Can you imagine a boomer (or even Gen X) dad organizing and hosting a meet-up for other dads? Yeah, me neither. That was just something that didn’t ever happen, whether it was because dads were working their 9-5s in offices or because of societal norms that have existed for centuries. The idea of men coming together to hang out with their kids on purpose seems like the universe is off-kilter.
Well, one man wants to normalize more of this! Joe Gonzales, a Brooklyn resident, hosted a meet-up for New York dads, hoping to build a stronger sense of community for fathers who want to do better and be better.
“Hi, my name is Joe and I’m a new dad in Brooklyn,” he begins in his video.
“And this past weekend, I hosted a meetup for dads. And it was crazy because dads from all over New York showed up and I had, as a small creator, brands reach out and give some amazing products…”
Joe goes on to say that, as a dad, there are times when he feels alone in his fatherhood journey. And this definitely tracks. I have about four separate group chats with other moms where we talk about everything from poop to Christmas presents to when we’re having our next wine night. We talk. We vent. We listen. We support one another in our individual motherhood journeys.
It’s definitely more rare for men to engage in this kind of community.
“It was super humbling,” Joe said. “Because, as a father, sometimes you could feel like you’re doing this life and navigating it alone. But what I realized from the second meetup is dads wanna get better. They wanna grow, and they don’t wanna do it alone either.”
In another TikTok, Joe shared how the second dad meet-up went, diving into how these events have helped him grow as a dad. While sharing photos from the event, Joe wrote about this new community, noting, “As a new dad, l have been looking for community as I navigate this beautiful new world and what I found is this generation of Dads is looking too.”
“Dads from all over NYC came out to connect with each other and with their kids. And if you ask how I feel, I’d say….I’m not alone. We’ve been slowly building this community, and if you’re a dad or soon-to-be dad, know this…We need you, and I’m rooting for you. Fatherhood isn’t something you have to do alone. This generation of dads is pushing through, showing up, and staying present.”
He continued, “I’m so grateful to be part of this beautiful community. Fatherhood isn’t a path we walk alone — it’s a journey we grow through together.”
We need to have more dad meetups! Not only is this a great way for dads to come together to feel seen and heard but it’ll give moms some much-needed time off!
