Diary of an urban Grandad
MY kids have called me “fad dad” for years. They still do, even now that they’re all grown up. Which I think is shockingly disrespectful. Trouble is, as with most of the disrespectful things my kids do, it is entirely their mother’s fault. One hundred per cent. But that’s life as a father I suppose. You can’t beat tradition.
The reason they call me that name is simple. They reckon I take up hobbies, get obsessed, dive in deep and then.
Well, then they reckon I get bored, generally quite quickly. Moving on swiftly to the next fad. Faster than a badger down a bowling alley in a bright blue suit.
To be honest, I’ve always shrugged this thought off. Seeing it as nothing more than a silly nickname which makes no sense. Though naturally, I still blame their mother. You can’t beat tradition. No point trying.
However, over the last couple of weeks, I’m starting to think maybe this time, my disrespectful children might just have a point. In short, I’m thinking that maybe this new YouTube obsession of mine might just be a fad too far. Let me explain.
A while back my younger son and I set off for a relaxing holiday on a narrowboat. Wasn’t easy to organise. Turns out that lots of people are turning to narrowboat holidays in these strange times. Though in fairness, it does make a lot of sense.
What’s not to love when you’re on board a comfy and luxurious canal boat? Also, it is a pretty fine way to travel. Paradise at three miles per hour. With all the glorious countryside you could wish for. And those steel hulls make social distancing a piece of cake. No wonder they’re really popular right now.
Luckily, after searching in vain for ages and ages, I finally found a beautiful boat from the lovely people at Black Prince Narrowboat Holidays.
Shortly afterwards my son and I set off towards the south Midlands for a few days of fun on the water, along with one of my mates.
Not just any mate, mind. Oh, no. His name is Magic Mike. He is the chap with the camera. The one who turns my wanderings into such lovely little films. Which are then put onto my YouTube channel, Stans Happy Hour.
But here’s the important detail, the meat in the sandwich, the apple in the pie. Some things on YouTube are watched by billions of people all over the world, with each film getting millions of views. That is not the case with my little channel. Oh, no. Far from it. The folk who find my travels worth watching are a select band. A tiny subset of the species. What I do is the exact opposite of broadcasting. I am a proud narrow caster. Making stuff for a tiny group of friends, family and waterway fans to enjoy.
It is no exaggeration to say that I can quite literally count the number of views and viewers on the fingers of one hand. If the hand belonged to a millipede, that is. If millipedes have hands, which now I think about it, they may not. But I digress.
Point is, this YouTube fad is not a big deal. It is quite the opposite. A teeny, tiny hobby, a bit like having a train set in the attic. But from the way Magic Mike and I behaved on our narrowboat holiday, you would think we were involved in filming Hollywood blockbusters. Of course, that wasn’t my take on it. I thought we were just taking reasonable precautions to turn out a lovely film or two.
However, my son had a different view. He spent a lot of time, far too much really, laughing at our efforts, calling us rude names and generally bringing us down a peg or two. Telling us we were being foolish. Worse part of it is, I think he might be right. We really did take the whole process far too seriously.
All of which leads me to conclude that just for once, my kids might actually be correct. This filmmaking thing is a fad. I am a dad. This fad dad has taken things too far this time. Just proves you really can’t beat tradition.
Hope you and yours are safe, well and happy.
Until next time, all the best
Stan
❝ What I do is the exact opposite of broadcasting. I am a proud narrow caster. Making stuff for a tiny group of friends, family and waterway fans to enjoy