DC Urban Dad: An Interview

In the spirit of celebrating dads, I had the opportunity to chat with DC Urban Dad.


He's a fantastic dad blogger, and I can't thank him enough, if only for this post.

During the blizzard of February 2010, I was at my wits end with Ari. Because we were trapped inside, we watched so much Blue's Clues and Yo Gabba Gabba, I wanted to throw the TV out the window!

DC Urban Dad was also feeling the cabin fever, but he had an alternative solution to the TV.

He wrote a post about a child friendly game website for toddlers: Kneebouncers. With the help of this site, I was able to tear my kid away from the boob tube.

DC Urban Dad inspired me to write my own post about it here. To this day, Ari loves Kneebouncers, and I have DC Urban Dad to thank for this!

Other than his introduction to Kneebouncers, DC Urban Dad's blog is a delight to read. He's thoughtful, has a dry sense of humor, and writes letters to his little daughter Mini-Kamp. Without further ado, here he is, for your reading pleasure, DC Urban Dad.

1. What prompted you to start a dad blog?

I started the blog thinking it would be a fun way to tell all my friends and family about what was going on. I really had no idea that almost 3 years later I would still be at it. It has sorta taken on a life of its own and each week there is something new to write about.

2. Who is Mini-Kamp and why is she called that?

The Mini-Kamp is my 2 year old daughter. My last name is Haverkamp and when on a call with a co-worker she asked me how the Mini-Kamp was doing. It just stuck.



3. What have you gained from writing a dad blog? How has your blog effected your life?

Wow, what have a I gained? Well, not money and I didn't really get into for a book deal or a movie deal or big advertising bucks. I have gained perspective and a whole bunch of other mommy and daddy pals that I have been able to learn from. I have gained peace of mind. It has become an outlet to get off my chest what I am thinking. Guess kinda like therapy without the chair and the bill at the end of the hour.

4. Do you have any previous writing experience?

Other than work emails and term papers in college, not really. In college I studied to become actor. Everything I write I try to write as if it were me talking like my inner monologue. That's actually the one way I can get the words to come out. That's actually how I am writing this out right now. I must stop talking in my head so the words will stop.



5. What advice would you offer to aspiring parent bloggers?

Definitely I have a few things that I would share:

1 - Have a sense of humor about it. Try not to take yourself too seriously.

2 - Be true to who you are.

3 - Be true to your family and remember blogging comes 2nd to them.

4 - Read, comment on other blogs.

5 - Do it for yourself, not for the cash.

Tor read more from DC Urban Dad, click here.