The Good, The Bad and the Fatherly: Narratively's Best Stories of Fatherhood
Being a dad's not easy. Sometimes there are challenges that seem impossible to overcome. Meet seven Narratively fathers that—with love as their guide—tried their very best...with varying outcomes.
1. Why I Answered My Dad's Gay Sex Ad By Aussa Lorens
Illustration by Eric Palma
When one Narratively contributor found out her father was secretly trolling for gay sex online, she became obsessed with unmasking the truth.
2. Surprise, My Gay Dad is Sexist!
By Elizabeth Collins
Photo courtesy Elizabeth Collins
This Narratively contributor always thought that her father’s homosexuality meant he was a card-carrying progressive, but a close-quarters vacation together unveiled troubling misogyny that’s bugged her throughout her entire life.
3. The Soul-Crushing Reality of the Stay-At-Home Dad
By Billy Doidge Kilgore
Illustration by Clayton Thompson
When he resigned from his job to care for his infant son, Kilgore fancied himself the perfect progressive father. A year later, he's an isolated, energy-sapped, diaper-dodging mess.
4. Planning My Father-Daughter Dance Without My Dad
By Lilly O'Donnell
Photo courtesy Lilly O'Donnell
A frequent contributor and Narratively features editor, O'Donnell reveals how she's dealing with memories of her departed father as the biggest day of her life approaches.
5. When a Father's Son Becomes His Daughter
By Meredith Ramirez Talusan
Illustration by Esther Hong
Her domineering dad stood by her during gender transition, but this Narratively contributor writes that she didn’t truly become a woman until she was finally forced to stand up to him.
6. One for My Baby (And One for My Dad)
By Michael Fiorito
Illustration by Vinnie Neuberg
The silky sounds of Sinatra and weighty wordlessness of male bonding echo among three generations of this writer's Italian-American family.
7. The Father-Son Feud That Built an Empire of Food
By Jaclyn Einis
Photo by Amy Osborne
For decades, a son’s wayward wanderings clashed with his father’s vision for the family business, but when they finally see eye to eye, one of San Francisco’s great culinary institutions is born.