“Dads don’t babysit. It’s called parenting.”
This is the official tagline for the National At-Home Dad Network.
For the past 29 years, the National At-Home Dad Network has hosted a three-day conference, HomeDadCon, for stay-at-home dads and dads who identify as the primary caregiver. I have been fortunate to attend this conference for the past four years and it has become a large part of how I stay in shape as Super Dad.
My first year attending the conference was in 2022, right here in Phoenix. I was entering my second year of being an at-home Super Dad and really starting to feel the isolation of being away from peers at my former in-office job.
Flash forward to 2025: I was selected to be a breakout session speaker at HomeDadCon in San Antonio! My topic, “How to Make Super Dad Friends,” was based on a previous article my kids and I wrote for Raising Arizona Kids magazine. Dads in my session learned about their personality styles, made friendship bracelets and Lego brick animals, and enjoyed fruit snacks during a simulated dad playdate.
Below are my top two reasons for attending this conference:
Professional Development
Each conference has about 70 to 100 dads in attendance. There are pre-conference networking opportunities, keynote speakers, breakout sessions, a community service project, 5k run, and multiple fundraising events.
Breakout session topics range from intro to hair braiding or how to paint nails to maximizing your time as an at-home dad. Other sessions focus on re-entering the 9-to-5 workforce, like this year’s “You have the equity to be hired.” There’s also a network of hundreds of current and past at-home dads from across the country!
Personal Health
The majority of the year, parents are busy taking care of their family and other responsibilities. Rarely do we get the opportunity to just focus on our own personal health and wellness. HomeDadCon includes daily “Dads Gotta Talk” support groups, board game nights, book club, coffee club, fundraiser beer share, city walks, and outings with fellow dads to local eateries, breweries, ballparks, and museums.
Additionally, many dads arrive a day or two prior to the conference for personal time to reflect, nap, exercise, and connect with fellow at-home dads. Building community and spending time with other dads is my favorite part of the conference. I have dad friends from around the country that I keep in touch with throughout the year and look forward to seeing at the conference.
One of the best gifts my partner and mom ever gave me as an at-home dad was a membership to the National At-Home Dad Network and the support to attend HomeDadCon. This holiday season, consider giving that same gift of connection — whether it’s a membership (AtHomeDad.org) or a trip to next year’s conference in Chicago — to the primary caregiving dad in your life.
It’s a meaningful way to support community, learning, and wellbeing. More information can be found at HomeDadCon.org
Until next time… up, up, and away!
