Rob Kenney was a teenager when his father left their family of eight to fend for themselves.
Today, he's a become an 'internet dad' to millions with his YouTube channel Dad, how do I? where he provides "practical 'dadvice' for everyday tasks" like shaving, changing a tire, and fixing a toilet.
The channel was launched just two months ago, and went viral thanks to a tweet describing his channel as "the purest thing."
It's been just a few short week since and already Dad, how do I? has racked up more than 7 millions views!
"I've been thinking about it for a while," Kenney said in an interview about getting the channel started, adding that being locked in due the coronavirus was the inspiration he needed to start sharing his dad wisdom.
"I had lots of excuses, but while we're in quarantine, I ran out of excuses."
He also received a lot of encouragement from his family, which includes his wife, son and daughter.
- 'Works every single time': This dad's trick to defusing tantrums is just too good
- Dads taking over TikTok is just what we need right now
- WATCH: Siya Kolisi's kids shaved his head in lockdown
The proud family man says that it's thanks to his "fractured" upbringing that he dedicated himself to being an involved parent.
"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."
With both his children now successful graduates and over 2 million 'adopted' children happy to watch him dish out his dadvice online, we'd say he's done much more than he set out to do.
Here's a look at Kenney demonstrating how to shave - watch below or on YouTube:
Chat back:
Share your story with Parent24. Anonymous contributions are welcome.
WhatsApp: Send messages and voicenotes to 066 010 0325
Email: Share your story with us via email at chatback @ parent24.com