As I face back-to-school 2025 with my daughters heading in different directions -- one entering college and one her high-school junior year, I think maybe I'M the one who needs "new student" orientation the most.

An American President, a convicted felon, orders American cities invaded by American troops under false pretense. People of color, regardless of their citizenship status, targeted, abducted, abused without cause or due process. Institutions of higher education, scientific/medical research, public health, environmental protections attacked and decimated. Attempts to ban books and LGBTQ+ people but not assault weapons. Economic sanctions (aka tariffs) on historically allied nations but not war aggressors. The most vulnerable, innocent children and families, continue to be displaced, starved of food and freedoms, ultimately to be wiped out at the whims of authoritarian regimes. To digest all these things happening here in our country and around the world at once can be overwhelming. But, for our kids and ourselves, we can't let them overwhelm us.

My daughters’ college freshman and high-school junior years barrel towards me. A new school year always brings something new for our kids. But after what feels like the shortest summer ever, filled with road tripping, schedule planning, and future gazing, this may be the first time I’ve really felt the impact of back-to-school urgency. As a Dad with daughters headed in different directions this fall – one familiar and one uncharted – I’ve been spending the quiet times reflecting on where we’ve been together. While preparing a longer post for later this month commemorating my oldest daughter's departure for college, I poured thought into creating a poem looking back at what (as it turns out) were easier years being an at-home Daddy.

I've probably written hundreds of thousands of words about and to this impressive girl over the past 17 years. Not only about how she made me a daddy, but also helped prepare me to face life's ups and downs and grounded me in unconditional love. This week, I was prepared to write many, many more words about her...and me...and this new rite of passage for both of us. But after rowing state championships, prom, and a graduation ceremony, a graduation party, and a plumbing emergency thrown into the middle of everything just to shake things up, I decided to save the pontification and offering of sage advice. I'm going to keep this week's post short and sweet, and the focus where it belongs: celebrating my amazing kid and her latest accomplishment.

It's the season of finals for students. For parents of seniors, that first sentence takes on a whole new meaning. Layers of meaning. And that makes it almost as tough on us. When I became a dad for the first time, the "firsts" were, of course, eagerly anticipated and easily celebrated – first diaper change, first steps, first word, first haircut. This week, in the midst of final exams, AP exams, Virginia State Crew Championships, and everything else, my senior – my first child to graduate high school – prepared to sing in her last choir concert. As my wife and I sat back listening to our daughter and her amazing choirmates perform, I recalled many middle and elementary school concerts and classroom plays from our past.

The blog has been my most effective – though sporadic – outlet for "discussing" the deeper meaning of film. The irony is not lost on me that much of my work the past four years has been promoting a festival with a main premise being that film/video is an ideal vehicle for encouraging reflection, prompting discussion, and expressing feelings about the fundamental and often unexplored impacts of father-child relationships. This fundamental aspect of the Daddying Film Festival & Forum (D3F) mission is what sets it apart from the 12,000+ other film festivals held worldwide each year.

Our “Little Festival that Could,” now in its 4th year, may not yet be Sundance, but we continue to expand and reach filmmakers of all backgrounds from around the world who understand and celebrate the importance of having or being an involved Dad or dad figure. Since 2022, D3F has attracted submissions from 28 countries. That always amazes me. While we’re still finding our way and growing our attendance, it's been clear from the beginning that the Festival’s themes strongly resonate with everyone they reach. And there are people everywhere who want and need to tell their daddying stories, both the joyful and the painful. These are important stories that might not otherwise find the audience they deserve and possibly even change someone else's life in the process.

Have you checked outside lately? It's getting rough. Some might say, "Trumpestuous." At a time when all of us could use a little more serenity, more joy, more connection to what really matters in our lives, along comes the 4th annual Daddying Film Festival & Forum (D3F), free on Eventive from Monday, April 7th through Saturday, April 12th. Since 2022, D3F's lineup of films and videos has been filled with a diversity of Official Selections from students, dads, granddads, dad figures, moms, and independent filmmakers from 27 countries. Although not all of them have been upbeat, feel-good stories, they all have been created from the heart and singularly focused on the significant impact of having or being a positively involved dad/dad figure...or not.

Recapping 5+ years writing and editing the Daddying blog. "...back in 2020, the world was different, but still on the verge of a catastrophe made worse by one man, possibly the worst father on Earth, and his inept regime. Five years later, the more things have changed, the more they appear to have stayed the same. But still, there are daddying stories to be told – of joy and pain. We hope that in reminding everyone we are all connected and doing what we can to be the best for our kids and ourselves, those stories will help get us all through what lies ahead."

I'm trying, y'all. I really am. But the state of our world, compounded by daily bombardment of hate, spite, and gross incompetence coming from what now passes for government "leaders," has made keeping a positive outlook for our families, communities, and environment almost impossible. As parents working towards a better future for our kids, however, we must. And to do that, we must first fortify ourselves for the fight.

In a normal year, I’d probably have taken down all the Christmas lights by now. But I’ve left our outside decorations up a little longer this time...Maybe my holiday lights hold-out is a small act of resistance. To repel the chaos, political division, and uncertainty we’ve endured now for more than half my daughters’ lifetimes. To hang on to joy a little bit longer.

Daddying blog editor Scott Beller admits he'd rather talk about his kids and Daddying Film Festival & Forum (D3F) stories at holiday parties. But you're welcome to read his daddying origin story anytime.

Facing the post-election world through misty eyes this morning was disheartening for so many reasons. The prospects of what may and what will definitely happen to wives and daughters, immigrants (documented and undocumented), people of color, members of the LGBTQ+ community, and many other families across this country (and around the globe) kept me awake past 4 a.m. Too heavy for this dad of two teenage girls to fully process yet. What I do know is that I must quickly muster the strength to contend with that developing reality. First, I must do it for my kids. Then I must continue to stand up for the millions of people who do not have the "luxury" and privilege to simply worry about what's coming next...

Since my oldest daughter was born, my main concerns have been her health and whether I'd be up to the task of being the supportive dad she needed and deserved. Today, on the eve of her 17th birthday, my concerns remain the same. Only now, like any parent whose kid is neck-deep in the college application process, I've been paying more attention to her emotional and mental well-being. She's worked through the summer preparing for tests and drafting application essays. And while she's grappled at times with her self-confidence, I didn't want her ever to doubt how much her parents believe in her, trust her, and are proud of her hard work. Specifically, I want her to know she is more than her SAT score and weighted GPA.

As the two of us waited for our order of soft tacos and "tot-chos" to arrive at our table, we engaged in the usual dad-daughter lunch conversation. What do you have planned for your last week before school starts? What are you looking forward to this school year? How weird is it we're the ONLY two people having lunch in this taqueria at noon on a Taco Tuesday? But when I asked Lauren, my rising sophomore, what she wanted to do for her 15th birthday...

When we dropped off our not-quite-two-year-old on her first day of preschool, her teachers recommended that we not linger. Simply hand her over, turn around, and go. They said it was the best way to break the attachment and ensure the rest of day would go smoothly... ...This weekend, with our now rising high-school senior, we embark on a 12-day road trip covering 1,671 miles through the Northeast to visit prospective college destinations. As we prepare for this next step, my anxious parental mind immediately jumps ahead with the thought: this is a small, first step on our way towards an empty nest. Don't look back?

Today, we usually celebrate this country's successful fight for independence from a mad king. Yet, here we are 250 years of supposed progress later, facing almost daily threats to our freedoms, democracy, equal rights, and the rule of law. Notably, those threats are mostly coming from INSIDE THE HOUSE (and Senate, and state and federal courts...)! It would be an understatement (though oddly poetic) to say these coordinated attacks have been...more "taxing" than those of the 1770s. The good news is that there is one surefire cure strong enough to inoculate an entire democratic nation yearning to breathe free. That cure is informed voting. Vigilance is key and every election serves as your booster shot. I say, "informed voting" because the road to casting a ballot requires regular infusions of information (and knowing how to distinguish it from mis/disinformation). I would argue the developmental process all begins the first time you sit your child on your lap for a story.

If you have ever rowed or watched boats row on the Schuylkill River, you know about The Island. Lane 6, which meets and hugs The Island about two-thirds of the way through the course, is where championship dreams go to die.

I thought I felt elation when the Red Sox brought the first World Series Championship home to Boston after 86 years back in 2004. Watching my daughter help lead her team through the mist into open water and over the finish line well ahead of some stiff competition, including the boat that beat them in a final just last week, was truly breathtaking.

We're posting just under the wire to provide you good folks with a quick-hitting, mostly visual recap of Allan's and my recent trip up to Philadelphia, the site of this year's 2nd annual Daddying Film Forum, which has grown from one live event into two thanks mainly to the fact we have received so many amazing feature film Official Selections that one day just wouldn't do.