Since its discovery, the internet and social media have become significantly more central to our lives. Gone are the days when students needed to spend hours inside a library, jumping from one book to the next just to extract a single piece of information that they need for their project. The same goes for professionals looking to learn new skills so they can advance their careers. Those who also wish to learn how to cook, sew, take better photos, grow their own vegetables, even play instruments, and sing better are sure to find something out there that may help them.
This is the reason why there’s nothing special about coming across a channel that’s dedicated to learning basic life skills. But what makes “Dad, How Do I?” so admirable and unique is the story behind it.
Rob Kennedy’s father walked out of his and his seven siblings’ life when he was 12. Their parents went through a very quite a nasty divorce and his dad won custody due to their mom’s problems with alcohol. Since winning custody, however, their dad practically left them to fend for themselves, showing up basically just when he feels like it.
Now an adult and a father himself, Kennedy wants to share with all fatherless youths valuable life lessons and skills that their dads are supposed to teach.
“I didn’t start this to make money,” Rob says in an article that appeared on Good News Network. “I started simply enough and thought I was going to help a few people–30 or 40 subscribers. It’s turned into way more than that. And please don’t think I am only aiming this at young men. It’s for young women, anybody who feels that they need to learn something or be empowered to learn something.”
From properly tying a tie and learning about basic tools, to jumpstarting a car, unclogging sinks, building benches from scratch and starting your own campfire, his DIY channel is a gold mine of information not just for young individuals but for anyone who finds themselves pressed to do perform basic tasks that they never got the opportunity to learn growing up.
In a Your Tango article, he is quoted saying, “I never wanted to be wealthy. I never wanted to be necessarily successful. My goal in life was to raise good adults — not good children but good adults — because I had a fractured childhood. I want it to be about everyday tasks, but I also would like to pass along some of the wisdom I’ve learned along the way to encourage people… I thought I was just going to be showing people how to do stuff, but it’s kind of resonating on a whole different level.”
The popularity of Rob’s channel started when an Arizona woman discovered it and tweeted about it. The said post has since garnered 2 million likes and almost 644,000 retweets. Meanwhile, Rob’s channel now has over 2.4 million subscribers. He’s also been featured in various articles by news outlets all over the world and has appeared in television and radio programs, including the TODAY show.
Kennedy is a good example of someone whose sole desire to help others led him to find success. He’s selflessness is exceptionally praiseworthy and we wish nothing but more success, happiness, and good health for him.
What are your thoughts about this story? Do you know of any other individuals who you think we should feature? Tell us about it in the comments section below.
