The story began back in 2022 - that’s when I became a dad. And in all that time, not a single day has passed without me questioning something. I’m constantly wondering if I’m doing things right - whether I handled a situation well, whether I should’ve reacted differently, whether a choice I made was really in Alan’s best interest. Even little things, like noticing a spot on his hand, can send me to Google: is it harmless or something I should worry about? Parenting seems to be an endless series of these moments - some big, some small, some happy, some - not so much. And in my personal experience, I navigated most of them alone. I didn’t have much outside support; there wasn’t really anyone I could turn to for advice, or just to share my frustration. I was pretty much on my own, trying to piece things together as I went. So I turned to books and the internet. A few good reads helped, and Reddit - oh man, Reddit was a lifeline sometimes. But even there, I quickly realized how little was actually geared toward fathers. It’s overwhelmingly centered on mothers. The voices, the articles, the advice - it’s all “mom this” and “mom that.” As a dad, it often felt like I was eavesdropping on a conversation I wasn’t really invited to. But hey, we dads exist - we’re just as important as mums. And the changes we go through? They’re just as real, just as overwhelming, just as harsh and just as hard to navigate.

So, I’m a software developer - been at it for a while, and I like to think I know what I’m doing. In our business, when we run into a problem, we build something to solve it. That’s just how our brains are wired. And with all the ups, downs, questions, and lonely moments that came with being a dad, I thought - why not build something for that, too? Maybe it could help other dads out there. Maybe it could even grow into a community, maybe something good can come out of my own misery. That’s how The Dad Journal came to life. For dads by dad.

While the app’s still in the works, I figured I should start building a little community and getting the word out. That way, when the day comes and it’s ready, there’ll be at least a small crowd to share it with—and hopefully a few dads who’ll find it useful. So here I am - launching my first-ever newsletter. I've got a bunch of ideas I want to share, from behind-the-scenes updates on the app to the ups and downs of building it all - numbers, challenges, wins, and everything in between. Oh, and there’s a Kickstarter campaign on the horizon too. So if any of that sounds like your kind of thing, stick around - this is just the beginning.