Daddies on Duty

How do we preserve Latino culture? As two Dominican-American dads, we’re constantly navigating how our kids learn about or Domincan traditions and how to keep our traditions alive — from the cooking and dancing to the trips back home to the Dominican Republic. We do our best to make sure they stay connected to their roots. But let’s be real — they were born in the U.S., and that means their cultur...

En este episodio, exploramos cómo los buenos modales, la etiqueta y el protocolo comienzan en el hogar. Educar a nuestros hijos va más allá de la escuela: es una responsabilidad diaria que impacta directamente en su comportamiento, respeto y desarrollo personal. Nos acompaña  Karen Espinal , licenciada en Comunicación Social y Periodismo, asesora de imagen pública, conferencista y directora de la ...

Thinking of buying a home, but also thinking of starting (or growing) your family? In this episode, we dive into one of life’s biggest crossroads: real estate and parenthood. Should you buy before the baby or after? What matters most—budget, location, school districts, space? Whether you’re searching for your first family-friendly home or selling your current one to make room for more tiny feet, r...

Guest : Omayra Jiménez- Life coach, Mom. Becoming a better parent requires a focus on personal growth  and well-being, as well as intentional parenting practices. Prioritizing  self-care, cultivating mindfulness, and setting boundaries are crucial  steps towards becoming the best version of yourself and, consequently, a  better parent.   From healing our inner child to practicing gratitude because...

Las fiestas de cumpleaños para nuestros hjos pueden convertirse en una tremenda pesadilla en cuanto a la planificación y ejecución se trata. En este episodio, exploramos el creciente estrés y los altos costos asociados con las fiestas de cumpleaños para niños. Desde la presión social por hacer eventos cada vez más elaborados hasta el gasto en decoraciones, entretenimiento y comida. Conversamos con...

In a world where “fitting in” seems to be a trend which is  exacerbated by peer influence and social media, how can we as parents  help our children embrace their individuality and authenticity. How do  we navigate the challenges that come with helping them embrace their  unique qualities? How can we as parents also stay true to ourselves so  our children see that in us. On this episode of Daddies...

Burnout among foster parents is at an all-time high. Studies show that 50% of foster parents quit within their first year ,  citing stress, lack of support, and feeling unprepared for trauma-related behaviors . From the lack of training and resources to coping with grief after losing a foster child, we know the challenges of the foster care system very well and about the burnout too. We have been...

Do we need to make an appointment to have sex?  How to prevent becoming roommates after having kids. Let’s face it, being parents is not as easy as it looks on social media. Balancing a healthy relationship and sex life with your partner becomes extra challenging once those little ones absorb all your time and energy. On this episode of Daddies on Duty we sit down with Clinical therapist, LMSW, Yu...

Historically, there has been a lot of disagreement among psychologists, psychiatrists, sociologists and society overall whether two parents of the same sex raising kids is harmful or not to children. Are homosexual parents less capable of raising mentally stable children?  is it detrimental to their mental health? on this episode of Daddies on duty, Eliecer Marte and Erick Martinez sit down with C...

From the first parent-teachers conference, to going to the park. Introducing our family to society has been an interesting experience.  On this episode we talk about how we explain the uniqueness of our family daily and how we use it as an educational moment and to raise awareness about the different types of families.  

Surviving fatherhood: We have made it through the first 9 months after our beautiful daughter Cataleya was born. It has been a very rewarding experience but it has not been easy at all. On this episode we talk about the what it has been like to adjust to our new normal. Returning to work, trying to have a social life and even maintaining a healthy relationship as a couple including our sex life.

The time we waited for has finally arrived. The moment to welcome our beautiful daughter Cataleya into this world! From her first cry when she was born to saying goodbye to our surrogate once it was time to leave the hospital. The beginning of a new journey and the end of process.

How did our parents accept our surrogacy journey and how hard has it been for them to understand it. With religion playing such a big factor, we dive into the conversations we have had with our mothers and other family members. We also address the critics and backlash we have received even from family members. 

If our international surrogacy process has been full of ups and downs, our journey to adopt our foster child has not been any easier. It has been a process full of emotions. We became  foster parents when a beautiful girl and his "half" baby brother arrived at our home in 2021. Life had different plans for us and everything has changed ever since. Join us on this episode as we talk about...

Many believe we do not deserve to be parents because we are two gay men. We have received numerous attacks from people who believe we are going straight to hell. Some say, we are preventing our kids from having  and mother. On this episode we get very personal about how we feel with all of these comments. We also explain why we do not want our kids to "turn out" gay like us. 

We are getting more deep into our surrogacy process on this  second episode of Daddies on Duty. This conversation is about our ups and downs with our initial surrogates, including how one of them tricked us into sending her extra money. Our journey to fatherhood through international surrogacy came with many unexpected surprises, the biggest one being the transfer of the "wrong" embryo....

Welcome to Daddies on Duty. During this first episode we begin our candid conversations about how we initiated our journey to parenthood and why we decided to share what we have been through so far and what we will continue to experience as we raise our children. You will hear from the very first seconds, there are no scripts here. These are real conversations between my husband, Erick Martinez, a...