MommyCon partnership

The partnership kicks off next month in Chicago. City Dads Group serves as media partner for the March 3-4, 2018, DaddyCon at Donald E. Stephens Convention Center in suburb of Rosemont, Ill. The Chicago Dads Group will host a one-hour lunchtime/playdate event for its members at the convention, providing an opportunity to add to its membership while bringing some of our dads out the convention to learn and shop.

“With over a dozen speakers, the event convention will take a playful approach to discussing all aspects of fatherhood: from being there at birth through every diaper change, scraped knee and ballet recital. The conversation will explore first-hand accounts from todays most prominent father figures while exploring the bond fathers have with their children,” its website states.

The other MommyCon/City Dads Group events will take place:

• April 7, New York City
• May 5, Charlotte
• Aug. 18, Pasadena
• Sept. 1, Orlando