Rob Kenney is the Dad he never had. Not just to his own two kids, but to millions of people around the world who call him their 'internet Dad".
At the start of the pandemic, he started making videos on YouTube about the things his own father never taught him.
His immensely popular YouTube channel is in the title of his book, called Dad, How Do I?: Practical "Dadvice" for Everyday Tasks and Successful Living.
Kenney tells Jesse Mulligan he had no idea the channel would grow so rapidly.
Viewers come to learn things like how to tie a tie or change a tire, but leave feeling empowered, confident and knowing that someone is on their side.
"I've had people come on and watch me tie a tie and cry. Even today, somebody said 'I came on to learn how to shave and here I am crying', maybe because they've never had that moment with a dad," Kenney says.
"I had no idea my channel was going to be like that, I thought I was just going to show people how to do things, I didn't realise that it was going to resonate on this level that people are crying just watching me do stuff because of the dad moment maybe they never had or their dad passed."
His sudden popularity confused even YouTube, he says, to which he replied that there was no algorithm for kindness, something he tries to promote among his global following.
"This wasn't planned, I wasn't planning to change careers, I wasn't planning to start a YouTube channel to become famous or anything.
"I was just trying to help people ... and make people feel loved. And really if you come to my channel and spend any amount of time [on it], you'll see how kind people are to each other. I think we need that, especially in the pandemic, we're all isolated and lonely so I think it just hit at the right time."
From when his daughter started prodding him to start a channel, he knew he didn't just want to be YouTuber who taught you how to fix things, he says.
"When my channel went viral, I was overwhelmed, I was in a corner crying, wondering what just happened to my life.
"And I didn't have time to put together a 'how to' video so I just came on and ... [said] thank you and also I just wanted to let people know I was proud of them because people don't hear that and that's sad to me 'cause people are in different situations but even in normal homes, people aren't hearing that.
"There's so much more to being a dad than running around and fixing things, I want to share my heart with my kids and pass on my legacy of being a good human being."
He believes that so many people are resonating with him because he also shares his personal experience of his dad leaving them.
"I can feel the pain, I know what that what was like, that was painful ... and it's a fairly long story and I share it in my book.
"But my dad came home and he said he's done raising kids, that's how he put it, and I'm number seven of eight kids, so I ended up living with older brother who was 23 at the time, I was 14.
"You know that saying about 'unforgiveness is like drinking poison and hoping it somehow hurts the other person', that was very true for me.
"It was in my own best interest to forgive him and I'm so thankful I did ... It was hard though, I call it like coughing up a hairball, because it came up in tears, sobbing many times, talking it through with my brother."
In his book, he also shares how his hardships affected his dreams and how small acts from his siblings meant the world to him.
"I was trying to spotlight on them because they deserve recognition for what they did, they didn't do it for recognition, they just did it because they felt it was the right thing to do and that's one of the ways I try to live my life."
He hopes that other parents can also learn to be transparent with their children, that they make mistakes too and ask for forgiveness.
"In our prayers at night, I would admit my failures and ask for forgiveness and kids are pretty quick to forgive if you ask for forgiveness.
"Forgiveness is just such a great way to live, carrying stuff around is a horrible way to live ... if it's in the past you can't do anything about it, let's move on together.
"I also talk about having a long-term perspective and understanding being a dad is cool ... it's such a great opportunity and I'm so thankful for the opportunity I had, and it goes by so quick."