Daddy Squared: The Gay Dads Podcast

It was just a matter of time, wasn’t it?! Everyone else has done it so now, introducing, the Daddy Squared Movie Awards. Our season finale this season, will hand a magnificent ‘Gayby’ Statuette in multiple categories of movies for kids of gay dads. No more just 'mommy recommended' stuff! The gay dads community has voted on the best movies for kids and now we give the ‘Gay Dads Recommend' stamp on children's movies. Guest gay dads studio executives judges help us decide who takes home the ‘Gaybys’ in multiple categories. View the categories and nominees. Listen above to find out who won or scroll down to download Daddy Squared Season 2 Cheat Sheet for the full list of winners. Why Are We Doing This? As the number of LGBT families in general and two-dad families in particular grow on a daily basis, we would like our type of families and values to be more visible and represented in kids’ movies. We hope to influence movie studios and executives to consider our community’s opinion and become a significant ‘customer buying power.’ Our Guests Andrew Hotz is the executive vice president of worldwide digital marketing for Warner Bros. Pictures. Hotz previously served as head of industry at Google, managing the relationship between Google/YouTube and NBC Universal, and consulting with the studio and networks on digital marketing efforts. He also worked on Google’s TV ads business and managed its relationship with Procter & Gamble. Hotz began his career in production at DreamWorks Animation. Daniel Leary is the Digital Co-Executive Producer, “The Ellen DeGeneres Show.” Daniel joined the writing and producing team of “The Ellen DeGeneres Show” in 2010 and was promoted to Digital Co-Executive Producer in September 2016. Leary has overseen the creative vision for apps and games, as well as the social platforms and digital strategy for “The Ellen DeGeneres Show,” currently in its 16th season. Leary has earned six Daytime Emmy® Awards for his work on “The Ellen DeGeneres Show.” Leary started his career in stand-up working with The Improv in Hollywood. He then began producing at LOGO creating original series for the network. Daniel currently resides in Los Angeles, CA with his husband, Ben, and his two children. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m1WXN1wBu6I Get The Daddy Squared Season 2 Cheat Sheet! Join our mailing list by filling in your name and email and we’ll send you a link to download! #mc_embed_signup{background:#fff; clear:left; font:14px Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif; } * indicates required Email Address * First Name (function($) {window.fnames = new Array(); window.ftypes = new Array();fnames[0]='EMAIL';ftypes[0]='email';fnames[1]='FNAME';ftypes[1]='text';}(jQuery));var $mcj = jQuery.noConflict(true); Co-Hosts: Yan Dekel, Alex MaghenGuests: Andrew Hotz, Dabiel LearyOpening Theme: Hercules & Love Affair, “Leonora” 

It was just a matter of time, wasn’t it?! Everyone else has done it so now, introducing, the Daddy Squared Movie Awards. Our season finale this season, will hand a magnificent ‘Gayby’ Statuette in multiple categories of movies for kids of gay dads. No more just 'mommy recommended' stuff! The gay dads community has voted on the best movies for kids and now we give the ‘Gay Dads Recommend' stamp on children's movies. Guest gay dads studio executives judges help us decide who takes home the ‘Gaybys’ in multiple categories. View the categories and nominees. Listen above to find out who won or scroll down to download Daddy Squared Season 2 Cheat Sheet for the full list of winners. Why Are We Doing This? As the number of LGBT families in general and two-dad families in particular grow on a daily basis, we would like our type of families and values to be more visible and represented in kids’ movies. We hope to influence movie studios and executives to consider our community’s opinion and become a significant ‘customer buying power.’ Our Guests Andrew Hotz is the executive vice president of worldwide digital marketing for Warner Bros. Pictures. Hotz previously served as head of industry at Google, managing the relationship between Google/YouTube and NBC Universal, and consulting with the studio and networks on digital marketing efforts. He also worked on Google’s TV ads business and managed its relationship with Procter & Gamble. Hotz began his career in production at DreamWorks Animation. Daniel Leary is the Digital Co-Executive Producer, “The Ellen DeGeneres Show.” Daniel joined the writing and producing team of “The Ellen DeGeneres Show” in 2010 and was promoted to Digital Co-Executive Producer in September 2016. Leary has overseen the creative vision for apps and games, as well as the social platforms and digital strategy for “The Ellen DeGeneres Show,” currently in its 16th season. Leary has earned six Daytime Emmy® Awards for his work on “The Ellen DeGeneres Show.” Leary started his career in stand-up working with The Improv in Hollywood. He then began producing at LOGO creating original series for the network. Daniel currently resides in Los Angeles, CA with his husband, Ben, and his two children. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m1WXN1wBu6I Get The Daddy Squared Season 2 Cheat Sheet! Join our mailing list by filling in your name and email and we’ll send you a link to download! #mc_embed_signup{background:#fff; clear:left; font:14px Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif; } * indicates required Email Address * First Name (function($) {window.fnames = new Array(); window.ftypes = new Array();fnames[0]='EMAIL';ftypes[0]='email';fnames[1]='FNAME';ftypes[1]='text';}(jQuery));var $mcj = jQuery.noConflict(true); Co-Hosts: Yan Dekel, Alex MaghenGuests: Andrew Hotz, Dabiel LearyOpening Theme: Hercules & Love Affair, “Leonora” 

Finding the right school for your kids is difficult for anyone, but gay dads sometimes have to face an additional challenge making sure that the school that their kids go to is open to diversity and inclusivity of LGBTQ parents. How to start looking for the right school for your kids? And how to help your kids’ school be more inclusive? We talked to Steve Disselhorst, an adoptive gay dad and co-chair of Our Family Coalition, an organization that works for equality of families in education (among other things). Our role as a parent is to create a safe environment for our kid at school. Sometimes it requires spending extra time in talking to the teachers, the principle, and whoever provides this environment, to make sure that your class and school are inclusive supportive of same-sex families, and specifically for two-dad families. Especially when it comes to activities at school around days like Mother's Day. "In our house, the month of May is the most difficult month of the year," shares Steve Disselhorst, a coach and consultant, and co-chair of Our Family Coalition. "Mother's Day is real. We live in a culture that really adores mothers. If you look at a lot of kids books there's always a mother figure. So for us, we had challenges with Mother's day. "We had a negative situation that happened, not in kindergarten, but in preschool. They were very open to LGBTQ families, the director was adopted so she totally understood our kids for being adopted, but then came Mother's Day and I went to pick up my daughter the Friday before Mother's Day, and I looked up on the wall and it said, 'what's your mom's favorite to cook,' 'what's your mom's favorite color,' 'what your mom's favorite…' and I was horrified. I was literally in tears and went up to the teacher and said How could you put my child in this position, she can't answer these questions. "So that was a big learning lesson for me. So now when the school year starts and I get a new teacher, during the first parent-teacher conference, [I say to her] we've got 8 months to work on this: what are your plans for Mother's Day and how are you going to include our family, and what do you plan to do and can you share that with me in advance of Mother's Day - and that had worked really well." Regardless of how much we try to protect our kids, bad kids can happen, even in the most accepting schools. In our discussion with Steve, he shared an incident that happened where his daughter was picked on for having two dads and no mom. "The most important thing that I do, I do a lot of it, I talk to my daughter about how it feels for her," Steve says. "'how does it feel when they say that to you,' 'how do you feel that you have two dads,' 'how do you feel that you don't live with your mom.' Those are the things we talk about because I need to help her understand and build the tools because I'm not going to always be there to protect her. She's going to grow, and she's going to change, and maybe at some point she's going to be embarrassed of her dad-gay or straight-being around. "My role as a parent is how do I teach her to understand what she's feeling, how these things are impacting her and then how does she resolve them: either talking to me or talking to her friend or her teacher." "I don't believe in trying to take away discomfort," Steve says, "I believe in trying to be present and witness discomfort--and move through ...

Finding the right school for your kids is difficult for anyone, but gay dads sometimes have to face an additional challenge making sure that the school that their kids go to is open to diversity and inclusivity of LGBTQ parents. How to start looking for the right school for your kids? And how to help your kids’ school be more inclusive? We talked to Steve Disselhorst, an adoptive gay dad and co-chair of Our Family Coalition, an organization that works for equality of families in education (among other things). Our role as a parent is to create a safe environment for our kid at school. Sometimes it requires spending extra time in talking to the teachers, the principle, and whoever provides this environment, to make sure that your class and school are inclusive supportive of same-sex families, and specifically for two-dad families. Especially when it comes to activities at school around days like Mother's Day. "In our house, the month of May is the most difficult month of the year," shares Steve Disselhorst, a coach and consultant, and co-chair of Our Family Coalition. "Mother's Day is real. We live in a culture that really adores mothers. If you look at a lot of kids books there's always a mother figure. So for us, we had challenges with Mother's day. "We had a negative situation that happened, not in kindergarten, but in preschool. They were very open to LGBTQ families, the director was adopted so she totally understood our kids for being adopted, but then came Mother's Day and I went to pick up my daughter the Friday before Mother's Day, and I looked up on the wall and it said, 'what's your mom's favorite to cook,' 'what's your mom's favorite color,' 'what your mom's favorite…' and I was horrified. I was literally in tears and went up to the teacher and said How could you put my child in this position, she can't answer these questions. "So that was a big learning lesson for me. So now when the school year starts and I get a new teacher, during the first parent-teacher conference, [I say to her] we've got 8 months to work on this: what are your plans for Mother's Day and how are you going to include our family, and what do you plan to do and can you share that with me in advance of Mother's Day - and that had worked really well." Regardless of how much we try to protect our kids, bad kids can happen, even in the most accepting schools. In our discussion with Steve, he shared an incident that happened where his daughter was picked on for having two dads and no mom. "The most important thing that I do, I do a lot of it, I talk to my daughter about how it feels for her," Steve says. "'how does it feel when they say that to you,' 'how do you feel that you have two dads,' 'how do you feel that you don't live with your mom.' Those are the things we talk about because I need to help her understand and build the tools because I'm not going to always be there to protect her. She's going to grow, and she's going to change, and maybe at some point she's going to be embarrassed of her dad-gay or straight-being around. "My role as a parent is how do I teach her to understand what she's feeling, how these things are impacting her and then how does she resolve them: either talking to me or talking to her friend or her teacher." "I don't believe in trying to take away discomfort," Steve says, "I believe in trying to be present and witness discomfort--and move through ...

When you tell your kids the story of how they came to be, is the woman who delivered them identified by a face and a name? That’s a decision that every gay dad has to make when it comes to having kids through surrogacy or adoption. In this episode we explored two ways of keeping in touch with the birthmother (for adoptive kids) or the gestational surrogate (for IVF and surrogacy) as part of gay dads’ children's birth story. Some adoptive parents choose to have an 'open adoption,’ where the child gets to meet the birthmother. Parents who go through surrogacy sometimes keep in touch with the surrogate and have their kids meet her when they are old enough. Relationship with the Surrogate There are some dads whose surrogacy journey ties them emotionally to their surrogate—as a result a lifetime friendship is developed; for others, the relationship with the surrogate dissolves due to distance and… life.  Heather Manoijlovic, a two-time surrogate for gay dads and a surrogate coordinator at Circle Surrogacy, spoke from her experience and from the experience of working with other surrogates about the type of relationships and expectations between surrogates and intended parents. ‘Are You My Birthmother?’ Erik Alexander from New Orleans (AKA ‘NOLA Papa’) blogs about his and his husband’s choice to pursue open adoption with their eldest daughter. Despite fears of reunifications (child being returned by a court to the birth parents), the couple were open to the possibility of having their child’s birthmother in some sort of touch with them. When they were matched, it was pretty clear that a large part of the birthmother’s choice was for her child to be adopted by a gay couple. This was not only because her brother is gay, but also, as Ethan Cohan mentioned in the previous episode of our podcast, some women seek to maintain their ‘mother’ status by making sure no other parent will be called ‘mom’ by the adoptive child. Erik and his husband’s adoption process was supposed to take 5 years but was actually completed in 3.5 weeks! In our interview he talked about his fear, his ability to be honest with his daughter and also about what happened when their daughter figured out who her birthmother was. Our Guests Erik Alexander is from New Orleans, Louisiana, and is married to the love of his life, Douglas. Together 11 years, they adopted their 2 beautiful daughters, Alli Mae in December of 2015 (open adoption) and Ella in May of 2017 and their lives have been in hyperdrive ever since. Whether it is baby proofing, parenting hacks or navigating through this crazy world, Erik is excited to share his journey. You can also find his blog at Nolapapa.com"My hope is that through my blog I am able to bury my insecurities, my fears, and my failures- for all to read, in hopes to see my weaknesses sprout and transform into self improvement, resilience, and embrace an unapologetic renewal. My past helped make me who I am today- but who I am tomorrow depends on how I choose to get there, today." Heather Manojlovic is a two time experienced gestational carrier living with her tight knit family of four in Northeast Indiana. Heather has a passion for helping others and loves walking amazing women through the surrogacy process within her role at Circle Surrogacy as a Surrogate Coordinator. Heather's unique perspectives on surrogacy have been featured on Gays with Kids. When Heather isn't advocating for surrogacy she can usually be found enjoying a good Netflix bin...

When you tell your kids the story of how they came to be, is the woman who delivered them identified by a face and a name? That’s a decision that every gay dad has to make when it comes to having kids through surrogacy or adoption. In this episode we explored two ways of keeping in touch with the birthmother (for adoptive kids) or the gestational surrogate (for IVF and surrogacy) as part of gay dads’ children's birth story. Some adoptive parents choose to have an 'open adoption,’ where the child gets to meet the birthmother. Parents who go through surrogacy sometimes keep in touch with the surrogate and have their kids meet her when they are old enough. Relationship with the Surrogate There are some dads whose surrogacy journey ties them emotionally to their surrogate—as a result a lifetime friendship is developed; for others, the relationship with the surrogate dissolves due to distance and… life.  Heather Manoijlovic, a two-time surrogate for gay dads and a surrogate coordinator at Circle Surrogacy, spoke from her experience and from the experience of working with other surrogates about the type of relationships and expectations between surrogates and intended parents. ‘Are You My Birthmother?’ Erik Alexander from New Orleans (AKA ‘NOLA Papa’) blogs about his and his husband’s choice to pursue open adoption with their eldest daughter. Despite fears of reunifications (child being returned by a court to the birth parents), the couple were open to the possibility of having their child’s birthmother in some sort of touch with them. When they were matched, it was pretty clear that a large part of the birthmother’s choice was for her child to be adopted by a gay couple. This was not only because her brother is gay, but also, as Ethan Cohan mentioned in the previous episode of our podcast, some women seek to maintain their ‘mother’ status by making sure no other parent will be called ‘mom’ by the adoptive child. Erik and his husband’s adoption process was supposed to take 5 years but was actually completed in 3.5 weeks! In our interview he talked about his fear, his ability to be honest with his daughter and also about what happened when their daughter figured out who her birthmother was. Our Guests Erik Alexander is from New Orleans, Louisiana, and is married to the love of his life, Douglas. Together 11 years, they adopted their 2 beautiful daughters, Alli Mae in December of 2015 (open adoption) and Ella in May of 2017 and their lives have been in hyperdrive ever since. Whether it is baby proofing, parenting hacks or navigating through this crazy world, Erik is excited to share his journey. You can also find his blog at Nolapapa.com"My hope is that through my blog I am able to bury my insecurities, my fears, and my failures- for all to read, in hopes to see my weaknesses sprout and transform into self improvement, resilience, and embrace an unapologetic renewal. My past helped make me who I am today- but who I am tomorrow depends on how I choose to get there, today." Heather Manojlovic is a two time experienced gestational carrier living with her tight knit family of four in Northeast Indiana. Heather has a passion for helping others and loves walking amazing women through the surrogacy process within her role at Circle Surrogacy as a Surrogate Coordinator. Heather's unique perspectives on surrogacy have been featured on Gays with Kids. When Heather isn't advocating for surrogacy she can usually be found enjoying a good Netflix bin...

For gay men looking to become dads, the world of adoption sometimes may seem impossible to navigate. There's so much information, so many opinions, stories, and ways to adopt that it may seem overwhelming. In this episode we've tried to lay the groundwork for adoption. A former social service worker, an LGBT specialist in an adoption organization and a gay dad with three different adoption stories had a vibrant discussion with us on the various paths to adoption, on myths, on homophobia – and much more. Download the full, unedited discussion of this episode (53:08) In preparation for this episode, we've searched the internet for common myths among gay men on adoption. Here's what we've found, and what our guests in this episode said about it: * Biological parents perceive a gay-dad household as an ‘immoral environment.’ - NOT TRUE (IN GENERAL). According to Ethan Cohan, two-time adoptive dad, some bio moms specifically look for gay dads, just because they feel better knowing there will be no other 'mom' but them.* Gay men, and especially gay single men, are being pushed down the list of adoption, and wait more time to be matched. - PARTIALLY TRUE. According to Nitara Frost, Parent Support Specialist for LGBTQ Parents at the North American Council on Atoptable Children, there's some evidence that single parent households are being pushed down the list, especially with foster-to-adopt route. * Judges prefer reuniting kids with their biological parents over approving gay men as adoptive parents. - TRUE. There's an overall attempt of reunifications with the birth parents as part of the adoption process, mainly to give the bio parents the opportunity to not give up the child, instead of trying to get the child at a later stage.* Some adoption agencies are not gay friendly, even if they don't specify it on their websites. - TRUE. Our guests in this episode recommend to check your adoption agency against lists like HRC or ask other gay dads who worked with this agency to make sure they are as gay friendly as they say they are. Some agencies will not indicate that they are not homophobic, but will discriminate against gay dads. Our Guests Nitara Frost, Parent Support Specialist for LGBTQ Parents at the North American Council on Atoptive Children (NACAC)Nitara Frost has worked for North American Council on Adoptable Children as the Parent Support Specialist serving LGBTQ adoptive parents in the state of Minnesota for almost 9 years.  She had also been working Nationwide supporting LGBTQ adoptive and pre-adoptive parents for 7 years.  She and her wife are adoptive parents to 5 children. Check out NACAC Staff Page Eufe de la Torre, Therapist and former social worker in Child WelfareEufe (www.eufetherapy.com) is a licensed Marriage and Family therapist in private practice.  Eufe has over 25 years of clinical experience working with LGBTQ individuals and couples who are working through relationship or personal issues, including those who are preparing to become parents. Eufe lives in Los Angeles, CA.  He and his husband are adoptive parents to two boys who are now 15 and 18 years olds.  He can be reached at this email.   Ethan Cohan, Adoptive FatherEthan is a partner at the Century City ...

For gay men looking to become dads, the world of adoption sometimes may seem impossible to navigate. There's so much information, so many opinions, stories, and ways to adopt that it may seem overwhelming. In this episode we've tried to lay the groundwork for adoption. A former social service worker, an LGBT specialist in an adoption organization and a gay dad with three different adoption stories had a vibrant discussion with us on the various paths to adoption, on myths, on homophobia – and much more. Download the full, unedited discussion of this episode (53:08) In preparation for this episode, we've searched the internet for common myths among gay men on adoption. Here's what we've found, and what our guests in this episode said about it: * Biological parents perceive a gay-dad household as an ‘immoral environment.’ - NOT TRUE (IN GENERAL). According to Ethan Cohan, two-time adoptive dad, some bio moms specifically look for gay dads, just because they feel better knowing there will be no other 'mom' but them.* Gay men, and especially gay single men, are being pushed down the list of adoption, and wait more time to be matched. - PARTIALLY TRUE. According to Nitara Frost, Parent Support Specialist for LGBTQ Parents at the North American Council on Atoptable Children, there's some evidence that single parent households are being pushed down the list, especially with foster-to-adopt route. * Judges prefer reuniting kids with their biological parents over approving gay men as adoptive parents. - TRUE. There's an overall attempt of reunifications with the birth parents as part of the adoption process, mainly to give the bio parents the opportunity to not give up the child, instead of trying to get the child at a later stage.* Some adoption agencies are not gay friendly, even if they don't specify it on their websites. - TRUE. Our guests in this episode recommend to check your adoption agency against lists like HRC or ask other gay dads who worked with this agency to make sure they are as gay friendly as they say they are. Some agencies will not indicate that they are not homophobic, but will discriminate against gay dads. Our Guests Nitara Frost, Parent Support Specialist for LGBTQ Parents at the North American Council on Atoptive Children (NACAC)Nitara Frost has worked for North American Council on Adoptable Children as the Parent Support Specialist serving LGBTQ adoptive parents in the state of Minnesota for almost 9 years.  She had also been working Nationwide supporting LGBTQ adoptive and pre-adoptive parents for 7 years.  She and her wife are adoptive parents to 5 children. Check out NACAC Staff Page Eufe de la Torre, Therapist and former social worker in Child WelfareEufe (www.eufetherapy.com) is a licensed Marriage and Family therapist in private practice.  Eufe has over 25 years of clinical experience working with LGBTQ individuals and couples who are working through relationship or personal issues, including those who are preparing to become parents. Eufe lives in Los Angeles, CA.  He and his husband are adoptive parents to two boys who are now 15 and 18 years olds.  He can be reached at this email.   Ethan Cohan, Adoptive FatherEthan is a partner at the Century City...

How do you raise kids with dads from separate faith backgrounds? Interfaith relationships are not uncommon in the gay community, and with the ‘gaybies’ explosion, some couples choose to raise their kids with awareness of both partners’ religious backgrounds. We spoke to Ferd and Brian, fathers, husbands, and founders of GaysWithKids.com about religion and faith, and building a home where both Christmas and Hannukah are celebrated, though with a clear understanding that Brian’s passion to raise the kids Jewish strongly outweighs Ferd’s interest in Catholicism in their home. “We surely came by dads who have different faiths and traditions and they celebrate them both,” explains Brian Rosenberg, who co-founded GaysWithKids.com, the world's biggest online resource and magazine for gay, bi and trans dads, with husband Ferd van Gameren,  “the idea is that the children have a good understanding of the background of both religions and they will get to make their on decisions and choices when the are adults.” Having been together for almost three decades, Ferd and Brian started blending their holidays a long time ago. “We used to be more relaxed about how we spent them,” Brian says. But since becoming dads, they are much more focused on celebrating holidays that hold special meaning for them. “We've been creating new traditions around these holidays that I hope will stay with our kids well into their adult lives.” Our conversation with Brian and Ferd sparked some thoughts about what kind of people, in general, find a partner with a different religious background. “When you are a single person looking for a partner and the religion is really, really important for you, I would imagine that you then primarily look for a partner in the pool of people who have the same religion as you,” says Ferd. We came out of the interview with a realization that men who marry men from other religious backgrounds are open to establish an interfaith household to begin with, just out of love and respect for their partner’s heritage. Nevertheless, Brian emphasizes that religion and traditions should be something that an interfaith couple should discussed as part of the overall conversation and research prior to having kids. “You need to talk about it upfront before you become dads [so you’ll have a vision on the environment in which you raise your kids]. I think that so often in relationships, when they fall apart or where there are big challenges it’s because of a lack of communication, and a subject like culture and traditions should definitely be discussed.” Co-Hosts: Yan Dekel, Alex MaghenGuests: Brian Rosenberg, Ferd van Gameren GaysWithKids.comOpening Theme: Hercules & Love Affair, “Leonora” buy hereArticles Related to this episode:

How do you raise kids with dads from separate faith backgrounds? Interfaith relationships are not uncommon in the gay community, and with the ‘gaybies’ explosion, some couples choose to raise their kids with awareness of both partners’ religious backgrounds. We spoke to Ferd and Brian, fathers, husbands, and founders of GaysWithKids.com about religion and faith, and building a home where both Christmas and Hannukah are celebrated, though with a clear understanding that Brian’s passion to raise the kids Jewish strongly outweighs Ferd’s interest in Catholicism in their home. “We surely came by dads who have different faiths and traditions and they celebrate them both,” explains Brian Rosenberg, who co-founded GaysWithKids.com, the world's biggest online resource and magazine for gay, bi and trans dads, with husband Ferd van Gameren,  “the idea is that the children have a good understanding of the background of both religions and they will get to make their on decisions and choices when the are adults.” Having been together for almost three decades, Ferd and Brian started blending their holidays a long time ago. “We used to be more relaxed about how we spent them,” Brian says. But since becoming dads, they are much more focused on celebrating holidays that hold special meaning for them. “We've been creating new traditions around these holidays that I hope will stay with our kids well into their adult lives.” Our conversation with Brian and Ferd sparked some thoughts about what kind of people, in general, find a partner with a different religious background. “When you are a single person looking for a partner and the religion is really, really important for you, I would imagine that you then primarily look for a partner in the pool of people who have the same religion as you,” says Ferd. We came out of the interview with a realization that men who marry men from other religious backgrounds are open to establish an interfaith household to begin with, just out of love and respect for their partner’s heritage. Nevertheless, Brian emphasizes that religion and traditions should be something that an interfaith couple should discussed as part of the overall conversation and research prior to having kids. “You need to talk about it upfront before you become dads [so you’ll have a vision on the environment in which you raise your kids]. I think that so often in relationships, when they fall apart or where there are big challenges it’s because of a lack of communication, and a subject like culture and traditions should definitely be discussed.” Co-Hosts: Yan Dekel, Alex MaghenGuests: Brian Rosenberg, Ferd van Gameren GaysWithKids.comOpening Theme: Hercules & Love Affair, “Leonora” buy hereArticles Related to this episode:

Do hospitals really give seminars to gay dads on how to clean a vagina when they have a newborn girl? We had to check out this myth and other girl-related issues in a two-dad house hold. We brought on Eli and Ido, a NYC couple with two girls to discuss gay dads raising girls in the age of #girlpower and #metoo. It turns out that in a 'vagina seminar' in hospitals for newborn girls "they basically teach you to clean from the vagina to the anus and never the other way around," concludes Ido Bendet-Taicher, father of two girls and husband of Ido. Not having a women in the house, gay dads may face some issues raising girls that they have to seek education themselves, even if they've been with women before coming out. "One day our older daughter complained she has pain in her chest," reflects Ido, "and she kept complaining, so I had to ask a girlfriend of mine about it and she was the one who told me that girls experience pain in the area before the beginning of the development of the breasts. I didn't know about it." Another interesting thing is that according to the dads, the fact that the girls come from a same-sex family doesn't differentiate the way they play. "You would expect from kids in a same-sex family that when they play with dolls they would play not only mommy and daddy, but they don't do that, and that's really interesting," says Eli. "I told them once, 'you know you can also play mommy and mommy or daddy and daddy,' and they said no, they wanted to play only mommy and daddy." Our Guests: Eli and Ido Bendet-Taicher Eli and Ido live in NYC and have been together for over 15 years, 11 of them as a married couple. Eli is the head of global learning and development at Outbrain, an Ad Tech company, and Ido is the head of professional services at Bizzabo, an event software platform company. Eli and Ido participated in the innovative AOL documentary series Connected, which showed their life as a same-sex family in NYC. Co-Hosts: Yan Dekel, Alex MaghenGuest: Eli and Ido Bendet-TaicherOpening Theme: Hercules & Love Affair, “Leonora” buy hereArticles Related to this episode:The Bendet-Taichers on a Sprint campaign for 'Connected' (Eli and Ido)Join our Facebook group!

Do hospitals really give seminars to gay dads on how to clean a vagina when they have a newborn girl? We had to check out this myth and other girl-related issues in a two-dad house hold. We brought on Eli and Ido, a NYC couple with two girls to discuss gay dads raising girls in the age of #girlpower and #metoo. It turns out that in a 'vagina seminar' in hospitals for newborn girls "they basically teach you to clean from the vagina to the anus and never the other way around," concludes Ido Bendet-Taicher, father of two girls and husband of Ido. Not having a women in the house, gay dads may face some issues raising girls that they have to seek education themselves, even if they've been with women before coming out. "One day our older daughter complained she has pain in her chest," reflects Ido, "and she kept complaining, so I had to ask a girlfriend of mine about it and she was the one who told me that girls experience pain in the area before the beginning of the development of the breasts. I didn't know about it." Another interesting thing is that according to the dads, the fact that the girls come from a same-sex family doesn't differentiate the way they play. "You would expect from kids in a same-sex family that when they play with dolls they would play not only mommy and daddy, but they don't do that, and that's really interesting," says Eli. "I told them once, 'you know you can also play mommy and mommy or daddy and daddy,' and they said no, they wanted to play only mommy and daddy." Our Guests: Eli and Ido Bendet-Taicher Eli and Ido live in NYC and have been together for over 15 years, 11 of them as a married couple. Eli is the head of global learning and development at Outbrain, an Ad Tech company, and Ido is the head of professional services at Bizzabo, an event software platform company. Eli and Ido participated in the innovative AOL documentary series Connected, which showed their life as a same-sex family in NYC. Co-Hosts: Yan Dekel, Alex MaghenGuest: Eli and Ido Bendet-TaicherOpening Theme: Hercules & Love Affair, “Leonora” buy hereArticles Related to this episode:The Bendet-Taichers on a Sprint campaign for 'Connected' (Eli and Ido)Join our Facebook group!

It’s Father’s Day and it would be pretty bizarre if Daddy Squared, the Gay Dad’s Podcast, decided to cover China Trade Tariffs or something instead of doing a Father’s Day Special Episode. Usually, we bring on an expert for our topic. Today is no different except that this time we had the ultimate experts in being a gay dad – the dads themselves. Download Father's Day Gift: Gay Divas Coloring Book Back when you first came out, what did you think about having kids? Why do you think you ended up having kids? If there’s one thing you could teach your kids that they’d take through life, what would it be? All that, and memories of childhoods with their fathers, only goes to show how very different gay and straight men are – and how exactly much the same. Happy Father’s Day! Khalil Maghen, Alex's Father (RIP) Co-Hosts: Yan Dekel, Alex MaghenGuests: Dylan, Jason, Paul, Scott, SebastianOpening Theme: Hercules & Love Affair, “Leonora” buy hereArticles Related to this episode:Dads Are Now Offering Free Hugs at Pride Parade for Kids Whose Parents Rejected ThemJoin our Facebook group!Download the Daddy2 Father's Day Gift: Gay Divas Coloring Book(free)

It’s Father’s Day and it would be pretty bizarre if Daddy Squared, the Gay Dad’s Podcast, decided to cover China Trade Tariffs or something instead of doing a Father’s Day Special Episode. Usually, we bring on an expert for our topic. Today is no different except that this time we had the ultimate experts in being a gay dad – the dads themselves. Download Father's Day Gift: Gay Divas Coloring Book Back when you first came out, what did you think about having kids? Why do you think you ended up having kids? If there’s one thing you could teach your kids that they’d take through life, what would it be? All that, and memories of childhoods with their fathers, only goes to show how very different gay and straight men are – and how exactly much the same. Happy Father’s Day! Khalil Maghen, Alex's Father (RIP) Co-Hosts: Yan Dekel, Alex MaghenGuests: Dylan, Jason, Paul, Scott, SebastianOpening Theme: Hercules & Love Affair, “Leonora” buy hereArticles Related to this episode:Dads Are Now Offering Free Hugs at Pride Parade for Kids Whose Parents Rejected ThemJoin our Facebook group!Download the Daddy2 Father's Day Gift: Gay Divas Coloring Book(free)

Almost every dad has suffered some unwanted criticism either on social media or in real life, from people who 'know better' about parenting. Dad shaming is a thing, parents tend to judge other parents, and it manifests itself both on social media and in real life, making dads just feel awful about themselves. As a follow-up to our Pride episode, we talk about the opposite of pride - shame. We brought on Jeremy Hooper, a writer and consultant for GLAAD, who has been dad-shamed before he even left the hospital with his newborn, to discuss dealing with dad shaming, 'momsplaining,' and other forms of criticism. On the eve of publishing this episode we received an email from a person who chose to remain anonymous but made sure he let us know that he had heard one of us asking our kids not to touch every single item on the Starbucks counter and the way we talked to them made him 'concerned that we are beating our children.' Less than a year ago we confronted a mom who literally told us we're bad fathers because we didn't handle a parenting situation like she would. Dad shaming is everywhere, and it happens to almost all of us, and it hurts. Even if we pretend that it doesn't. "I've been encountered a lot of [dad shaming] online," says writer and activist Jeremy Hooper, "when my child was born both Human Rights Campaign and GLAAD posted a congratulatory post about my child being born, and when we were in the hospital with her I got anti LGBT activists on Twitter saying things like 'this is so sad,' 'no mother for this child.' That's just a weird thing to experience when you're feeding a new baby in this lovely little bubble of new life. I've experienced a lot of it that way, and definitely in the online space that's happened to me." Ariel Foxman wrote on O, The Oprah Magazine: "Andy Cohen’s proud-papa pics have ignited multiple firestorms. One scroll through his account, and you’ll see comments like: How could you take a newborn on a plane? How could you place your baby in a crib with pillows? How could you even think of letting your beloved rescue beagle Wacha anywhere near your boy or his toys? How could you compromise your son’s privacy by posing together for the cover of People magazine?" Some feel that dad shaming should be ignored, because we can't get into a fight with everyone who throws a little comment on us. Others feel that we should take advantage and use these 'teachable moments' to 'momsplainers' and other forms of judgment on our path to equality. Which side are you on? We just say: be kind, and think about the person you're judging or commenting to. We're all human. We're all people with feelings, and we all do our best to raise happy, healthy and kind children. Our Guest: Jeremy Hooper Jeremy Hooper is a longtime LGBT rights activist and father. His widely read blog, Good As You, won an number of awards and was a major player in the movement’s more recent fights. Since 2011, Jeremy has worked with GLAAD on opposition research and strategy, devising campaigns to push back against anti-LGBT forces. Jeremy became a father in 2011, and divides his time between parenthood and activism.  Co-Hosts: Yan Dekel,