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Not Like Other Dads
A fearless, frank and funny memoir about reinventing the rules of parenting Sean had wanted to be a mum since the age of four, when he fell in love with Mrs Potts, the motherly teapot in Beauty and the Beast. But there was just one he was not, in fact, a woman.
When he was swept off his feet by a handsome Australian man in New York City, Sean's dreams of marriage and parenthood suddenly became a reality. The only things standing in his outdated marriage laws, hundreds of thousands of dollars and a healthy dose of internalised homophobia. Though he had to battle intense family drama, depression and a difficult move to the other side of the world, he succeeded in becoming a father to boy-girl twins.
What happens when the traditional parenting rules, 10,000 years in the making, simply don't apply? Not Like Other Dads is a raw, rollicking memoir about gay parents raising kids without a map – or nap. Hilarious and tender, Sean's story helps all of us celebrate who we really are ... empowering straight and queer parents alike to rewrite the parenting script.
When he was swept off his feet by a handsome Australian man in New York City, Sean's dreams of marriage and parenthood suddenly became a reality. The only things standing in his outdated marriage laws, hundreds of thousands of dollars and a healthy dose of internalised homophobia. Though he had to battle intense family drama, depression and a difficult move to the other side of the world, he succeeded in becoming a father to boy-girl twins.
What happens when the traditional parenting rules, 10,000 years in the making, simply don't apply? Not Like Other Dads is a raw, rollicking memoir about gay parents raising kids without a map – or nap. Hilarious and tender, Sean's story helps all of us celebrate who we really are ... empowering straight and queer parents alike to rewrite the parenting script.
319 pages, Kindle Edition
Published June 7, 2023
12 people are currently reading
356 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 61 reviews
July 29, 2023
After watching Sean Szeps on You Tube (came up in my stream of recommendations and I do not know why) I was watching him being interviewed and questioned by this female presenter.
I knew nothing about him or his background.
Then I saw he had written a memoir plus it was on audio at my library. Read by the man himself.
It’s a serious subject matter growing up as gay. And I’ve seen this within the mental health sector where people’s judgement and unreserved words and sentences are just not filtered well having terrible effects on people. I’m straight, but that doesn’t stop me having a strong opinion about a matter that affects another human being.
Why does some folk think they can ask whatever they want that’s a personal subject to a LGBTQ person that they wouldn’t dreeeaaammmmm of asking a straight person/couple? It’s rude.
And why would someone attack someone’s personality or way of being and expressing themselves? My uncle was very effeminate, he loved ironing little baby clothes rather than mowing the lawn, he’d rather bake a cake and decorate it than wallpaper the walls.
He was very “female” like in his ways, attention to detail, fresh flowers picked for the rooms in his house. Very touchy touchy huggy and walked softly.
Was he gay? No. Was he hiding it? Dunno. Who knows. Who cares! He was married had a son, cared for his family.
Would do anything for them. He lived in a different era back then.
Moral of the story?
Was he a good person? Yes!
That’s all you need to know. Did he go around bashing grannies over the head and robbing them of their handbags? No.
That’s all you need to know.
I enjoyed reading / listening to Sean Szeps relate his ordeal, problems in coming out, worries, falling in love etc
As for parenting. All parents straight or gay never know what they’ve landed into until that baby or babies arrive! We are all in shock of this tiny little bundle taking over our every minute of our lives, taking away our total freedom and sleep, so this couple was no different and they had 2 bundles! Sweet little cherubs right?!
It’s not easy being “different” around some people who say “oh no I’m not racist but…..I’m not discriminating but….I’ve nothing against gays……but”
Take those sentences away……then there are NO buts.
Treat everyone as a human being and as you’d like to be treated.
Lol is this a review or a speech.
I knew nothing about him or his background.
Then I saw he had written a memoir plus it was on audio at my library. Read by the man himself.
It’s a serious subject matter growing up as gay. And I’ve seen this within the mental health sector where people’s judgement and unreserved words and sentences are just not filtered well having terrible effects on people. I’m straight, but that doesn’t stop me having a strong opinion about a matter that affects another human being.
Why does some folk think they can ask whatever they want that’s a personal subject to a LGBTQ person that they wouldn’t dreeeaaammmmm of asking a straight person/couple? It’s rude.
And why would someone attack someone’s personality or way of being and expressing themselves? My uncle was very effeminate, he loved ironing little baby clothes rather than mowing the lawn, he’d rather bake a cake and decorate it than wallpaper the walls.
He was very “female” like in his ways, attention to detail, fresh flowers picked for the rooms in his house. Very touchy touchy huggy and walked softly.
Was he gay? No. Was he hiding it? Dunno. Who knows. Who cares! He was married had a son, cared for his family.
Would do anything for them. He lived in a different era back then.
Moral of the story?
Was he a good person? Yes!
That’s all you need to know. Did he go around bashing grannies over the head and robbing them of their handbags? No.
That’s all you need to know.
I enjoyed reading / listening to Sean Szeps relate his ordeal, problems in coming out, worries, falling in love etc
As for parenting. All parents straight or gay never know what they’ve landed into until that baby or babies arrive! We are all in shock of this tiny little bundle taking over our every minute of our lives, taking away our total freedom and sleep, so this couple was no different and they had 2 bundles! Sweet little cherubs right?!
It’s not easy being “different” around some people who say “oh no I’m not racist but…..I’m not discriminating but….I’ve nothing against gays……but”
Take those sentences away……then there are NO buts.
Treat everyone as a human being and as you’d like to be treated.
Lol is this a review or a speech.
August 9, 2023
Highly emotive, highly dramatic, thoroughly enjoyable with a strong message.
I listened to audible as the book is narrated by the author himself - recommend.
I listened to audible as the book is narrated by the author himself - recommend.
July 7, 2023
Bravo Sean! You have written a story about that precious thing we always called motherhood when all along we really meant to call it parenthood!!! Thank you! Thank you for the honesty, the raw truths about the love and the devastatingly hard parts of bringing these beings into the world and into humanity.
I’m glad you did. I’m glad you found a way to write a out it. I’m glad I read it. And I’m glad you found your tribe.
I’m glad you did. I’m glad you found a way to write a out it. I’m glad I read it. And I’m glad you found your tribe.
April 18, 2024
I listened on audiobook and found it a gratuitous, overly emotional, self indulgent mess. It should have been kept as his own personal diaries.
The author speaks as if no one else has ever been a parent before or made parenting decisions. He cries whilst reading out entirely unemotional sections.
One chapter is spent talking about how lucky he was to not get much flack for being gat at school then several later chapters spent weeping about how horrible school bullies were that he was gay.
I've given 2 stars as I wasn't bored listening but I did do a lot of eye rolling.
The author speaks as if no one else has ever been a parent before or made parenting decisions. He cries whilst reading out entirely unemotional sections.
One chapter is spent talking about how lucky he was to not get much flack for being gat at school then several later chapters spent weeping about how horrible school bullies were that he was gay.
I've given 2 stars as I wasn't bored listening but I did do a lot of eye rolling.
June 29, 2023
I listened to Sean read this on audible and spent the majority of the book either in tears or laughing uncontrollably. Thank you for being so vulnerable and open, Sean. I couldn’t have loved this book more.
September 13, 2023
I don’t know what I was expecting this book to be. It is exactly as advertised a memoir of becoming dads. Anyway it’s fine but just wasn’t that interesting to me.
DNF
DNF
June 9, 2023
Let me out myself first. I found childhood impossibly tough. I had a physically and psychologically abusive father and my parents' marriage was profoundly unhappy. We moved around a lot so there were no deep friendship networks to ease the fear and anxiety my siblings and I felt. In adulthood (I'm 62 now), I became a fully paid up member of the "I loved my children so much, I didn't have them" brigade.
My fundamental belief is that children aren't a lifestyle accessory and you shouldn't have them unless you know you can parent them exceptionally well. And it's with this in mind that I give "Not Like Other Dads" a two-star rating.
Diving into the book:
I'm more than a bit troubled that a flamboyantly camp man full of affectations should choose to have children.
Why, for starters, pick on the flamboyant campness?
Well, campness is an affectation - something inauthentic and superficial - and I like people to be authentic and deep.
And campness is about signalling one's sexual availability to other gay men, and I like parents to be in committed monogamous relationships, putting the duties of parenthood ahead of shallow hedonism.
And campness is about rejecting social norms children need to be exposed to. It's one thing to be raised in a household that conforms to social norms then have those norms challenged by outsiders and another thing entirely to be raised in a household that DOESN'T conform to social norms and can only be challenged by an outside society that, right now, is too timid even to stand up to people who insist some women have penises.
Another thing that concerns me is Sean's choice to have twins by a surrogate. Carrying twins almost always puts a tremendous toll on women's bodies. It has long-term consequences that won't typically be fully compensated for by the surrogacy payments, so agreeing to carry twins under a surrogacy agreement is the sort of thing only stupid or vulnerable or intensely materialistic people do, and having a birth mother who falls into any of those categories isn't something I'd choose for a child.
And then there's this third thing... When I looked at YouTube to get a better appreciation of who Sean was, I saw this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hDwDO...
It's going to be tough to have a father who does nothing to stop himself sounding and acting like Mr G, of Summer Heights High fame. Mr G, for those who don't know the character, is petty, vindictive, vain, self-centred, treacherous.
But I worried too about the difference between how Sean treated Cooper and how he treated Stella. He's much more physically affectionate with Cooper and repeatedly calls him "handsome", which is some way along the spectrum to calling him "good-looking" then "sexy". There's another, healthier, way of praising kids than acting as if men and women owe us "pretty".
I wonder how this will all play out. It's a very competently written and edited book that lets us, the readers, into someone else's life and I'd love to read volume 2 (the how it all worked out book) in 20 years' time. Perhaps that makes it worth three stars.
My fundamental belief is that children aren't a lifestyle accessory and you shouldn't have them unless you know you can parent them exceptionally well. And it's with this in mind that I give "Not Like Other Dads" a two-star rating.
Diving into the book:
I'm more than a bit troubled that a flamboyantly camp man full of affectations should choose to have children.
Why, for starters, pick on the flamboyant campness?
Well, campness is an affectation - something inauthentic and superficial - and I like people to be authentic and deep.
And campness is about signalling one's sexual availability to other gay men, and I like parents to be in committed monogamous relationships, putting the duties of parenthood ahead of shallow hedonism.
And campness is about rejecting social norms children need to be exposed to. It's one thing to be raised in a household that conforms to social norms then have those norms challenged by outsiders and another thing entirely to be raised in a household that DOESN'T conform to social norms and can only be challenged by an outside society that, right now, is too timid even to stand up to people who insist some women have penises.
Another thing that concerns me is Sean's choice to have twins by a surrogate. Carrying twins almost always puts a tremendous toll on women's bodies. It has long-term consequences that won't typically be fully compensated for by the surrogacy payments, so agreeing to carry twins under a surrogacy agreement is the sort of thing only stupid or vulnerable or intensely materialistic people do, and having a birth mother who falls into any of those categories isn't something I'd choose for a child.
And then there's this third thing... When I looked at YouTube to get a better appreciation of who Sean was, I saw this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hDwDO...
It's going to be tough to have a father who does nothing to stop himself sounding and acting like Mr G, of Summer Heights High fame. Mr G, for those who don't know the character, is petty, vindictive, vain, self-centred, treacherous.
But I worried too about the difference between how Sean treated Cooper and how he treated Stella. He's much more physically affectionate with Cooper and repeatedly calls him "handsome", which is some way along the spectrum to calling him "good-looking" then "sexy". There's another, healthier, way of praising kids than acting as if men and women owe us "pretty".
I wonder how this will all play out. It's a very competently written and edited book that lets us, the readers, into someone else's life and I'd love to read volume 2 (the how it all worked out book) in 20 years' time. Perhaps that makes it worth three stars.
January 13, 2025
Read this book! Just do it.
Are you a parent? - read it
Are you a mom? - read it
Are you a dad? - read it
Are you human? - read it
Sean Szeps is so honest, straightforward and hilarious you won’t regret it. His experience may not be just like yours… and yet it is. If you are a parent you can relate to this book. If you birthed a baby or science brought you to parenthood…you can relate.
Sean weaves is stories from present day married to a seemingly wonderful man with two young boy/girl twins to his childhood with an amazing family and mother as the backbone of the story.
I had been waiting to read (well listen cause if you are familiar with Sean listening is the only reasonable option) for a long time but finally got to it and wish I hadn’t waited so long.
Not sure I told you anything about this book but… just read it.
Are you a parent? - read it
Are you a mom? - read it
Are you a dad? - read it
Are you human? - read it
Sean Szeps is so honest, straightforward and hilarious you won’t regret it. His experience may not be just like yours… and yet it is. If you are a parent you can relate to this book. If you birthed a baby or science brought you to parenthood…you can relate.
Sean weaves is stories from present day married to a seemingly wonderful man with two young boy/girl twins to his childhood with an amazing family and mother as the backbone of the story.
I had been waiting to read (well listen cause if you are familiar with Sean listening is the only reasonable option) for a long time but finally got to it and wish I hadn’t waited so long.
Not sure I told you anything about this book but… just read it.
August 30, 2024
This was a brilliant book that opened my eyes to the struggles of Gay dads. So much of society highlights the importance of mums, and in no way does Szeps diminish this; instead, he highlights that fathers also have essential parts and can equally struggle with postnatal depression.
I enjoyed the writing. Szeps eloquently describes the really dark moments of his life as a father and fills the book with his unique humour, which makes it a good read.
I enjoyed the writing. Szeps eloquently describes the really dark moments of his life as a father and fills the book with his unique humour, which makes it a good read.
August 14, 2023
Really enjoyed how easy and conversational this book was to read.
Gave me some things to think about going forward!
Gave me some things to think about going forward!
August 24, 2023
Totally fearless
Spellbinding
A journey of deep, heartfelt and genuine emotion
An important message that comes with the authors journey
Thank you for your open sharing Sean. Thank you.
Spellbinding
A journey of deep, heartfelt and genuine emotion
An important message that comes with the authors journey
Thank you for your open sharing Sean. Thank you.
September 17, 2023
Enjoyed this one. A great listen.
June 28, 2024
Audiobook
August 18, 2023
As a queer D&I person I really wanted to like this. The stuff around the female gender was cringe worthy. I’d really appreciate if adults learnt the difference between a vulva and a vagina. Do we confuse the penis and scrotum, alas no. I really expect my queer bothers to do better, else they are part of the problem, not the solution.
Sadly, in listening to this as an audiobook an extra cringe factor was added. His voice is very pitchy and hard to listen to. I’ve lived with several gay men and they do switch on and off their campiness but this was full glitter for the duration. A curious thing…
Sadly, in listening to this as an audiobook an extra cringe factor was added. His voice is very pitchy and hard to listen to. I’ve lived with several gay men and they do switch on and off their campiness but this was full glitter for the duration. A curious thing…
February 10, 2025
An entertaining memoir from a self-described sassy, ego-centric gay man who always wanted to be a father.
The book was enjoyable, but I think my main issue is that I just don't like the author very much. Not in any mean way, he's just kind of self-absorbed and self-righteous. Some of it is a crafted personality, but he writes as if most of it is genuine ("I insert my opinion into every conversation" "my favourite subject is me.")
I think the idea of creating the representation you wish you'd had is really important, and I also think that his experience should be publicised, so that other people can relate. But I kept getting distracted by his egotistical phrasing.
For example, he's denied entrance to a mother's group because the women in it don't feel comfortable sharing intimate personal details with a man. His response is: "I believe that mums deserve safe spaces to discuss the most intimate details of their parenting journeys, and I also believe that they were wrong to exclude me because I'm a man. It's my angry ego talking, but I just know that they would have benefitted from having another perspective in the group, and I could have benefitted from having theirs." So you think that those women didn't deserve a safe space if their definition of safe doesn't include men, or at least you. He then goes on to insist that he would have "absolutely broadened their horizons." But that's not the point of a mother's group - they're there for social/emotional support, not to learn new perspectives. Yes, groups that become insular can stagnate, but learning about parenthood was not the point of the weekly playground meet up. His need to insert himself made me uncomfortable.
I think it's the phrasing that hurts the narrative more than the content. For example, there's a really emotional moment about struggling with his religion and realising he got nowhere fantasising about women, but was aroused fantasising about men. He describes that moment of anxiety and shame by saying "like Jesus after the crucifixion, it would rise." And that had me spluttering with laughter and surprise. It completely undercut any emotion or tension the passage had.
Over time I began to be more aware of his personal issues, ego, and desire to project an image of perfection than his parenting struggles. There was just more information about him being dramatic or dealing with severe depression than any learning about parenting. I'm glad his experiences can be shared for those who relate, but I won't be checking out his work.
The book was enjoyable, but I think my main issue is that I just don't like the author very much. Not in any mean way, he's just kind of self-absorbed and self-righteous. Some of it is a crafted personality, but he writes as if most of it is genuine ("I insert my opinion into every conversation" "my favourite subject is me.")
I think the idea of creating the representation you wish you'd had is really important, and I also think that his experience should be publicised, so that other people can relate. But I kept getting distracted by his egotistical phrasing.
For example, he's denied entrance to a mother's group because the women in it don't feel comfortable sharing intimate personal details with a man. His response is: "I believe that mums deserve safe spaces to discuss the most intimate details of their parenting journeys, and I also believe that they were wrong to exclude me because I'm a man. It's my angry ego talking, but I just know that they would have benefitted from having another perspective in the group, and I could have benefitted from having theirs." So you think that those women didn't deserve a safe space if their definition of safe doesn't include men, or at least you. He then goes on to insist that he would have "absolutely broadened their horizons." But that's not the point of a mother's group - they're there for social/emotional support, not to learn new perspectives. Yes, groups that become insular can stagnate, but learning about parenthood was not the point of the weekly playground meet up. His need to insert himself made me uncomfortable.
I think it's the phrasing that hurts the narrative more than the content. For example, there's a really emotional moment about struggling with his religion and realising he got nowhere fantasising about women, but was aroused fantasising about men. He describes that moment of anxiety and shame by saying "like Jesus after the crucifixion, it would rise." And that had me spluttering with laughter and surprise. It completely undercut any emotion or tension the passage had.
Over time I began to be more aware of his personal issues, ego, and desire to project an image of perfection than his parenting struggles. There was just more information about him being dramatic or dealing with severe depression than any learning about parenting. I'm glad his experiences can be shared for those who relate, but I won't be checking out his work.
June 26, 2023
I bought the book, but also downloaded the audiobook so that I could hear Sean speak. Absolutely zero regrets about this decision. I laughed, I cried, I cried some more. This was a fantastic book that I will recommend to others and read again myself. The way that Sean writes is beautiful and emotive and so vulnerable. He shares so much with us and I felt so many feelings in this book. I really hope we get more books from this fantastic author!
July 4, 2023
This touching memoir is by turns hilarious and heart-breaking in its honesty. It is a timely book and one that should change all our attitudes to parenting and the complexities of sexual and gender identity.
November 19, 2025
Sean Szeps has written a memoir that shines with humor and heart, but what makes it special is the way he captures the very real contradictions of being a gay father in a world that still defaults to tradition. His voice feels like David Sedaris meets Jess Thom. Warm, sharp, observant and unafraid to lean into the awkwardness and beauty of family life that does not fit the usual script.
Not That Kind of Dad is full of laugh out loud moments, especially when Szeps finds himself as the default parent navigating spaces that were simply not built with him in mind. Playgroup politics, mum cliques, the subtle and not so subtle assumptions people make about who the real parent is. He writes about these moments with comedic precision but also with a gentleness that makes them hit harder.
At the same time he traces the deeper currents that shaped him. Growing up in a religious household. The weight of expectation. The quiet ache of feeling outside the norm long before he became a father. Those passages give the book its emotional ballast. They show the resilience that sits beneath the jokes and the love that fuels every tough decision.
What stands out most is Szeps as a cultural observer. He has an uncanny ability to spot the tiny social tells that reveal how families are judged and sorted. He turns them into scenes filled with warmth, truth and insight. His writing makes you laugh, then think, then laugh again because you recognise something very human in what he is describing.
By the end you feel grateful that a story like this exists. Honest. Funny. Vulnerable. Fierce in its love for a very modern family. I closed the book wanting more from him. More stories. More essays. More of that voice that sees the world with humor and heart and invites the rest of us to rethink what family looks like.
Sean Szeps is a writer to watch and a parent worth listening to.
Not That Kind of Dad is full of laugh out loud moments, especially when Szeps finds himself as the default parent navigating spaces that were simply not built with him in mind. Playgroup politics, mum cliques, the subtle and not so subtle assumptions people make about who the real parent is. He writes about these moments with comedic precision but also with a gentleness that makes them hit harder.
At the same time he traces the deeper currents that shaped him. Growing up in a religious household. The weight of expectation. The quiet ache of feeling outside the norm long before he became a father. Those passages give the book its emotional ballast. They show the resilience that sits beneath the jokes and the love that fuels every tough decision.
What stands out most is Szeps as a cultural observer. He has an uncanny ability to spot the tiny social tells that reveal how families are judged and sorted. He turns them into scenes filled with warmth, truth and insight. His writing makes you laugh, then think, then laugh again because you recognise something very human in what he is describing.
By the end you feel grateful that a story like this exists. Honest. Funny. Vulnerable. Fierce in its love for a very modern family. I closed the book wanting more from him. More stories. More essays. More of that voice that sees the world with humor and heart and invites the rest of us to rethink what family looks like.
Sean Szeps is a writer to watch and a parent worth listening to.
November 21, 2024
I don't think this book was for me, and I think that's ok.
There's a two-fold meaning to that, the first being that I literally don't think this book was written for me, I'm not the intended audience. I'm a cis, straight, white woman who conceived naturally. Basically every other book in the parenting section was written for me, which is one reason Szeps wrote this book: so people with more varied parenting experiences who haven't found their story represented might find one they relate to. Great, fine, if that's you, maybe give this book a try.
The other meaning is that I didn't really like the book. The first line of Szep's Google Books author profile says "Sean Szeps is the funniest dad in Oz" and the blurb says it's a "fearless, frank, and funny memoir," so I went into it thinking it'd be funny. I'd barely consider it amusing. I don't feel like I learned anything or gained any value from reading this book. Yeah, sure, the perspective of a gay dad is not one I can say I've personally experienced, so maybe I gained a bit of empathy, but most of the story doesn't focus on being gay, and I relate with enough other aspects of his life that I don't really feel like I gained a new perspective.
There's a two-fold meaning to that, the first being that I literally don't think this book was written for me, I'm not the intended audience. I'm a cis, straight, white woman who conceived naturally. Basically every other book in the parenting section was written for me, which is one reason Szeps wrote this book: so people with more varied parenting experiences who haven't found their story represented might find one they relate to. Great, fine, if that's you, maybe give this book a try.
The other meaning is that I didn't really like the book. The first line of Szep's Google Books author profile says "Sean Szeps is the funniest dad in Oz" and the blurb says it's a "fearless, frank, and funny memoir," so I went into it thinking it'd be funny. I'd barely consider it amusing. I don't feel like I learned anything or gained any value from reading this book. Yeah, sure, the perspective of a gay dad is not one I can say I've personally experienced, so maybe I gained a bit of empathy, but most of the story doesn't focus on being gay, and I relate with enough other aspects of his life that I don't really feel like I gained a new perspective.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 30, 2023
Another excellent audiobook - not a standard choice for me but it has made me think about several issues he raised. He is extremely flamboyant and camp in his reading style which at times annoyed me - truly I believe because he was so emotional and not because he made me feel uncomfortable because he is a gay man. I liked his and his husband’s attitude towards commitment- early on in their relationship they consciously decided that they would talk about things and if it became a difficult problem to resolve would seek professional help - they wouldn’t just abandon their relationship or try to sticking plaster the problem.
Another reviewer has written that he hopes there will be a sequel once the children are older. I agree I would be interested but then why should they be different from any other children who face life’s challenges? They have two fathers but many young people have blended families.
I am still unsure about the need to label everyone according to their sexuality almost as soon as we are introduced to them. We all seem too interested in knowing extremely private emotional details about others when really it is irrelevant.
Another reviewer has written that he hopes there will be a sequel once the children are older. I agree I would be interested but then why should they be different from any other children who face life’s challenges? They have two fathers but many young people have blended families.
I am still unsure about the need to label everyone according to their sexuality almost as soon as we are introduced to them. We all seem too interested in knowing extremely private emotional details about others when really it is irrelevant.
March 24, 2025
This was an OK read. I borrowed this from the local public library for the FOLD Challenge - read a transgender memoir. It was catalogued as transgender memoir, but it isn't. Half way through and no transgender (and I'm not one to abandon a book so I plowed on). I say it was OK because I have never had a desire to have kids. I don't understand the yearning (I'm more into cats). These challenges are about reading outside your experience and having kids definitely is that. Szeps name drops a lot of 'well known' Australians, but the only one I have heard of is Marc Fennell through his cultural TV series. I have heard of his FIL though - he was the annoying brother in Mother & Son. A minus is the basic anatomy error he makes in almost the same breath as saying how important it is to be correct. The vagina (an internal muscle) is the muscular tube that connects the cervix to the vulva (the part you can see). I enjoyed the chapter about Halloween - that's one thing I can relate to. It's fun! It was also nice to have a reminder of Tresillian - I worked for a short time there over a decade ago.
July 25, 2023
Lang getwijfeld maar geland op een 3+ (denk ik). Ik vond dit qua onderwerp en de dingen die het behandelt een fijn boek, en de minpunten zijn vooral omdat het helaas niet echt goed geschreven is. Het doorlopende verhaal is interessant, maar sommige hoofdstukken hangen er een beetje als ware het losse blogposts tussen, alsof de auteur dacht “dit moet ik ook nog even kwijt”. Ook zijn de dialogen een groot deel van de tijd echt om je dood aan te ergeren. Dialogen schrijven lijkt mij erg moeilijk, vooral in een autobiografisch werk, maar hier is het af en toe echt te cringe voor woorden. Snap ik wel hoor, ik zou waarschijnlijk ook mijn gesprekken die ik jaar geleden met vrienden had niet zomaar uit kunnen schrijven zonder dat het ergerlijk wordt om te lezen. Maar ik doe dat dan ook niet.
Ik kende de auteur niet, maar toen hij halverwege het boek uit de kast kwam als influencer verklaarde dat op zich wel het een en ander. Ik denk dat dit boek fijner was geweest in de vorm van een interview of een serie blogs.
Ik kende de auteur niet, maar toen hij halverwege het boek uit de kast kwam als influencer verklaarde dat op zich wel het een en ander. Ik denk dat dit boek fijner was geweest in de vorm van een interview of een serie blogs.
January 16, 2024
.....📚 𝑩𝒐𝒐𝒌 𝑹𝒆𝒗𝒊𝒆𝒘 📚.....
Not Like Other Dads by Sean Szeps is a memoir about learning to love yourself, building a family, raising children as a gay couple, and what it's like rewriting the parenting script.
Sean had wanted to be a mum since age four, but as he grew up and identified as a gay man, Sean put all thoughts of becoming a parent aside, believing it wasn't possible. Then enters Josh, a loving man who also wants a family and to spend his life with Sean. This book details Sean and Josh's journey to becoming parents of twins Stella and Cooper, and the ups and downs of Sean's mental health along the way.
Told with both honesty and humour, this memoir introduces the reader to some of the challenges faced by gay men as they navigate the costly and emotionally fueled process of becoming parents, as well as some of the early obstacles faced by being new parents. It was really interesting to read about the impact of internalised homophobia Sean struggled with as he dared to make his dream of parenting come true.
Not Like Other Dads by Sean Szeps is a memoir about learning to love yourself, building a family, raising children as a gay couple, and what it's like rewriting the parenting script.
Sean had wanted to be a mum since age four, but as he grew up and identified as a gay man, Sean put all thoughts of becoming a parent aside, believing it wasn't possible. Then enters Josh, a loving man who also wants a family and to spend his life with Sean. This book details Sean and Josh's journey to becoming parents of twins Stella and Cooper, and the ups and downs of Sean's mental health along the way.
Told with both honesty and humour, this memoir introduces the reader to some of the challenges faced by gay men as they navigate the costly and emotionally fueled process of becoming parents, as well as some of the early obstacles faced by being new parents. It was really interesting to read about the impact of internalised homophobia Sean struggled with as he dared to make his dream of parenting come true.
August 16, 2023
This book should probably get five stars because I realized after reading it that the frustrations I had with it were because I was living what the author was living, right along with him.
He said he always wanted to be a mom and also to have a little girl; then when he was able to have a child, he wasn’t sure he wanted one, and he definitely didn’t want a girl. My thoughts were: how could you be so contrary to what you thought before?
But of course this is because of all the conflicts he had experienced and roadblocks he had adapted to.
It was both frustrating and enlightening to read.
As also an ex-pat American who settled in Australia, I understood his frustration with not finding a friend group right away even as he admitted he didn’t try as hard as he could. I was able to find one right away due to interest groups I was in, but Sean seemed stuck looking for a mother’s group…
I recommend the book because he really brings you completely into his experience and his frustrations in a way that you will feel them, for worse and also for better.
He said he always wanted to be a mom and also to have a little girl; then when he was able to have a child, he wasn’t sure he wanted one, and he definitely didn’t want a girl. My thoughts were: how could you be so contrary to what you thought before?
But of course this is because of all the conflicts he had experienced and roadblocks he had adapted to.
It was both frustrating and enlightening to read.
As also an ex-pat American who settled in Australia, I understood his frustration with not finding a friend group right away even as he admitted he didn’t try as hard as he could. I was able to find one right away due to interest groups I was in, but Sean seemed stuck looking for a mother’s group…
I recommend the book because he really brings you completely into his experience and his frustrations in a way that you will feel them, for worse and also for better.
January 23, 2025
Not all people need to write a book and this is one of it. The book constantly has moaning and overly emotional tone which inadvertently placed a strain on my reading.
Sean’s idea that when gay parents prefer adoption to surrogacy is internalised homophobia and jealousy left me speechless.
He can choose surrogacy all he wants but considering other different opinions to himself as less superior isn’t right.
In another chapter, he detailed how he took off offence when strangers around him had an assumption that he was an uncle of his children, instead of the dad, and that the world doesn’t see gays as dads; however, he forgot that before he had kids, he spent his entire adult life parading and preaching that he, as a homosexual, never want anything to do with kids and that the children struggles should be left for the heterosexuals to deal with.
He doesn’t understand that actions have consequences. How disappointing!
Sean’s idea that when gay parents prefer adoption to surrogacy is internalised homophobia and jealousy left me speechless.
He can choose surrogacy all he wants but considering other different opinions to himself as less superior isn’t right.
In another chapter, he detailed how he took off offence when strangers around him had an assumption that he was an uncle of his children, instead of the dad, and that the world doesn’t see gays as dads; however, he forgot that before he had kids, he spent his entire adult life parading and preaching that he, as a homosexual, never want anything to do with kids and that the children struggles should be left for the heterosexuals to deal with.
He doesn’t understand that actions have consequences. How disappointing!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 9, 2024
This memoir is fabulous. Equal parts funny and moving. I LOVED the audiobook read by Sean himself. Hearing the stores in his own voice adds so much to the text. The emotion in his voice is palpable and there are several times where he is ends up crying due the story being shared and I love that that was not edited out. I cried myself several times while listening, especially as he spoke so openly about his struggles with postnatal mental health, which is something I also have battled.
I would recommend this book to anyone, parent or not, queer or straight.
I would recommend this book to anyone, parent or not, queer or straight.
November 21, 2023
This was amazing, especially in audiobook form as it is narrated by the author - and is one of if not my gavourite narration to date! There is so much emotion in this narration, I was welling up whenever Sean Szeps was, you feel so much for this family.
There is so much love in this book, in many fantastic forms. I think this is the book to illustrate the crazy journey and beauty of family, I highly recommend!
There is so much love in this book, in many fantastic forms. I think this is the book to illustrate the crazy journey and beauty of family, I highly recommend!
April 6, 2025
I mostly listened to this book, narrated by Sean himself, and laughed and cried along with him. This is such an emotional read for anyone who grew up queer and/or is curious and questioning themselves about whether they want kids or not. It's a story that as Sean put it (paraphrasing) wished that had been written when he was growing up. I'm so grateful that Sean shared his journey with the world, and for showing us the depths of his love he has put into building such a beautiful family.
May 11, 2025
Laughed and cried, laughed and cried.
Listened to the audio version which is so well read by the author.
Captured by the first page. A wonderful story about two dads and how they became fathers and all the ups and downs before, during and after. Flashbacks to the authors childhood and how that shaped him.
I enjoyed book this so much which is why I laughed and cried, laughed and cried.
Highly recommend to all. Entertaining and informative.
Listened to the audio version which is so well read by the author.
Captured by the first page. A wonderful story about two dads and how they became fathers and all the ups and downs before, during and after. Flashbacks to the authors childhood and how that shaped him.
I enjoyed book this so much which is why I laughed and cried, laughed and cried.
Highly recommend to all. Entertaining and informative.
September 19, 2023
Sean made me laugh and cry…it’s such a great book. I felt I could relate to Sean as a first time parent. I also learnt so much from him about what it was like for him to be a gay dad, and how to teach children about different types of families, different people, and how to talk to them about gender. I really recommend this book to every parent.
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