BMH’s New DaddyViews Blog Hits Fatherhood From All Angles
(left to right) Matt Schibley, Michael Luciani, Caleb Clark,
Jesse Eldridge and Stephen Washkevich
Brattleboro Memorial Hospital’s new DaddyViews blog launched earlier this month, following a contest to find five fathers who bring a wide paternal perspective to the parenting blogosphere.
Daddyviews.com updates several times a week with information and tips about local businesses, restaurants, childcare and family-friendly events. BMH’s Communication and Graphic Design Specialist Nicole Zinn says the goal is to provide a one-stop shop forum for busy dads and families in Windham County and the surrounding area.
“Dads today are getting more involved in exchanging and sharing ideas — particularly online,” Zinn says. “Our goal is to help facilitate dialogue between local dads and families on health-related topics and more.”
Zinn says the five bloggers bring a wide array of viewpoints. Caleb Clark and Matt Schibley are both first-time fathers, for example, but Clark shares the experience of being over 40 years old and a first-time father while Schibley offers a younger parent’s perspective.
Michael Luciani has two sons who are six years apart in age and as such require very different parenting lessons. “I try to be good scaffolding for them as they learn to do things on their own – from riding a bike to using Facebook for the first time,” he says.
Jesse Eldridge says his life “completely changed” after entering a new relationship with a woman who had a four-year old daughter, whom he has adopted. “I went from a twenty-something year old with no real direction in life, to a responsible adult with a family to take care of. I am not her ‘real father,’ but I am the father figure in her life,” says Eldridge.
Stephen Washkevich is playing the role of stay-at-home parent to his two children while his wife goes to work. “I quickly had to pick up the skills necessary to manage an infant and a four year old from dinner to bedtime, and breastfeeding visits in between. It was a sharp learning curve,” he says.
Full biographies of each blogger are on DaddyViews.com. Zinn says people can join the BMH Facebook page to be notified when new posts are added.