My Story

What inspired GirlDad?

Our story...

At three years old, my oldest daughter was the flower girl in my brother’s wedding. As I helped her wrangle a poofy dress onto a toilet far too big for her, we overheard a comment outside of our stall that stung: "I'm so glad I have boys and not girls, so much drama."

Meanwhile my husband was doing laps with our overly exhausted nearly one year old and our third baby girl was already in my belly. This wasn't the first time my husband and I heard discouraging and boldly rude remarks about our "all-girl family."

Did I want sons? Yes, three times. My blessings in raising children were simply dealt differently. But I wouldn't trade this beautiful life for anything. Look at what we've done—what I've done.

Many people are surprised to learn that the GirlDad brand was started by a mom. Because who better understands the importance of celebrating the love between a father and her daughter? What we discovered during our initial research was, to say the least, alarming. There were no GirlDad shirts or hats for sale on any platform, no brands being trademarked, and no sweet pictures of piggy-tailed girls riding on their dads’ shoulders. The disturbing truth, the only trace of “Girldad” on the internet was a pornography website. I knew it had to be different. For each of my daughters and for all girls everywhere. The brand wasn't meant to glorify the dad life, but to show all the women out there that they are valued, and allow Dad’s to show that they're truly proud to be raising girls, despite the gender hangups and roles people were still holding onto in 2016.

So yes, the little brand Girldad was designed first by a mom. In 2016, from a tiny, drafty sunroom, we launched with a single hat and a dozen shirt designs. Soon after, we decided to brand Boydad because, well, we love family. Then in 2023, we added to our collection by combining BoyMom and GirlMom with the founder who had been building those brands since 2009. She had children of the opposite sex from mine, yet she shared a very similar story…

Hilary Wertin,
GirlDad

Boymom was created in honor of my two young sons, Jack and Joe. They were my world. They still are. As I began raising unruly, adventurous, (occasionally) hellion little boys, I began to see them at their most visceral, in their purest form. It even helped me understand my husband, because I realized that in a way, he is still at heart just a boy.

I found it odd that there was nothing out there that celebrated the journey of a mother raising her boys and all the wonderful craziness that came with it. Around the same time, I was tired of people asking me if I was going to try for a girl. They were implying that I had somehow missed out by giving birth to all boys, as if I had any control in the matter! That irked me. So I came up with an idea to create a brand that united all of us "boymoms". That was 15 years ago. And at that time, when you searched for "Boymom" on the internet, I was the only item - THE ONLY ITEM, BLOG, YOU NAME IT, my site was it.

I am as passionate about this brand now, as I was back then. If not more so, if that is even possible. I have practically sweated blood over growing this brand from a small closet in my hall. I have fought for the trademark we were granted back when I started this brand and I will continue to fight for what I created. The boymom journey is not for the faint of heart, but it is amazing. It pushes you out of your comfort zone or at least it did me. I traded in my pink tutu for a green light saber so I could go into their world!

I will never be able to look at garbage trucks the same since becoming a boymom. To this day, I can repeat scenes from all three Lord of the Rings movies. I see why every little boy wanted to be Legolas! I get it.I have had to fight for my son's rights to just be a boy both in the classroom and on the playground. There is nothing wrong with a little boy wearing his Spiderman costume to the park. Every. Single. Day. For months -- absolutely nothing.There have also been many sleepless nights where I was on my knees praying, while my sons made decisions, both good and bad, that through the years changed them from boys into young men. Watching them find their path in life and discover what inspires them as young men has been truly amazing. I am so very grateful to be a boymom... Jack and Joe's boymom or "mama" as they call me. I wanted them to know how much they meant to me so I created this brand. I hope your boys will see how much you love them when they see you wearing your tee. Thank you to all the sons who have blessed us with the opportunity to be their boymoms. What an honor it has been!

Amy Williams,
Boymom