Brilliant Dad Feature Week 86

November 3, 2016

This week our brilliant dad feature is Brad. He is 31 and originally from Johannesburg, South Africa, although most people that speak to him will swear he is from Australia. He and his wife have been together since they were 17. They moved to London in 2007 and Brad became a dad in 2011. He is a Youtube Vlogger and social feed flooder and his blog is called Dear Agony Dad. It’s a place for him to make fun of himself and have a good time whilst doing it. He has two sons Logan (5) and Cole (2), and they are his little best buddies. Thank you to Brad for taking part!

1. Have you always wanted to be a dad?

It never crossed my mind until I watched a television show called Brothers and Sisters (circa 2008) that I liked the idea of having a lot of kids. I wanted to be Octo-Dad at that point, but when we had Logan I realised that perhaps a smaller number of kids is more my cuppa. We decided that two was the perfect number for our family unit.

2. How did you feel when your children were born ?

I’ve always heard/read about people saying that when their kids were born that they felt this immediate rush of love. I honestly didn’t with our first. I felt amazement at what I had helped create, but I panicked a little. At one point I thought “Is it too late to give him up for adoption?”. I know it’s not discussed much, but I went through the dad version of postpartum and I couldn’t let my wife see that as she was going through postpartum herself for a week. For our second kid it was completely the opposite. I believe that’s because I knew what to expect and knew how deep that the love for your kid(s) can run.

3. What have been your most rewarding experiences so far as a dad?

Sharing my life with my little ones. Watching them grow up and seeing them evolve as little people is the most rewarding and brilliant experience not only as a dad but as a parent. It’s a powerful thought that I am influencing and shaping the kind of adults these kids will turn out to be.

4. What are some of the funniest moments to have happened to you as a dad?

Logan was around 3 years old and was in trouble so I sent him upstairs to his room. When he got to the landing, he turned around and shouted “I thought we were friends” and then stormed off into his room and slammed his door. It also makes me laugh when he decides to throw in random words he’s heard somewhere into the midst of his sentence thus poshing it up a little, “dad, I could have potentially eateded that fish finger”. Cole makes me laugh all the time, he’s just so cheeky but so darn cute and the combination is hilarious, especially when he laughs at you laughing at him.

5. Have there been any situations that you have found difficult to cope with as a dad?

When my eldest was younger we had a scare with his lymph nodes and I found that whilst I was able to convey a “keeping it all together” composure on the outside, on the inside I was breaking down in a big way. The whole situation did a real trick on my mental psyche and I have been battling with a form of depression from it ever since. Health scares with the kids are my kryptonite.