Introducing our new LBD, it's Dan Hughes!

LBD? That's Loving (this) Blogging Dad to the uninitiated. Dan Hughes is our first, and he tells us about how he combines being a mental health nurse with parenting, blogging and making a change.

MC: Can you describe yourself in three words?
DH: Bumbling well-intentioned Dad (hyphenated words count as one, everyone knows that).
 
MC: What are your children’s names and ages?
DH: I have a daughter called Amy who’s just turned six, and a son, Evan, who just turned three.

MC: Are you a full time dad (and blogger)? If not what other work do you do? What did you do before you had kids?
DH: I like to describe myself as a part time stay-at-home dad.  For four days of the week I look after the kids, and for the remaining three I’m a community psychiatric nurse with a crisis team.  If you go to your GP and say you’re suicidal, or if you’re picked up by the police experiencing a psychotic episode I’m the person they’ll call to assess you and decide what help you need.  It’s not nearly as stressful or as exciting as it sounds. I much prefer my dad duties however, and am currently negotiating a way to get my hours down to just two days a week.
 
MC: How did you first get into blogging, and what does having your own blog mean to you?
DH: The first blog post I ever wrote in response to being told that one of my best friend’s three-year-old son, Joseph, had died.  I just felt the need for a cathartic release, and writing something down was the first thing that came to mind.  I created a live journal account and let the words pour out between the tears.  No one read it, it was just something I felt I had to do. I did republished it a couple of years later however, you can see it here www.allthatcomeswithit.com
 
I didn’t blog again for about a year. But then I started reading a very funny blog called Greg and Deb on the Web and it inspired me to start my own blog properly. www.gregorylee.com
 
As to what my blog means to me:  It’s a multitude of things really – a outlet for my creativity, a way or recording my everyday life, and a place to connect with some great people.  Plus I get to mess about and try to make people laugh.  Any one of those things would be worth the effort alone, the fact that blogging gives me all three is nothing short of fantastic.
 
MC: What’s the best comment you’ve ever had on your blog?
DH: The comments section of my blog is generally far more entertaining than the posts themselves, so it’d be hard to pick a favourite from all the banter.  One that does stick out in my memory was a random googler who took great offence at a very light-hearted jab I took at the actor Mark Hamill.  It was all very amusing.  You can see that post here if you are interested www.allthatcomeswithit.com
 
MC: What are your favourite blogs? Why?
DH: Again, another difficult question.  My favorite bloggers are those with a spread of interests rather than just one specific focus, and also people who consider their readers as friends rather than an audience.  Plus it helps if they are funny.
 
At the moment I’m really enjoying www.liayf.blogspot.com, www.fiercebeagle.com, and my brother’s blog www.rabbitconfusedwithraisins.com
 
MC: What’s your guiltiest pleasure?
DH: I tend not to feel guilty about my pleasures, but I I’m a bit of a geek at heart. So I suppose I should list all the usual suspects like comics, sci-fi, pop culture, and playing with little painted metal men and pretending they are Orcs.
 
MC: What one thing would make life easier for you as a parent?
DH: For it to be nice, bright, and sunny every day of the year.  I’m a much better parent when it’s pleasant outside. 
 
MC: What is the most challenging aspect of parenting for you?
DH: Resisting the temptation to switch on the PC so I can “just quickly check my emails…”
 
MC: What’s your most overused parenting phrase?
DH: “I’m not going to tell you again”
 
MC: What experience that you’ve shared in your blog has provoked the biggest response?
DH: Last year I organised a sponsored walk of the 78 mile long Dales way footpath in aid of the Joseph Salmon Trust, a charity set up by the friend I mentioned previously in memory of his son.  The Trust provides financial support to bereaved parents – perhaps to help pay for the child’s funeral, or to allow the self employed to take as break from work.
 
I managed to persuade 10 of my friends to come along on the walk, and between us we raised around £6000. An entire £1000 of that came from donations made by readers of my blog alone, which was amazing.
 
I’m currently planning another walk next year, this time 84 miles along Hadrians Wall.  But this time it’s even bigger in scale. I put a call out for participants and the response was staggering.  We’ve now got a total of around 50 people coming along this year from all over the world. Many of them are people I met through blogging, such as: www.singleparentdad.blogspot.com - Single Parent Dad
www.jobeaufoix.com - Jo Beaufoix
and www.xbox4nappyrash.blogspot.com Xbox4NappyRash 
 
We’re hoping to raise enough money to keep the charity in funds for an entire year (around £20,000). You can learn more about the walk on our dedicated blog - www.hadrianswalk.org
 
MC: What’s your biggest parenting concern at the moment?
DH: Like many people I’m very concerned about the increasing sexualisation of pre-teen girls, as well as the ironically massively exaggerated hysteria surrounding paedophilia.
I don’t have any answers to those two issues obviously.
 
MC: If you could do a five minute interview with anyone on the planet then blog about it who would it be and what would you want to ask them?
DH: I prefer to keep my heroes on a pedestal where they belong.  Would it be too facetious to say Mark Hamill?
MC: Not at all.

Read more and find out about Dan's work with the Joseph Salmon Trust here www.allthatcomeswithit.com and at www.hadrianswalk.org.

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