For most kids, childhood is a cherished and delightful time that is filled with parental love and care from mom and dad. However, some kids are just not lucky enough to get parental love and affection like their peers. It is not only about those unlucky kids who are dumped by their parents soon after birth, left to be adopted by others. Some kids cope with the death of one of their parents early in life or they have to bear the pain of parents separating.
Losing either parent owing to death or divorce leaves a void in the life of a child. While there are instances of single mothers bringing up their kids, such kids often seek fatherly love. The instance of Rob Kenney is even more saddening. He was left by his dad when he was a teenager.
Any teenager in his place would break down, become a victim of depression, or could meander down the risky alleys of addiction. However, he proved to be a fighter and started finding motivation in such a sad state. He refused to be depressed and even after losing his dad to factors beyond his control, he decided to do something that would be of use to teenagers like him.
Popular YouTube channel ‘Dad, How Do I?’
Kenney set up a YouTube channel with the aim to educate such kids abandoned by their fathers. The “Dad, How Do I?” channel is now a popular YouTube channel and it is motivating thousands of kids who have no father, but face issues kids typically ask their dads about. The Internet-based resource has become bliss for fatherless kids.
His YouTube channel is replete with useful how-to, practical advice, and interesting father stories to help such kids without a dad. Kenney has first-hand experience of growing up without what is known as fatherly love, literally. His parents parted ways when he was quite young and the court did not deem his mother capable enough to raise the children, so his father was given custody.
Unfortunately, Kenney’s father was not much interested in bringing them up. He found a girlfriend and started ignoring his children thereafter. Kenney recalls his dad would just stock up some groceries and leave home for several days, letting them fend for themselves. When Kenney was just 14 years old, his dad decided not to look after them anymore and move on with life. So he had no other choice than to survive without his father at such a tender age.
Kenney went through a rough phase. He moved in with his brother and sister-in-law in Bellevue, Washington, and faced many hurdles for several years. Even though he suffered a lot of mental pain, he became determined not to follow in his dad’s footsteps. After having kids of his own, Kenney decided to raise them well and give them everything he was denied as a child. That finally led him to set up the YouTube channel. He thought it would be a great idea to help other kids facing the same situations. He started the effort at the beginning of the pandemic. The user base started growing as viewers liked his videos.
He did not have any idea about how popular the channel would become. He was delighted to find that the number of subscribers crossed 4 million within a year. The viewers liked his approach and originality. Kenney is not much interested in getting subscribers and his main intention is reaching out to kids without fathers who need tips given by the dads. The followers of his channel fondly call him the “Internet Dad.”
