BabyMac Guest Post: Dad Down Under

While my house is always filled with friends, family and visitors, but blog very rarely has anyone else on it. I think that might have something to do with my control freak tendencies? Today though, I have a visitor – Matt from Dad Down Under.

I met Matt a few weeks ago at a Dettol Mission for Health function where I spent the first half of the day thinking he was the husband of one of PR girls. He tells the story that I tried to order wine from him but I can tell you THIS IS NOT TRUE. I smiled politely at him for the first hour and was about to ask one of the girls which one was the Mum to the cute little boy when someone told me he was a blogger! That’s what we call stay at home parenting/blogger discrimination Beth – bad one! I immediately felt terrible and spent much of the time talking to Matt and Max. Matt is funny. Max is adorable. Matt can write and he likes to cook. His son also refused the ice cream on offer at the lunch which made me think that Matt is one of those really good parents who only feeds his kid healthy food – then again he only has one kid so we’ll just wait to see if that smugness that comes from feeding your kids organic frittata sticks around shall we? Matt also just quit his part time job to have a crack at blogging full time. Respect.

So. Here’s Matt!

Blogging for the Obsessive Compulsive

Blogging is playing right into the needy hands of my obsessive compulsive self. It is filling a void that has previously been filled by an ill fated X-Box. The X-Box although presented as a gift from Mrs Under left my life before our week anniversary together under the sweary banner of “I wish I’d never bought you that f@cking thing!’ Admittedly it was a week in which I only saw Mrs Under when she opened the bedroom door, addressed me with a withering look and tutted her way out again.

Blogging is every bit as addictive and the withering look has returned with a vengeance, with some justification I hasten to add. My favourite way to fritter away my life is analysing the stats page with the intensity of a mathematician far more accomplished than the ‘D Grader’ typing this. I have been known to sit for long periods of time, how long I don’t exactly know but long enough to know that in that moment I was a total loser, hitting refresh every minute just in case I got a rush of New Caledonian traffic, this actually happened once (if 5 counts as a rush?)

I like responding to comments I receive, racking my brain to determine what a cool and elusive writer might respond. Most of all though I just like writing, I bloody love writing! When I was a moody teenager my late, great Grandma gave me a book on writing, I dismissed it as wishful thinking on her part, taking it home and devouring it cover to cover, over and over again when nobody was around. 

That’s the beauty of blogging, anyone can do it and have an audience of like minded’s happy to indulge your fantasy and make you feel just a little bit like you can pretend you’re a writer. This is a terrible admission but I find it much easier to be myself from the safety of a keyboard and a pseudonym, the real me over thinks and analyses what he is going to say in pursuit of perfection, the virtual me just types any old nonsense without screening which is far more fun. I think I just admitted to being better in digital.

Blogging, like parenting, is tinged with splashes of guilt; I question whether daddownunder is stepping on Matt The Father, The Son and The Holy Husband’s toes. I caught myself the other day explaining to Max that I could not read him a book because I was adjusting my Widgets, I immediately administered a disciplinary slap across my own face, turned off my computer and read the book with added gusto.

Without wanting to sound too dramatic blogging has been my saviour. The Boy is a prolific sleeper and filling that golden time with something creative and meaningful, rather than 4 half hearted press ups, a bit of Dr Phil and Max’s leftover sodden cereal, keeps my mo-jo ticking over. This week I took the daunting but ultimately exciting step of giving up my day job, despite people for years telling me not to do that very thing, to focus on blogging and dadding.

You can read Matt’s blog here.
You can follow along on his Facebook page here.

Comments

  1. I feel just the same about writing Matt, it’s saved me this time round, totally saved me. I am also totally OCD, but not in a good “at least the house is really clean and organised” kind of way, just the “I’m a bit mental” way, haha!.

  2. LOL oh god I’ve wasted hours obsessed over the stats too, which is ridiculous because they are so low! I don’t know why I think constant checking will increase the trickle to a raging torrent but there you go. Great to hear from a daddy blogger (if we have to wear the term mummy blogger ….). Good luck with the brave step of giving up the day job.

  3. I love a success story full of passion, especially when it is to do with blogging. Congrats Matt!

  4. Nice one Matt!

  5. I don’t think you will ever regret giving up your job to lead a rich and creative life with your family …well done!
    Nice guest Beth.

  6. I tell the ice cream refusal story ALL THE TIME. Matt, good on you for making the next leap. You’ll go good!

  7. Nice guest post Beth. Control freak? OCD? Welcome to my life.

    http://iliska-dreams.blogspot.com.au/

  8. I think I’ll read his blog because he’s a bit of a spunk. Nice change of scene, man, esp when female bloggers seem to oft talk about the same kinda things.

    Xx mrs p23

  9. Yay Matt!! Scary but exciting. As for stats, if they could be measured in negatives, I think that would be mine…..oh well, gonna keep going. And I love to hear positive stories from other bloggers!

  10. Thanks Beth, I can tell I’m gonna have quite a few laughs reading his blog!
    All I can say is I’m glad it’s a quiet day at work- reading about Matt’s recent dancing experience had me in tears!
    Rach x

  11. Thanks for the kind comments, massive thanks to Beth for wielding her power, she wields it well.

  12. Congratulations Matt and oh ‘two peas in a pod’… cute! G.x

  13. Hi Matt and welcome to the blogosphere – I love your writing! It’s also great to see and read a man’s blogging perspective on things. Oh, and your wee Boy is gorgeous. 🙂

  14. Funny that you say writing allows you to switch off the analyses of every word that plays out when you speak, because for me it’s the opposite. When I speak it’s without thought or concern, but when I write I love that I can actually sit here and consider how to phrase it, interchange words, play around a little.

  15. Cute! oh and the baby is pretty sweet too x

  16. Love it!! I will head over to check out your blog! Blogging is way better than Dr Phil!!

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