Dadfluencer Jordan Watson of How to Dad has been keeping parenting fun for a decade and still going strong. He shares what he’s learned about parenting and play along the way.
How did this whole How to Dad thing start?
A friend was just about to have a baby, and I was just a bored dad with a sense of humour and thought: I’m going to make a video for him called ‘How to hold a baby. ’ I wrote down some holds taking the mickey, posted it on a YouTube channel that I had a few hunting videos on, and put the link on his Facebook page, saying ‘Here mate, you’ll have a laugh at this!’ and that was it. Overnight, it went everywhere, and that was the start. We had a couple of days of the classic whirlwind internet fame of every radio and news station wanting to talk to you, and then we did nothing.
We kind of thought back a few months later that, hey, that was a bit of fun, let’s look at doing one of these videos every weekend, just keep it casual and have a bit of fun. That’s when we started the official channel, How to Dad, and it’s gone from there.
How long does it take to make the videos?
It depends on what you’re doing, but back then with the kids, I was never a professional YouTuber, probably still aren’t to this day. But you know, we committed to post every Monday at 7 pm, and it would get to Sunday at 4 pm, and I’d be like, ‘Oh crap, we haven’t done a video. ’ So you just quickly get the camera, think of something, write it down, film it, edit it, and get it up. So it’s not too long.
Do your kids mind being in your videos?
Back when I started, you know, they were just little blobs and very easy to work with. Now they fight over wanting to be in the videos. But we have definitely pumped the brakes a little bit, just after our own internal discussions as a husband and wife. I don’t want them going to school and having all these friends every week, being like ‘Oh my gosh, I saw you on this, I saw you on that,’ so they’re hardly in anything now.
But if they see me in my stubbies and my bush shirt, and I’m about to get my camera out, they’re like ‘Oh, what are you doing? Can we be in it?’ I’m usually the one going ‘Oh no, you don’t need to be in this one, this one’s just a dad video – you’ll be in the next one, don’t worry. ’
Where do your ideas come from?
Brain farts, I call them; they’re just good classic brain farts. I find that when you sit down to brainstorm, it never works. I’m not joking, I have one of those brains that is just constantly going. A lot of the time, I’ll be in the shower, and I’ll cut my shower short, grab my phone, and quickly email myself. I email myself anything that pops into my head, and then when I sit back in my office and I see my inbox, if that thing still makes me chuckle, I’ll write it in my little Google document and keep it there to film when I get time.
Why has How to Dad been so successful?
We never ever sat back and thought, ‘Hey, let’s make a channel that inspires parents. ’ It’s been very entry level and it’s been amazing to see what has stemmed from it.
But from the very get-go, it was always just, let’s make people laugh, let’s give parents a chuckle, let’s give them something relatable that they can be like, ‘Oh gosh, someone else is going through this. ’
From there, you get all these messages from dads, mums, aunties, grandparents, just relating to it, telling us how it helps their mental health, telling us how it takes them back in time and makes them feel like they’re not failing at this whole parenting thing. That was never the aim, but it’s bloody awesome.
What do you think the key ingredients are for being a good dad?
That’s a tough one, but I saw a quote recently that really stuck with me. It was from a scientist or a child expert who was saying that from caveman times, kids have been instilled with the idea that when they’re hurt or upset, their first go-to, most of the time, is their mum. But when they want to release endorphins and energy, they want to go to their dad.
So, I’m embracing that role. It’s bloody awesome that you can be the dad that, when mum’s having a bit too much of a hard time with the kids, you can say: ‘Alright, come outside – who wants to wrestle Dad on the back lawn?’ I love that role. I think the best thing for a dad is to be that big energy release for your kids. That’s part of the reason that being a LEGO play ambassador is a good fit for me. With the kind of work I do, you get brands reaching out to do things, and sometimes you roll your eyes at stuff, but with this one I was like – that’s amazing, that’s perfect. Being a parent for me is the best excuse just to be a big goofball and carry on being a child myself, so this aligns with the LEGO brand, because the LEGO World Play Day (11 June) was a big tick for me.
It seems like your family instinctively knows how to play and have fun together. But how do you keep that up when everyone’s tired and grumpy and the pressure is on?
As parents, we can be exhausted, and evenings when a lot of parents are getting home from work are the time when you’re like – ‘I just want to put my feet up, but I’ve got to get the dinner on, I’ve got to get them organised. ’ But your kid wants to play with you. You don’t need to put an hour aside, or even half an hour to play – five minutes one-on-one with your kids can mean the absolute world to them.
The other big tip for me was finding stuff my wife and I love to do. So, at the moment, one of our kids is doing volleyball, and my wife and I go out and hit the volleyball on our own. Then, when the kids get home, we’re like – ‘Come join in, get involved.’ It’s being able to twist what they want to play into things that you enjoy as well. Because if you’re sitting there doing games that you hate, and you have to put on the fake smile and take part, that can be really rough.
What do you find hard about being a dad?
This is me not trying to be Dr Phil because I don’t view myself as someone who should give out motivational speeches. But if you’re questioning if you’re doing it right, then you’re parenting right. If you’re a parent who stops to think: ‘How am I doing?’ Or to talk to your partner and question things like, ‘Should I be pushing them into this?’ Should we be doing this with their schooling?’ If that’s forefront of your mind, then you’re doing it right. But it can also wear you down if you’re constantly questioning yourself, so don’t be comparing yourself to all the white picket fence, perfect puffer vest mums and their lattes.
Read more: << How babies rewire dad brains >>
