By Casey Neill
“You got this. I love you. I’m proud of you.”
It’s easy to see why Rob Kenney has become a father figure to millions of people through his YouTube channel ‘Dad, how do I?’.
The 50-something father of two, based near Seattle in the US, shares how-to videos for many basic tasks, with plenty of dad jokes thrown in with his earnest fatherly advice.
When he was a kid, Father’s Day was “a pretty normal celebration” of his own dad.
“By the time that I became a dad, my relationship with my dad was pretty distant, because he left the family when I was 14, so it was more my special day,” he said.
“It’s a time that I get together with my wife’s family, and we celebrate all of the dads.
“I think it’s cool to be a dad, and I hope to encourage other dads to see what a great privilege they have (if they don’t already know).”
One reason Rob started the channel was to pass along things he “had to learn the hard way, to save others some of the struggles that I went through”.
From jump-starting a car to tying a tie, he’s helping people of all ages and walks of life to learn new skills.
“I have several years’ worth of content that I would like to share on my channel, but I also am keeping track of the many suggestions that I receive,” he said.
He said the response was completely unexpected.
“I didn’t start my channel to switch careers, so I had to grapple with what my new life looked like,” he said.
“Now that we’re two years into it, I finally feel like I am in a good place with it.
“I honestly thought that I would have 30 or 40 subscribers.
“Had I known that my videos would have so many views, I would have paid closer attention while I was filming.
“I have no prior experience, I was just trying to talk to the camera like I was talking to my own kids.
“Anything I can do to help the next generation to be encouraged, empowered, and to be good humans, I am all for it!”
