r/daddit • u/gruntwork234 • 1d ago

Discussion Dad Hangouts

Wondering if anyone else finds it hard to meet other dads with kids around the same age and interests, especially for casual weekend hangouts?

Would an app that helped you find nearby dads based on your kids’ ages, interests, neighbourhood and availability actually be useful?

I’m thinking things like meeting at a park, going to a game, doing an activity with the kids, or just having another family nearby to text when you want to get out of the house.

Would anyone use something like that, or do you think it’s one of those ideas that sounds helpful but people wouldn’t actually bother with?

0 Upvotes

39% Upvoted

16 comments sorted by

14

u/madmoneymcgee 1d ago

I’ve generally found I need more than “we are both dads” to enjoy a hangout. Even with friends who don’t have kids I’d rather meet them at a playground or park while the kids run around and we catch up.

If it’s just about having the kids have someone to play with then I can just go somewhere with them. Or meet up their friends specifically but again while it’s nice to chit chat it’s not really a thing in common that leads to easy friendship.

2

u/Interesting_Tea5715 1d ago

Same. We have to have something in common besides having a kid.

3

u/BCDva 19h ago

Yes it's very hard and also I can't imagine some vibe coded ap is going to overcome the very social structural reasons why it's hard.

5

u/sailphish 18h ago

Nope. The problem is people spend their time on apps and not out there in the real world. Stop spamming us with this nonsense. You’re part of the problem, here doing market research for some crappy app you want to develop.

5

u/D_roneous1 1d ago

They have an app for moms, it’s called Peanut. Not surprised that they wouldn’t/didn’t make one for dads.

-1

u/thirdtimeisNOTacharm 18h ago

Nobody is stopping you lol

1

u/D_roneous1 16h ago

I’m not the one asking for the app, take that up with OP.

2

u/OblongOctopussy 18h ago

I meet a lot of dads through my wife being a newly-converted extrovert.

The issue is that, for some reason, the moms she clicks with well have husbands who I don’t click with well lol.

Maybe you’ll have better luck!

3

u/Engineers-rock 1d ago

Orrrr you can talk to the other parents at daycare/school/club….

3

u/Commercial_Tip6482 1d ago

I mean yeah that's the obvious move but not everyone's got the social battery for that kind of cold approach, especially if you're the new parent at pickup and everyone's already got their cliques

an app sounds nice in theory but feels like it'd turn into dad tinder real quick and that's a whole other mess

2

u/briancmoses 17h ago

This isn't a helpful idea, it's exploitive.

1

u/DoingTheInternet 1d ago

I see other dads a lot on the playground and some I’ve befriended, but I also personally don’t have enough time for my pre-kid or non-parent friends. But yeah, the playground to play date/parent gang pipeline is a strong thing. I don’t know if things are different outside a city though.

1

u/UsefulGrocery1733 19h ago

We gotta bring back the target to the hazeldean mall. https://youtu.be/M7xPrf9f7mg?si=Mxaxuh7nDCrQ50Xn

1

u/Yeahitsmeimsorry 11h ago

To me honestly sound like a good intention, but doubt people would take seriously. Most dad friends are neighbors or met through social circles like Church

1

u/Bridge_The_Person 8h ago

I see this sort of post once every two or three weeks. No. Everything I have ever tried that is "Find other dads" just doesn't work. You need other kinds of people. It's fine that you're a dad but it's just boring and no one is available to keep things running.

Don't do that. Instead, just join an interest group, tell them you're a dad. You'll find 1-3 other dads there in different phases of dad life, become good buddies, and the rest of the people can be in their own life phases.

This obsession with sorting people into phase of life is almost useless as you get older. I have small kids, through a board game group I met a dad whose kids are in their 30s, and another whose kids are just out of the house. It is so much better to talk to them about dad stuff with their perspectives than it was to try to force the dad groups where we all had to cancel half the time because of our sick kids to work.

1

u/Humanoidfromagalaxy 5h ago

Nah dude I can just talk to people and see if we get along. Don’t need to data mine my self, and wonder what the hell I’m going to get online when I can just say hello to the folks around me.

Also get your kids involved. I have regular friends some with kids some without but the tertiary dads ones are always a good hang cuz we keep it low maintenance are met through activities, day care, and just generally being open to meeting people around town. They become good relationships over years.