When Rob Kenney was 14 years old, his father gathered the family and made an announcement no child should ever have to hear.
He said he didn't want to be a parent anymore.
Just like that, Rob's dad walked away. His mother had struggled with alcoholism, and now his father had given up too. Rob went to live with his older brother Rick—a newlywed with barely enough room in his mobile home—and from that day forward, he had to figure out life on his own.
There was no one to teach him how to tie a tie. No one to show him how to change a tire. No one to tell him he was doing okay.
But instead of letting bitterness take hold, Rob made a promise to himself. He would never do to his own kids what his father did to him.
Years later, Rob became a devoted husband and father of two. He raised his children to become kind, capable adults. And when they grew up and left home, Rob realized something: there were millions of people just like him—people who never had a dad to teach them the basics.
So in April 2020, during the pandemic, Rob started a YouTube channel called "Dad, How Do I?"
The videos are simple. How to unclog a sink. How to check your oil. How to iron a shirt. How to shave. But what makes them special isn't just the instructions—it's Rob himself. His calm voice, his corny dad jokes, his gentle encouragement.
He expected maybe 30 or 40 subscribers.
Within months, he had millions.
Today, over 5 million people follow Rob's channel. Viewers call him "Dad" in the comments. They send him Father's Day cards. And many of them have told him they've watched his videos in tears—not because they needed to learn how to tie a tie, but because they never had a father who cared enough to teach them.
"There's more to being a dad than just running around fixing things," Rob says. "It's about being there."
Rob eventually reconnected with his own father before he passed away in 2015. He chose forgiveness over resentment. And now, through a camera in his garage, he's become the dad that millions of people never had.
Some people let their pain define them. Rob Kenney let his pain become a gift for others.

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