I am honoured and proud to have been asked to be a judge for this year’s MADS (that’s Mum and Dads) Awards. For this year, there is a cause to champion: the cause of Dad Bloggers.
Many of you will recall there was quite a furore following the announcement of last year’s MADS finalists because only one Dad Blogger made the final cut – the supremely talented Tom Arber (who co-blogs with his wife Becky at Ar-Blog) in the Photography category.
This cued a flurry of head-scratching and angst amongst our ilk (summarised beautifully in this brilliantly written post by a dad!): Were dads not going enough? Were we not social networky enough? Were we such a tiny minority in the parent blogger world that no matter how loud we shouted it would always come out as a squeak?
Some called for a distinct category for the male of the species; others thought this would be positive discrimination and that dads should be judged against the mums on their own merits, breasts and testicles not withstanding.
In the end, the wise organisers and sponsors of the MADS decided that dads could and should be able to hold their own!
Perhaps all they needed was somebody to bang their drum a little louder. Well, here I am, kettle drum to the left of me, bass drum to the right, holding two massive great cabers ready to bang proud and loud.
I follow lots of dad blogs (and mum blogs and food blogs, too) and there is absolutely no reason why we should not be right up there, at the top of the mountain, slugging it out, word-for-word, photo-for-photo, whimsy-for-whimsy, anecdote-for-anecdote, tip-for-tip, tat-for-tat with our funny, creative, inspiring sisters.
So bring it on. Get stuck in. Identify your favourtie blogs – dads or mums – and nominate away.
There are loads of categories to choose from and I can already think of some worthy contenders who should have a presence in several.
However, I’m not allowed to nominate. I’m a judge. Impartial, see! But YOU can – and MUST.
There are 16 categories in all, with a fantastic prize for the winning blog attached to each, ranging from a holiday to a Kindle Fire to Mothercare vouchers to Skylanders.
So who are you going to nominate for…
MAD Blog of the Year
Best Blog Writer
Best Baby Blog
Pregnancy
Family Travel
New
Family Life
Craft
Food
Innovative
MAD Blog for Family Fun
Thrifty
Schooldays
Entertaining
Photography
Sooooooooo many to choose from. Soooooooooo little time. Click here and get nominating now.
A word about me: What qualifies me to be a judge?
Nothing, really. I’m a blogger, just like everyone else who wants to be nominated. Food and parenting are my whimsies and last year, I thought I might make a shortlist through my Reluctant Housedad blog.
But like lots of dads, I ended up disappointed. And like lots of dads, I concluded I needed to raise my game.
I’ve been blogging about family life since December 2010, ever since my wife and I swapped roles following redundancy from my job as a magazine editor. I became a reluctant housedad to our three young children while my wife went to work and brought home the bacon.
Since our youngest started school, I’ve made a living working from home as a freelance writer, writing about parenting and lifestyle issues. There’s more info about all the judges here.
