Dale Allen Berg is the proud winner of the inaugural Canadian Dad Blogger of the Year.
Image Credit: INSTAGRAM/daleallenberg
May 08, 2019 - 7:00 AM
KELOWNA - Dale Allen Berg started blogging in 2002 as an outlet for his passion for writing. When the father of three switched to writing about his experiences as a father, he gained a significant following and became one of the leading figures in the burgeoning "dad blogger" community.
"There are less than 100 dad bloggers in Canada," he said.
On his blog, Berg speaks from a father's perspective about the challenges and triumphs of raising a family. His hard work was acknowledged last week when he won the inaugural Canadian Dad Blogger of the Year.
"I'm absolutely speechless and dumbfounded," he said.
The award, created by socialdad.ca, aimed to celebrate dads' contributions in the online world. Berg said "mommy bloggers" are much more high-profile than dad bloggers at the moment. He thinks the award is the first step in raising the public's awareness about men's writings on parenting.
"Dad bloggers have never gotten any recognition," he said. "Dads see life differently."
Berg competed against four other dad bloggers from across Canada on his road to victory. While there was no official ceremony or presentation, he's still pleased to receive the acknowledgement for his years of hard work.
"My content has gone out further than I expected," he said.
Berg documents his life with his children as a stay-at-home dad, detailing big events and insightful observations. He also updates his Instagram profile often to keep his followers in the loop.
I’m not a handyman by any stretch of the imagination. If something breaks, I buy a new one or I call a repair guy. It’s just that simple. Sure the thought of repair briefly crosses my mind, because I know how disappointed my father would be if he were still around and saw how none of his attempts or lessons had paid off; but that thought only lasts for as long as I’m waiting on the phone for the repair man to answer. New items coming into the house are no better. I’m increasingly annoyed at how much DIY stuff there is in the world. And stores that ONLY sell disassembled kits for you to put together at home, make me cringe. Regardless, I recently had to assemble a kids table and four kids chairs to be used for our daily therapy sessions. I was not too excited when it arrived, and realized that it was yet another DIY project. To make matters worse, Liam still hasn’t figured out how incompetent I really am; and he gets super excited to build things or fix things with me. So, we tackled this project together. He is obsessed with instruction manuals, so he will grab that first and pour over it until he understands what needs to happen. Let me remind you that he is FOUR! Oh, and I must add that he doesn’t hesitate to tell me if I’m doing something wrong. I’m not really sure who was helping who on this project, but we got the job done and that’s all that matters. But what about the next project? How is he going to learn more and advance, if I’m still trying to figure out how to use an Allen wrench? Well, he will have to learn from someone else, and that’s OK! I realized in that moment that I can never teach him everything he needs to know in life. No parent can. We do our best with the knowledge and resources we have, and have to trust that others in his life will fill in the gaps. In this case maybe an Uncle or Grandpa will have to teach him how to swing a screwdriver and drill a nail into the wall. Because I know that if I try, the results will be disastrous!
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As a blogger, Berg finds the act of writing to be almost therapeutic.
"It's a way to get out everything that's rattling in my head," he said. "I've learned how to channel it."
Berg has had no shortage of material to cover on his blog lately. Earlier this year he was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. While it's yet to manifest in a visible way, Berg has been grappling with its implications.
"Multiple sclerosis presents itself in different ways," he said. "I'm still in great health; I've been dealing with the mental side of it."
On top of that diagnosis, two of his children were diagnosed with autism and his two-year-old daughter was diagnosed with Rett Syndrome, a rare brain disorder that can cause a myriad of problems. Berg has documented his journey in his blog, sharing these struggles with fathers across the country.
Berg said he's been blown away by the response he's received from readers who've connected with his work.
Berg has one piece of advice for aspiring dad bloggers: Write what you know.
"Just tell stories," he said.
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