Dear Diary,

Lately, I’ve noticed more and more “mocha dads” on the virtual “playground.” Whether he is “married with kids,” a “new daddy,” or a “tech” brother, his writing “makes me wanna holler” praises. I look forward to reading websites written by fathers, such as Jackie Bledsoe, who open their hearts and their homes to thousands of people each day. I enjoy flipping through photos of fathers and their families at forFathers Project.

Writing about parenting is no longer a members-only moms club. Dads are now toting babies and ballpoint pens and documenting their journey through fatherhood.  Here are my top top African-American Dad Bloggers.

Black and Married with Kids

Lamar Tyler is one of the forefathers of the Brown Dad Bloggers movement. I’m a bit bias, because I pen a singles column on his site. But don’t just listen to my opinion—Black and Married With Kids has received kudos from Babble, Ebony, Essence, HLN and Parenting magazine as well. Lamar, who is one half of the talented husband and wife website team, makes parenting and driving a mini-van look cool. The site, which is the largest independent African-American marriage and parenting site on the web, helps erase negative images of Black families by spreading positive messages throughout the United States and overseas. I must warn you—BMWK is addictive! The newly redesigned site offers information on everything from parenting and budgeting to cooking and dating, and those who start out reading one article typically check out ten!

forFather Project

There’s something about a father being publicly affectionate with his child that warms my heart and fills my body with joy. Unfortunately, society stereotypes men as individuals with tough love attitudes and a no tears policies. So when I see a father and a daughter holding hands while walking to school or a dad and his son embracing after a big game, I smile. I smiled recently when I came across the forFathers Project—a project that celebrates the importance of fatherhood through photography, film and other artistic mediums. The site attracts a demographic of active fathers, young professionals, stay-at-home dads and men looking for parenting information. Marlon Cole, the brainchild behind the forFathers Project, flashes photos and inspires others to make memories.

I’m a New Daddy 

It’s a….blog! Congrats to Arthur Coulter for the birth of his new site. I’m a New Daddy is to fathers what Diary of a First Time Moms is to mothers. The brand-new blog arms brand-new dads with tons of resources and advice in a supportive online environment. Readers can nominate a Father of the Week, ask a question—no matter how embarrassing—or learn about transitioning to fatherhood and creating a work-life balance. This is a must-read for the new parent. The stories will calm your fears, relax your nerves and allow you to focus on the joys of fatherhood.

Jackie Bledsoe

I was an advocate against homeschooling until I “met” Jackie Bledsoe. Once I read about the successful results his children obtained through their at-home education, I was quite impressed. He makes the decision to homeschool not so far-fetched and squashes stereotypes about families who are opting to teach their kids from the comfort of their living rooms. If homeschooling isn’t your thing, no worries! Jackie’s journey will take you to tabs, such as family leadership, parenting and marriage. My favorite posts were a part of March Dadness. The series was a creative spin on the NCAA basketball tournament and featured articles like Sweet Sixteen: 16 Gifts The Best Dads Give Their Kids and Elite Eight: 8 Encouraging Words Elite Dads Say to Build Self-Confident Kids.

Makes Me Wanna Holler 

Eric Payne, the dedicated dad behind the blog Makes Me Wanna Holler, loves being a dad so much that he wrote the book on it—literally. In addition to his book, Dad: As Easy as A, B, C—26 Dos and Don’ts for Dads (and Moms Too!), Eric writes an award-winning fatherhood, relationship and lifestyle blog. His stories will make you laugh, cry and holler—sometimes all in one article. He’s pretty much an expert on marriage matters and has even appeared on HLN to educate viewers about holy matrimony. But I like that he doesn’t claim to know everything about dating and recruited women writers for what became a really popular series called What a Single Woman Wants.  His blog makes me wanna read more!

Mocha Dad

If you haven’t heard of Mocha Dad, you haven’t logged onto the Internet in the past five years. You don’t have to be a parent to be in the know about this popular dad blogger. Like Lamar Tyler of Black and Married With Kids, Frederick is also considered a forefather of the Brown Dad Bloggers movement. Since 2008, he has shared countless stories about parenting, marriage, travel and more. He has interviewed NBA All-Stars, celebrity chefs and Hollywood stuntmen. Goodall often acts as a stuntman himself and jumps in front of the negative stereotypes thrown at fathers on a regular basis. He has made various television appearances to discuss the portrayal of dads and how they can be shown in a positive light.

Playground Dad

Video game industry veteran Mike Johnson shares his tech techniques and parenting advice with the modern man. Stories such as Entertaining by YouTube and 10 Best iPhone Apps for Stay-at-Home Dads teaches readers how to use technology to become a better parent. Mike also writes about business, pop culture and sports. This easy-to-comprehend site (for the tech illiterate like me) makes technology not so scary.

 Hey DFTM Fam–Who you would add to the list!