At The Dad Network we wanted to to provide a place to work with other dad bloggers. It seemed like we all had the same motivation and the same goal, so why not work together. We want to encourage and promote other dad bloggers in order to encourage and promote the role of dads within family life. As a result, we’ve teamed up with some other dads and each week, we’ll be publishing a guest post from another dad blogger from around the globe. Be sure to check out their blogs!
Christian Toto
– Tell us a bit about yourself?
I’m Christian Toto, an award-winning journalist with more than 15 years working with web and print-based outlets. I oversee Daddylibrium.com, a site covering the balancing act between parenting, marriage and leisure time. I’m the proud pappy of two handsome lads – Ben (3) and Eli (5).
– What’s your blog about and why did you start it?
I’m an entertainment writer by day, so when I decided to blog as a fresh creative outlet I wanted to shift gears, content wise. What topic would inspire me, provide endless content and let me share whatever wisdom I have with others? Daddylibrium was born, a title my lovely wife created. After all, the biggest issue I face is balancing work life, family life and those rare leisure moments, so it seemed like a natural.
– What’s been your favourite post to write and what do you think is your readers favourite post?
The second part is easy. My post on Eli’s sartorial excellence earned me a guest blogger spotlight at this year’s Dad 2.0 Summit. The tale of my son’s zest for suits, and how I fear that may one day lead to a bullying episode or two, touched my readers in a way I didn’t expect. My favorite post? Frankly, I love it whenever Mommylibrium takes the spotlight. Her posts are always on target, savvy and filled with great information. I’m so proud of her writing, and I view all of my work projects as a team effort, so her entries feel like a tag team effort (especially since I edit her copy!)
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– What 3 tips would you give to dads or expectant dads to help them on their quest into fatherhood?
1. Relax. It’s not rocket science. It’s harder, actually, but it can be done with enough love, grit and togetherness.
2. Forget everything you think you know about fatherhood. I always thought I’d be a great dad. I had rock solid parents, couldn’t wait to have a child and knew I’d give the gig my all. It proved much harder than I expected, and each day is full of humbling moments.
3. Ask for directions. Men are often teased for being unwilling to ask for help. Ask. Ask again. Your fellow dads will offer great information as well as the kind of support you’ll need in the darkest of times.
– What’s the best thing about being a dad? (Or expectant dad?)
– Selfishly, I love living life again through my children’s eyes. I’ll watch “Star Wars” for the 86th time, but when my sons are watching it with me it feels like the first time all over again. Same goes for those first few tentative spins on a bicycle sans training wheels. But my favorite part of being a dad is making a difference with my kids, and at the very least making them laugh. My sons’ smiles are magic.
– What’s the biggest challenge(s) about being a dad? (Or expectant dad?)
Time management is huge. I can’t overstate how tough it is to get everything done on a given day. That said, Ben’s tantrums are the stuff of legends, and I’m still learning new ways on how to deal with them. Some days I even get it right.
– What message would you like to give to The Dad Network readers?
What a wonder it is to live in 2014 and be able to get great parenting advice via the web and social media. Our parents and grandparents didn’t have that option, and I’m so grateful to be part of a network of dads who are there for each other in good, bad and ugly times.
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