A man whose dad walked out on him when he was a teen has started a YouTube series to teach children in need of guidance basic household tasks that aren’t taught in school.
Rob Kenney, a father of two adult children, launched his aptly-titled channel, Dad, How Do I?, in the beginning of April with a tutorial on how to tie a tie that has been viewed more than 240,000 times.
Over the past month and a half, his heartwarming how-to videos have turned him into an online star with more than 1.4 million subscribers.
Giving back: Rob Kenney, a father of two adult children, has started a YouTube series to teach children in need of guidance basic household tasks
Start of it all: He launched his aptly-titled channel, Dad, How Do I?, in the beginning of April with a tutorial on how to tie a tie
Kenney’s desire to give back was inspired by his own tumultuous childhood in Bellevue, Washington, where he grew up one of eight children. He was left with his father after the deterioration of his parents’ marriage, but that didn’t last long.
‘He got custody of us, but he didn’t really want us,’ he told Shattered magazine last month. ‘I think he was kind of done by that time.’
Kenney was 14 when he ended up moving into his 23-year-old brother’s mobile home after his father announced he didn’t want kids anymore.
After raising two children who turned into well-adjusted adults, the dad realized he had more insight to give, especially to those who are growing up in fractures homes like his own.
Kenney told the magazine that he had always wanted to make a series of instructional videos on useful tasks such as shaving and ironing a shirt but never found time — until the coronavirus pandemic hit.
Tools of the trade: So far, he has taken on shaving your face, hanging a shelf, and unclogging a bathtub drain, among other tutorials
Fractured home: Kenney knows what it’s like to not have a dad around. He was abandoned by his father and had to move in with his 23-year-old brother when he was 14 years old
Getting it done: The dad said he always knew he wanted to do a series of instructional videos, but it took him being quarantined amid the coronavirus pandemic for him to start
‘I had lots of excuses, but while we’re in quarantine, I ran out of excuses,’ he admitted. ‘I’ve been thinking about it for a while.’
When describing his channel, he wrote that he will do his ‘best to provide useful, practical content to many basic tasks that everyone should know how to do.’
So far, he has taken on shaving your face, hanging a shelf, and unclogging a bathtub drain, among his other tutorials.
In one of his most popular videos, he demonstrates how to fix most running toilets. The lesson is a perfect mix of dad jokes and valuable instruction.
‘My father died in early to mid-2009, I never had a relationship with him. I was raised solely by my mother. This channel hits home in an entirely different way… it’s a miracle,’ one fan wrote.
Going viral: Over the past month and a half, his heartwarming how-tos have turned him into an online star with more than 1.4 million subscribers
Amazing: In one of his most popular videos, he demonstrates how to fix most running toilets. The lesson is a perfect mix of dad jokes and valuable instruction
‘Every time I wanna do a home project I catch myself wishing my dad was here. He was good at everything and I don’t have anyone who can teach me. So this channel is truly amazing,’ someone else commented.
Earlier this week, Kenney posted a heartfelt ‘thank you’ video to show his gratitude for his ‘amazing’ supporters.
While he has noticed that some people are calling him the ‘perfect’ dad, he said that he is really just ‘an internet dad.’
‘Please understand I didn’t always do everything right with my kids,’ he said before offering up some parenting advice to the adults who are watching.
‘If I fail, if you’re gonna fail as a dad; it’s part of the human experience. You aren’t gonna always do things right, so I think it’s very important to ask for forgiveness and not pretend that you’ve got it all figured out. ‘Cause your kids are gonna find out sooner or later that you don’t have it figured out when they grow up, right?
‘They don’t remain little for long; the window that you have them is such a short time.’