Why Father’s Day Isn’t Mother’s Day II

Last updated on April 13th, 2021 at 09:23 pm

“Happy Father’s Day to the single mothers out there doing both jobs.”

No.

Why Father's Day Isn't Mother's Day II—An Exercise in Fatherhood by Casey E. Palmer—Reading to My Eldest

Oh, I get it. And I agree that we should celebrate single Moms for everything they do to raise their kids—it ain’t easy; I have a hard enough time with two of us in the house. But let’s not diminish the efforts of the Dads who work hard to be worthy of their children’s love by treating Father’s Day like Mother’s Day II.

Real talk—we haven’t embraced the idea that we’ve got single Dads at home managing everything despite that it’s a growing demographic. I don’t see anyone wishing them a Happy Mother’s Day because they’re doing both jobs. And it doesn’t even reflect the modern family anyway—are you saying that same-sex couples need to decide what roles they’ll play? Why can’t you have two Moms or two Dads instead of trying to force them into a model that’s not as universal as it once was?

I’m down with celebrating single Moms and everything they do. But I’m going to do it on Mother’s Day. You know? The holiday we celebrated just over a month ago? The second-largest holiday for card giving in the entire year? I mean, it’s already hard enough for Dad to be taken seriously in a world convinced we’re all sub-par—let’s not continue pushing that narrative just because it’s easier to believe that “all men ain’t shit”.

Parenting 101 | It’s Hard Out Here for a Dad

Last updated on April 21st, 2021 at 09:23 pm

“It’s Hard Out Here for a Dad” is my call-out to a world that doesn’t fully understand its fathers. We’re foolish, we’re simple, we’re less than competent—this is a first chance in setting the record straight and giving Dads the chance they deserve. Check it out!

“Just because he got her pregnant doesn’t mean he needs to be a Dad.”

“How do you know she wasn’t trying to trap him into a relationship? These women will go to extremes to lock a brother down!”

“Why does he have to change his life because something unexpected happened?”


The allegation that Drake may have fathered a son has brought out an ugly side in people I thought I knew. Men who want to shirk the responsibility of fatherhood when it stares them in the face, preferring to live in pursuit of fun instead of going for something perhaps more meaningful. Guys who see women as objects and children as burdens—who’ve yet to mature enough to understand the value of family and the joys it can bring you.

These worrisome thoughts took me back to my second keynote at Parenting 101—”It’s Hard Out Here for a Dad”, my talk on what it’s like to be a Dad, and why we all need to get a better understanding of it!

I hope you enjoy it!

Another week in the bag, and until next week, I remain,

The second logo for Casey Palmer, Canadian Dad

Dad 2.0 2018 | The Road to Dad 2.0 and BEYOND.

Last updated on November 5th, 2020 at 12:15 pm

And then in January 2018, I went and hit a wall.

The Life and Times of Casey Palmer—The Road to Dad 2.0 and BEYOND.—Casey at Night in New Orleans v3

I looked good on paper. I’d just finished my best year yet as a blogger, already looking to take things a step farther with a retooled Live from the 3.5. And adulting was alright, too—I had the routine down with the morning drop-offs, the house was kept relatively clean, and there wasn’t anyone clawing at the door for money. Life was good, and as my friends would point out, many would kill to be in my shoes—but don’t get any ideas. However, all that didn’t make for great storytelling, and no matter what I tried, I couldn’t get my words quite right. The volume was there, but the tank was empty—it was time to look for some new inspiration.

And with that in mind, enter Dad 2.0 2018.

Dad 2.0—Why I NEEDED to Visit the Big Easy

The Life and Times of Casey Palmer—The Road to Dad 2.0 and BEYOND.—My Room at the Ritz-Carlton v3

The decision to go to Dad 2.0 wasn’t one made lightly. Fellow Canadian Dad Bloggers Buzz Bishop and Chris Read had been at me to check it out for years, but the timing never felt quite… right.

In 2014, my first was just a few months old, plus I’d just been to the North American International Auto Show the month before. In 2015, we’d just returned from a trip to Cuba with all of Sarah’s family, and I was sure leaving again so soon wasn’t that favourable an option. January 2016 brought my second son and the promise I’d stay put for a year, no matter what the #BloggerLife gave me. And with everyone else home all day as Sarah took extra time away from the office, so we didn’t need to pay $3000 a month for daycare, being away in 2017 was not an option—who’d want to fly solo with two kids when you didn’t have to?

Enter Dad 2.018.

But 2018. 2018 brought 2018’s Dad 2.0 Summit—otherwise known as Dad 2.0 2018 or “Dad 2.018” for short—and it felt like I was finally ready. The kids were in all-day programs, the conference’s costs within my means. I could work remotely and go somewhere I’d never been before—it felt like the pieces had finally come together to make this trip my own.

Star Wars | I Am Your Father’s Day

Last updated on November 5th, 2020 at 08:41 am

“Your father? I am your father.”

Darth Vader’s classic line from The Empire Strikes Back has been quoted, misquoted, and referenced every which way since its first utterance in 1980.

But you’ve never seen a take on it quite like this—taking a fatherhood reveal that makes Maury Povich’s look like Page 6 news and turning it into something more… symbolic.

Star Wars Celebrates Dads with an I Am Your Father's Day Greeting—Chasing in the Woods

Any Dad who was still young enough to know how to have fun in the ’70s and ’80s grew up knowing how awesome Star Wars is. We used broomsticks as toy lightsabers. We treated the Force as a power we expected to wield in play—not something of imagination alone. And now that we’re Dads ourselves, it’s our turn to pass something down to our kids from our childhoods… and that’s why the folks at Disney and Star Wars want to wish you a Happy “I Am Your Father”‘s Day!

The Globe and Mail | Father’s Day Special

Last updated on April 3rd, 2021 at 09:06 pm

It’s been a busy summer, y’all.

After time spent everywhere from the Toronto Islands and Lake Simcoe all the way to Mexico, the juggling act between the #BloggerLife, the family, and a pile of paperwork that’s multiplying faster than a herd of rabbits has been an intense one.

So much so that I’ve been negligent in doing all I can to share news about the brand with the audience I’ve worked so hard to build!

For Father’s Day, our national paper The Globe and Mail got in touch to ask me some questions on fatherhood as a Canadian who writes about what it’s like as a Dad today. In the answers below, you’ll see I took the task very seriously, as the way I’m raising my boys is super-intentional, and I want them wanting for nothing in their lives—whether physically, mentally or emotionally—by the time they’re my age.

I enjoyed writing the responses below, and I hope you find a little of yourself in them, too!


Dave McGinn, “Dads who write on fatherhood share their fears, lessons and best moments”, The Globe and Mail, Thursday, June 16, 2016

Casey Palmer — Toronto-based blogger at CaseyPalmer.com

Casey Palmer and The Globe and Mail do Father's Day!—Casey Palmer and His Boys
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