A Lack of Dad-centric Magazines
It’s about 10 after 11, my wife has already fallen asleep for the night, but I can’t seem to get comfortable and make my way off to dreamland. I think it might have something to do with the three hour nap I took this afternoon.
To try to coerce myself into slumber I sat up and read an issue of Men’s Health magazine that had been sitting on my nightstand for a while. I had put it there when it came in the mail (I used to have a subscription), but never got a chance to read it.
Afterwards, when I was still wide awake, I shuffled around the house looking for another magazine while doing my best not to wake up my wife. Although, she sleeps so hard lately, I think I could have the entire 80’s hair-metal band roster over to play party games, and she would sleep right on through it. Anyway, in shuffling through the numerous magazines that lie in stacks around our abode, I found numerous issues of my wife’s magazines, Cosmo, Glamour, Redbook, etc, mixed in with a whole bunch of issues of Parents, Parenting, and Baby Talk, and realized, I haven’t yet found a magazine for dads.
Now I’ve been looking for a dad-centric magazine for a while; I’d say, roughly the past 8 1/2 months. I check Borders and Barnes and Noble when we’re there, the newsrack at the grocery store, wherever there might be one. I’ve found numerous magazines for Moms, and a few magazines that seem at first to be parent-neutral (upon further examination though they tend to be Mom heavy), but none for dads.
So I searched online, and found a few hits:
- Real Dad Magazine – the only US publication I’ve found so far and it appears to come from Atlanta. The website and web content is a little weak, which doesn’t give me too much confidence in the magazine, but I may give it a try anyway.
- Dads Magazine – a UK magazine that was supposedly started by Pierce Brosnan. I have nothing against the fact that it’s a UK publication, but my experience with paying for and actually getting overseas publication shipped to me has not been a good one. So I won’t be getting this one.
- FQ Magazine – another UK mag. The website for this one makes it look good though. Unfortunately again, I won’t be getting it.
I also found a few online “magazines”, but their sites and content were so choppy, I’ve pretty much dismissed them.
So as of now, I’ve found one dad-centric magazine here in the US, and like I said, it doesn’t appear to be to heavy a hitter; depressing.
I have to wonder why there is such a gap. I know there is a strong fatherhood voice out there. There are tons of blogs on the subject, many of which I hope to be adding to my links section soon.
Am I the only one who’d like to see a strong, high quality magazine about being a father up there on the shelves with all the mommy mags? I can’t be, can I?
Is there someone out there reading this who knows a thing or two about the magazine business and wants to start a fatherhood magazine? Heck, if there is, give me a call. I’ve got the design background, and it’s a project I’d love to help on.
Until then, I’ll be reading the small, yet still decent, father-oriented sections in my wife’s parenting magazines.
December 5th, 2005 at 2:02 pm
I once wrote a lengthy letter to Parents Magazine, complaining of their bias toward mothers. You are not alone. I became so frustrated looking for a fatherhood magazine that I simply stopped looking.
I think it’s ironic. Popular culture assumes mothers know everything about raising children, and that fathers know nothing. Yet there are dozens of magazines devoted to helping mothers.
If I had any business sense, I might’ve taken my wife’s suggestion of starting a fatherhood magazine. If you ever get any offers, please, please, please let me know. I don’t know much about design, but I’m a freelance writer and used to work for a magazine.
January 3rd, 2006 at 7:05 am
Hi
I’ve been reading your comments about there not being a decent magazine out there for dads and just wanted to draw your attention to FQ. I believe that despite being based in the UK this publication has everything you are looking for. To find out how to subscribe check www.fqmagazine.co.uk
cheers
Damion
December 4th, 2006 at 4:48 am
Wow, whoever started this topic really hit home for me. I have had the same frustration in finding a magazine directed towards dads… and can’t believe what I found. Same results, 2 online mags and 1 bogus REal Dad mag. I tried to subscribe to “Real Dad” and the link which sends you to Amazon is corrupt?
Can someone please publish a Dad mag???