Family Magazine

Designer Daddy’s Top 14 Blog Posts of 2014

By Designerdaddy @DesignerDaddy

DESIGNER DADDY'S TOP 14 BLOG POSTS OF 2014

A lot of people seem to be glad 2014 is behind us — in a hurry to forget all about it. Certainly it had its share of frustration, failure and loss. But there was also plenty of good I want to remember. I got to interview an author I’d grown up reading, flexed my funny/raunchy muscle, wrote some movie-related stuff, shilled for the enemy, won Halloween, reviewed some kids’ books, gave advice to parents of gay kids, added a buttload of magnets to my fridge, attended a couple of conferences, and helped raise over $35,000 for a dear friend in need.

And somewhere in there, I found time to write other things. Personal, soapboxy, silly and celebratory things. These are my 14 favorite blog posts of 2014, in chronological order.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

DESIGNER DADDY BEST OF 2014 - MISTER MOON

Hide-and-Seek with Mr. Moon

On a snowy evening in February, I learned that navigating childhood is like a game of hide-and-seek with the Moon — simultaneously disappointing and joyous, heartbreaking and magical.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

DESIGNER DADDY BEST OF 2014 - TURNING ME STRAIGHT

Is Being A Dad Turning Me Straight?

An encounter with some friends at the mall led me to examine my disheveled state as a homosexual father, and if there was any hope of retaining my Gay Card. This hilariously tragic tale was also honored as a BlogHer ’14 Voices of the Year.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

DESIGNER DADDY BEST OF 2014 - FRED PHELPS

A Gay Man’s Tribute to Fred Phelps

While many celebrated the death of this nemesis of humanity, I considered the positive impact of his hate-filled crusade. And was even able to thank him for a couple of things.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

DESIGNER DADDY BEST OF 2014 - STORYTIME

The Redemptive Power of Story Time

2014 saw Jon experiencing lots of growing pains, which he gladly (and repeatedly) shared with us. His pushing of boundaries and buttons knew no bounds, yet those few minutes before bed with boy and book seemed to always hit reset on all the chaos.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

DESIGNER DADDY BEST OF 2014 - WEDDING

My Big Gay Wedding, Part 1 & Part 2

Papa and I were legally married after nearly 17 years together — in our own backyard, surrounded by friends and family, our son standing between us. The pictures don’t do justice to how special a day it was, but they come close.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

DESIGNER DADDY BEST OF 2014 - GAY DADS

25 Reasons Having Gay Dads Is Awesome!

For Fathers’ Day, I collected photos from all over the country of families with gay dads, to celebrate their uniqueness as well as what makes them the same as any other awesome family. There were so many, I even did a sequel.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

DESIGNER DADDY BEST OF 2014 - FATHER AND SONS

Fathers and Sons

In honor of my father’s retirement, I compared four generations of fathers and sons, from my Dad’s dad to my son.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

DESIGNER DADDY BEST OF 2014 - BOYS KISSING BOYS

Boys Kissing Boys

An incident between Jon and a friend caused me to realize I don’t want my boy to stop being the loving, free spirit he’s been up till now. I want the world to know it, and to stop telling him it’s not okay.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

DESIGNER DADDY BEST OF 2014 - QUEEREST QUESTIONS

The 7 Queerest Questions I’ve Been Asked as a Gay Dad

Five years in the making, seven questions long, and all kinds of queer.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

DESIGNER DADDY BEST OF 2014 - WALK IN THE WOODS

A Boy, A Stick & A Walk in the Woods

A walk in the woods enlightens me about letting go and enjoying the freedom a father and son can experience when given some room to grow.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

DESIGNER DADDY BEST OF 2014 - BIRTHMOTHER

Conversations With My Son: Anatomy of a Birthmother

The past year has been one of increasingly more questions and curiosity. In this case my son has filled in some of the blanks himself – with insightful, hilarious results.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

DESIGNER DADDY BEST OF 2014 - WHEN I'M FIVE

When I’m Five Years Old…

A series of cartoons I created to illustrate Jon’s lofty goals of what he wanted to do/be/have by the time he turned 5.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

DESIGNER DADDY BEST OF 2014 - PBS KIDS

PBS KIDS Makes It a Wonderful Day in Our Neighborhood

Lights, camera, action! Our family gets to star in a promotional TV spot for Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood on PBS KIDS.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

DESIGNER DADDY BEST OF 2014 - GAY DAD

A Gay Dad’s Letter to His Younger Self

I send a message to my younger self, offering advice and wisdom to help him through the rough times he’s experiencing. And hope for what’s ahead.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Thank you to all who’ve read, commented on and shared my stories this past year. It would be disingenuous of me to say that your interaction doesn’t make the writing of them that much more meaningful. Talk to you soon!

Love and hugs,
Brent
Designer Daddy


Back to Featured Articles on Logo Paperblog