Prince William County group offers Va. dads a way to make new friends

During last fall’s federal government shutdown, Tim Laughlin was furloughed and searched for ways to occupy his time. Related stories Northern Virginia students build AI tool to help aspiring entrepreneurs Fairfax Co. students write book to help elementary kids learn about financial literacy Prince William Co.

residents rally against planned 6.5-mile transmission line A group called DMV Dads hosted weekly meetups on Friday mornings at a Panera Bread in Alexandria, Virginia. But when the shutdown ended, Laughlin was unable to attend the sessions, which he said helped him “maintain my sanity and come through it all in one piece.” Searching for the same type of companionship, Laughlin was inspired to start his own weekly meetup. He started with email invitations, and the first dinner included nine people.

Now, it’s grown into a Facebook community and the weekly Tuesday night dinner at Buffalo Wild Wings in Manassas draws about two dozen dads. It’s been executed for about 40 straight weeks, even through the holidays. Prince William Times reported that Laughlin created the group Prince William Dads in October 2025.

“It is hard to make friends once you become a parent,” Laughlin, a father of three, said. “There’s so many other things pulling at your time and your energy and your attention that the one thing you kind of tend to lose focus on is building friendships. For many of us, it’s just something we’ve unintentionally neglected for a long time.” For Laughlin, the feeling was amplified when two of his closest friends moved away during the pandemic.

He quickly realized that the only outlet he had for meeting new people came through his kids’ social circles. “I needed regular interaction that wasn’t about the kids,” Laughlin said. “I needed that time to sort of recharge my battery, so that when I do go back home at the end of the night, I’m ready to go, ready to rip and roar the next day with my kids and my wife.” The dinners start at 5:30 p.m.

and are hosted at the same long rectangular table near the bar. Sometimes, they last until close to 9 p.m. Conversations usually cover work, kids, spouses, the stock market or fantasy football.