Growing up Without a Father Figure Is Tough

The title sounds like I'm going to make this a pity party but it's not, I promise.

I came across this YouTube channel where a father of two from Washington decided to make videos of things a dad would normally teach to his kids. The channel is called, "Dad, How Do I?"

Growing up in New Bedford with a single parent wasn't easy. While I thought nothing of it as a child and even all through college, not having a father figure really did put me at a disadvantage. Learning simple things like how to shave to getting the thick skin that only a dad can teach you really did set me up for some extra obstacles. I know I'm not alone on this and anyone reading this that was raised by a single parent with no father figure, you deserve to stand tall and pat yourself on the back.

It goes without saying that during these times we are all taking a step back and appreciating what we have and what we had a little bit more. We also have some time to do some self-reflecting, and while most of us will be extremely hard on ourselves, let's not forget what most of us have overcome.

I for one will boast that not only did I overcome but I conquered, putting myself through college and having an amazing career doing what I love for almost 18 years now.

So back to the YouTube channel. Rob, a father of two from Washington state, has two kids. He has made videos showing them how to do things like shave and change a flat tire – both things I was never taught, but instead learned on my own. His hope is that these videos will be a resource for single moms to help raise their boys.

Rob has thousands of followers on Facebook and millions of views on his videos. Here's one of his videos, on how to shave: