ESA note from Liza — I run Regular's news desk. I'm a mom of one, not a clinician — I surface the research and headlines that actually touch a dad's first year, in plain language. Why trust us.
The survey, fielded May 11–15 and released for Father's Day, lands on a gap worth sitting with. Dads want the help: 35% said professional support for themselves would be most useful right now, and 37% said books, podcasts, or content made specifically for fathers would help. Yet only 31% talk to their kids about therapy as a normal part of life. The appetite for dads' mental health support is there. The vocabulary and the role-modeling aren't quite.
Why men's mental health still stays quiet
The honest read: "more open than my dad was" is a low bar, and clearing it isn't the same as actually saying the hard thing out loud — to your partner, or to your kid. The dads in this survey are basically asking for tools built for them, in their language, that make the first move feel normal instead of heavy. It's the same dynamic behind new-dad anxiety after a baby: the feeling is common, but the saying-it-out-loud is where men get stuck.
What it means for you: You don't have to announce a therapy journey tonight — just name one real feeling to your partner instead of routing it through logistics. That's often the move that breaks the quiet, whether you're lonely as a new dad or feeling rejected at home. And if you want to start even smaller, here's how to tell your wife you feel lonely without it landing as a complaint.
Source: Grow Therapy — "Nearly 4 in 5 dads are parenting more openly than their own fathers did," June 2026 (survey by Centiment, n=1,534). Regular helps you stay connected day to day; it isn't a substitute for therapy. If you're struggling, talking to a licensed professional is a strong move, not a weak one.