We are thrilled to be back for another season of Daddy Squared: The Gay Dads Podcast. Our goal is to learn to become better parents (and maybe better people), because hey – our kids are 7 and we’re still trying to figure out parenting.

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We (Yan and Alex) created Daddy Squared, The Gay Dads Podcast in the second year of our twins’s lives because we felt a desperate sense of isolation as new parents – especially as gay men. We had friends, sure. And family. But most were either gay men without kids or straight couples. “Where’s the Gay?,” we kept asking ourselves. ״And where’s the community?״

So we decided to try and make one. Daddy Squared, more than anything else, is about companionship through the insanity that is gays starting a family and then figuring out how to be good parents while not losing themselves in the process.

To be clear: We don’t know the answers for how to do these things. We don’t know when being a gay dad is different from being a straight one, or a mom. We don’t know how to handle “Mommy and Me” and Mother’s Day. We don’t know what happens when all of a sudden all of your gay friends are asking what the F happened to you because you no longer go out with them.

We don’t know the answers to any of these things. But for 5 years we have been bringing on wonderful, warm, non-pompous-ass experts to talk about it all, and we’ve been learning from our wonderful listeners. And OCCASIONALLY we’ve actually learned something from our own little boys.

This podcast brings us so much joy, so much warmth and community. It’s fun, it’s funny (when we’ve been drinking), and we deeply hope it’s meaningful. Please join us for Season 5, go back and listen to previous seasons, and email us at Hello@DaddySQR.com about, well… anything (except stop already with the Viagra ads. We get it.)

Where’s the Gay? Here. If you join us.

Season 5 Episode Guide

5×15 Gay Dads Connect (Season Finale)
Date: March 20, 2023
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Looking to meet other gay dads in your home town and beyond? in this Season Finale of Daddy Squared podcast we hope to leave you with ideas and inspiration on how to connect with other gay dads. We explore advocacy and social media as ways to form communities with three inspiring guests who have managed to do just that.

5×14 Throuple
Date: March 6, 2023
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What’s it like raising kids in a throuple? In this episode we dive into the dynamic of a polyamorous relationship with Ian, Alan, and Jeremy, the throuple who made the news after they managed to change the way California law defines family, listing all three of them as fathers on their daughter’s birth certificate. In Men Having Babies corner: the meaning of Ethical Surrogacy.

5×13 Bullying
Date: February 21, 2023
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Latest research shows that more than 25% of children experience bullying, based on them being or seeming different. Some bullied kids end up with serious emotional damage. In this episode we discuss bullying with Ross Ellis from Stomp Out Bullying, and also Yan shares what he learned, unfortunately from his own personal experience. In Men Having Babies corner, Lisa discusses the difference between traditional surrogacy and gestational surrogacy.

5×12 Gay Dads Stereotypes
Date: February 21, 2023
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Gay dads often face stereotypes, including homophobic ones, but also somewhat uncomfortable stereotypes from moms, and even from childless gay men in our very own community. In this episode of Daddy Squared, we brought Neal Broverman, editor of The Advocate and OUT magazines, to try and break down the stereotypes, and see if there’s something we can do to avoid them. In Men Having Babies corner, Executive Director Ron Poole-Dayan discusses misconception and stereotype of surrogacy – often revolve around the surrogates’ motives.

5×11 Career Vs. Parenting
Date: February 6, 2023
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Working gay dads have so much around them that requires attention; we have to divide ourselves between our jobs, our kids, our gay childless friends, our straight parent friends and still remember who we are. In this episode of Daddy Squared we gathered four working dads, each with a different kind of job, to discuss life. In Men Having Babies corner we talk relationship with the surrogate.

5×10 Cake for Breakfast
Date: January 23, 2023
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Many parents feel shame about giving their kids cake or candy and the idea of giving processed sugar became taboo among parents. In this episode of Daddy Squared we went on a journey to find the balance of nutrition for kids and found the “no-shame no-shade” method that will reassure you that your kids eat healthy, but at the same time not depriving them of sugar. We spoke to a nutritionist and a pediatric gastroenterologist, and came up with our own nutrition mix-and-match healthy meal cheat sheet. In Men Having Babies corner we discuss considerations before matching with a surrogate.

5×9 “Stranger Danger”
Date: January 8, 2023
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Dealing with the “Stranger Danger” concept should be done carefully: We want to raise kids who make connections in the world, who are friendly, helpful and kind to others. While raising them to be careful of their surroundings is a must, teaching them fear of strangers is not the answer – it divides people and plants seeds of fear, distrust and separation from the world. Besides, statistics show that 99% of abductions in America are NOT by strangers. We turned to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children to learn how to carefully tackle this issue, what to teach and say to our kids and how to empower them to learn to see the difference between harmful and helpful people. We also got back to what Dr. Tina Payne Bryson taught us in episode 4. In Men Having Babies corner: when a friend steps in as your surrogate.

5×08 Sibling Rivalry
Date: December 12, 2022
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Competition and comparison between siblings is an absolute nightmare for parents. We all want our kids to grow up to be this unit that will support, protect, love, and be each other’s best friends. How can we use the short time with them to pass this message along? We brought Parenting Expert Einat Nathan to discuss sibling rivalry, when it is healthy, and what we parents need to do in order to not pour gasoline onto the flame. In Men Having Babies corner we discuss twins pregnancy in ethical surrogacy.

5×07 Raising a Child of Different Race
Date: November 21, 2022
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For gay men looking to build their family through adoption, adopting a children of a different race can add a layer in parenting. We brought on adoption expert Jennifer Bliss alongside Lane Mashal, a gay dad who adopted transracially and a former adoption social worker who lead transracial adoption workshops, to help us go in depth into the meaning of adopting a child of a different race. In Men Having Babies corner we discuss the effect of COVID-19 on surrogacy.

5×06 Legal Guardianship
Date: November 14, 2022
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Whether you decide to adopt or have babies through assistant reproduction, you’ll want a judgement to approve your guardianship on your baby. In this episode of Daddy Squared podcast, we explore different types of legal guardianship with the help of Family Formation attorney Amira Hasenbush, JD, MPH. We also talked about Godfather and heard 3 godfathers stories from California, Texas and Wisconsin. And finally – Men Having Babies walked us through the attorney’s role in the surrogacy process for gay men.

5×05 Spending Money on Kids
Date: October 31, 2022
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Money is a big issue when you are trying to have kids (especially when it’s through surrogacy) and – of course – raising a child ain’t cheap. We brought in celebrity financial planner, David Rae, to discuss saving and planning financially for your next big thing, and other financial planning issues that may occur for gay men. In Men Having Babies corner, Lisa talks about budgeting your surrogacy journey.

5×04 Helping Kids Through Fear
Date: October 17, 2022
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Dealing with our kids’ fears is one of our key roles as parents. We invited Dr. Tina Payne Bryson, co-author of The Power of Showing Up who conducts workshops for parents, educators, and clinicians all over the world, to help us navigate our children’s greatest fears (and some of our fears as parents). In Men Having Babies corner, Ron talks about choosing the destination for your surrogacy journey.

5×03 Daddy Goes to the Gym
Date: October 3, 2022
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Going to the gym is part of gay culture. But when you have kids it’s harder to make time for it. We brought in personal trainer and gay dad Chris Tye-Walker to help you bring back the motivation to lose that dad bod and get back into your sexy, muscular, DILF shape. In the Men Having Babies corner, Sara talks about key parameters to choosing your surrogacy agency and IVF clinic.

5×02 Parents Guide to Roblox
Date: September 19, 2022
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We dive into the popular gaming platform Roblox: what is it, what are our kids doing there, and most important: is it safe? We interviewed a gay dad who plays Roblox with his kids, the platform’s Director for Community Safety and Civility, and for the first time in the podcast’s history: we interviewed our kids! In the Men Having Babies Corner, Lisa lays out the roadmap for gay men who wants to become fathers via surrogacy. Guest host: Daniel Vandenbark

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5×01 Couples Conflict
Date: September 6, 2022
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Our guest, Dr. Alan Fruzetti, talks about conflicts in relationships and how to use them to get closer. We discuss three examples of conflicts in gay relationships, sent to us by our listeners. In Men Having Babies corner, Sara gives us a rundown on the ‘team’ we should have if we want to build our kids through surrogacy. Oh, and Alex and Yan talk about themselves.

See you soon!
Alex and Yan