Dads Matter Too

A quick little post for you all this first Sunday in June. (Fathers Day is just around the corner, nudge-nudge, wink-wink) The analytics of Our Blended Herd are so interesting. Whether it's the webpage, blog or one of the social media platforms, it's hard not to be enticed by the algorithms. Who views us. Where they come from. What age groups visit the most. The ins and outs of the audience go on and on. Personally, what I've noticed most is the lack of acknowledgement about dads. Dads, stepdads, bonus dads, single dads, it doesn't matter. Further investigation revealed that, compared to moms, dads appear far less engaged. It's pretty safe to assume that one leads to another. Shannon and I will admit that OBH is more likely to be embraced by a female audience. We predicted this when we set out on this journey. But I can't help but feel that out there is an overlooked congregation of men. A group that given the right outlet, might have more of a voice and want to interact. Instagram right now is our biggest platform. We can release a post that is very real, non-biased, supportive, and pro-mom. Any type of mom. For our still relatively new platform, this type of post (for us) blows up. I mean moms-of-the-world-unite blows up. Throw out an equally thought out post aimed at dads and it's like shooting a bullet into space. You might eventually hit something. Hmmm.... interesting. Shannon and I want to be heartfelt and truthful in how we advertise The Herd. Our own real-life experiences and stories of the victories and the failures. Positivity over negativity. Empathy over sympathy. As unpopular as this theory may be for "likes", I'm not about to jump on the baby-mama-drama bandwagon. Whether I've experienced it first hand or not, it's not the image we're after.

But all is not lost. The other day I ran a post on both The Herd and my personal IG page, @mrblendedherd. A repost from one of the handful of great dad material pages I've stumbled upon, @daddvice. I love creating my own material but I take no issue sharing and promoting the efforts of another. Especially if it hits home. "To all the dads who haven't felt like themselves lately. To the dads who get up everyday and refuse to quit. Your kids love you, and they need you. Stay strong. You got this."

Later that day I received a simple message

- "I needed to see this." And like that, it all becomes worth it. Likes are likes. Follows are follows. But nothing comes close to knowing you made a connection and a difference. I'm optimistic that the dad presence will be more positive and active. I'm determined to be a part of it. Yes, we'll always be the first to poke fun at ourselves with the greatest memes, but we also know that dads matter too.

Mike - The Herdfather