The DIY Help You Need, From A Heartwarming Place

Written by Jaymi Naciri Posted On Wednesday, 27 May 2020 05:00

“Practical dadvice for everyday tasks.” It’s a good premise for a YouTube page, no? That’s what Chicago resident Rob Kenney thought, too. And so he did. Start a YouTube page, that is. 

It’s called, “Dad, How Do I?” The site has only been up since April 1, 2020 and it has nearly nine million subscribers at last check. 

Nine million!

We love being able to spotlight good people doing good things, especially with pandemic-driven stay-at-home orders that that have left us cranky, at best, but also eager to fix up our houses. So, here’s the story behind Dad, How Do I?

From wholesome idea to online fame

It’s the ultimate viral Internet moment. “An Arizona woman discovered a YouTube channel called ‘Dad, How Do I’ hosted by a man who grew up without a father⁠—and teaches basic skills, like tying a tie⁠ or fixing a toilet…in a tweet that’s become the most-liked on Twitter this week, according to data compiled by the social media tracking firm NewsWhip,” said Forbes

The specific tweet, shared by user Mother Moon, read, “His father left when he was 12, now he has a YT channel called ‘Dad, how do I?’ to help kids who’re growing up without dads. teaching them basic tasks that you’d usually ask your dad for help on. this is the purest thing.”

It only took a few days for that tweet to reach more than 2.3 million likes and be shared 600,000+ times. No one was more surprised than Kenney himself.

“I never wanted to be wealthy. I never wanted to be necessarily successful,” he told Shattered magazine. “My goal in life was to raise good adults—not good children but good adults—because I had a fractured childhood.”

Kenney started the channel to be of service, offering thoughtful tutorials for those who, like him, didn’t have a father to turn to. So far, the page boasts videos on how to fix a toilet, how to unclog a sink, how to iron a dress shirt, and even how to shave your face.

“I will do my best to provide useful, practical content to many basic tasks that everyone should know how to do,” he said on the site. “I will release a new ‘How to’ video every Thursday.”

At a time when people or sites go viral for far less, shall we say, wholesome reasons, it sure is nice to see bona fide success happen for someone who’s just trying to help people.

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