14 Canadian Dads On Instagram Who Keep Parenting Very Real
When most people think about high-profile parenting influencers on social media — those posting funny and relatable content about their kids and their lives, gaining loyal followers and helping to create an online community of all those united in raising small humans — they probably envision, well, moms.
Scary Mommy. Cat and Nat. And let us all hail Chrissy Teigen, please. But when it comes to content for dads looking for that same online support and camaraderie, the pickings can be be slim.
"It's kind of hit and miss for dads.," Calgary Dad and radio host Buzz Bishop told HuffPost Canada in a phone interview.
Bishop, who has two children (Zacharie, 11, and Charlie, 8) is the dad behind the popular parenting blog "DadCAMP" and the Instagram account dadcamp.ca. He started the blog as a way to connect to other dads at a time when he was a stay-at-home parent.
In a world of "Instagram husbands," which the New York Post defines as "the largely unrecognized faces behind popular Instagram accounts" (with the assumption that husbands and dads are mostly behind the camera) Bishop is part of a growing group of Canadian dads putting their voices, faces and photos at the forefront.
To showcase what's out there, Bishop recently shared his top picks of Canadian dads to follow on Instagram on his blog — and with us! Some accounts might be a little more raw than what one might find on popular parenting Instagram feeds, Bishop noted, but he thinks they're authentic views of what being a dad is all about.
"A lot of the parenting filter is very glamorous, and the guys still put out good art, but I think there's just a different sense of humour," Bishop said.
"Guys can be passionate about fatherhood and tell their story online, too."
Here are Bishop's picks for the best Canadian Insta-Dads:
Name: David Lives in: Calgary Handle: @life_with_benjamin Why you should follow him: David's style is surreal, Bishop writes. His photos about being a stay-at-home dad to his son Benjamin are creative and cool. "Creatives will also appreciate his behind-the-scenes looks at how he does it all," Bishop said. Name: James R.C. Smith Lives in: Vancouver Handle: @jamesrcs Why you should follow him: Bishop describes him as an"up and coming star on the Canadian dad blogging scene." Smith (a.k.a. "socialdad.ca") posts about his dad bod, dad life, and his pics are gorgeous. Name: Buzz Bishop Lives in: Calgary Handle: @dadcamp.ca Why you should follow him: "ls it wrong to put myself on this list?," Bishop wrote on his blog. "I try to share pics of my family exploring one of the most spectacular places on the planet while sharing how I involve myself in my kids' lives." Name: Chris Read Lives in: Ottawa Handle: @canadiandadblog Why you should follow him: Read is one of the leading dad bloggers in Canada, Bishop wrote. He's also silly, describes himself as "dadding it hard 24/7" on his Instagram, and you may already know him as that guy who did a gymnastics routine with his daughter. Name: Casey Palmer Lives in: Toronto Handle: @caseypalmer Why you should follow him: He's hilarious and his accounts of life with his two young kids are completely relatable. As Bishop points out, Palmer also "advocates strongly for his multiracial family and his community." Name: Neil Zeller Lives in: Calgary Handle: @neil_zee Why you should follow him: He's a photographer who posts stunning pics of scenic Canadian landscapes, speckled with insight into his life as a dad.life_with_benjamin
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