Spotlight on Dads is a weekly series from Discovering Dad that features involved fathers from around the world. The objective of the series is to inspire fathers to connect and learn from one another, while also deconstructing the stereotype of fathers as ’second’ parents.

This week’s spotlight shines on Gregory Ng from Noodad.  I love his blog’s tag line “Wiping asses and taking names since 2006,” and his sense of humor is evident as soon as you look at his post titles (10 Great Ways to Lower Your Sperm Count is just one example).

Tell a little about yourself. My name is Gregory (Greg) Ng. I am married and have 3 kids: A 5 year old daughter, a 3 year old son, and a 1 year old son. We just moved to Cary, North Carolina. For the past 15 years my wife and I have been living in Boston. By day, I am an advertising and marketing creative director. By night, I am a blogger, social media lover, poker player, and die hard Red Sox fan.

What about your family background? I am a Chinese American and my wife is Caucasian. Raising kids of mixed race presents a new set of challenges, ranging from explaining to them why they don’t “look” like their cousins on either side of the family to preserving rich traditions while embracing new ones.

What do you like most about being a dad? I love being surprised when seeing mannerisms and personality traits that are passed down to my kids. Sometimes I will just watch them playing and see my daughter flick her hair back just like my wife or one of my sons make a face that looks like my dad. Here are 3 amazing kids who look like my wife and I, and now they behave like us too!

What do you find most challenging about being a dad? There are two things I find challenging about being a dad. The first is remembering that everything I do, big or small, intentional or not, is consumed and interpreted by my kids and can be developed into lifelong memories or lifelong bad habits. The last thing I want is for my kids to grow up with the mouth of a sailor.

The other is the great deal of responsibility in not missing out on my kids’ childhood. Being a working dad is stressful sometimes to balance overachieving at work and overachieving at home.

What’s your most memorable experience(s) so far as a dad? The most memorable experience I have had as a dad was the first time my 2 older kids met their baby brother. To see the look of love, wonder, and amazement in their eyes when they saw their baby brother made me proud of how my wife and I raised them and this great new family of five we had.

In general, how do you think dads are perceived? Why? Dads are perceived to be disinterested in the pregnancy process, unwilling to help out with the kid related duties, and impatient with their wives and the emotional roller coaster they go through. I find it disheartening when people tell me “you are such a good dad!” as if being a good dad is a novelty. I find it funny when dads have a problem carrying diaper bags because they look too feminine. Seriously? Or when they tell their wives they need guy time on weekends. Really? I think a small amount of dads give the rest of us a bad name.

How has the experience as dad helped you discover something new about yourself? Being a dad helped me redefine what “success” means to me. Prior to having kids, my sights were set at one goal: kicking ass in my career and living life to its fullest. But kids taught me to realize that life without kids is nowhere close to living life to its fullest, and although accolades and awards at work are nice, they don’t hold a candle to a hug or a smile from my kids.

Who do you go to for advice about fatherhood? When I need advice about fatherhood I turned to 3 people: Vito Corleone, my dad, and my friends. In that order.

Do you hang out with many other dads? If not, why? If so, what do you do together? Almost my entire network of friends are dads. Our get togethers typically revolved around, a poker table, a barbecue, or a big screen TV.

Tell a little about your website. I co-founded a website for dads in 2006 called Noodad. Noodad is a cross between Maxim magazine and Babycenter.com. We have instructional content, but also write about beer, video games, poker and pregnant celebrities.

I also run 4 other sites and serve as a contributor on 2 others. You can visit http://www.gregoryng.com as a hub to all my online links.

Anything else you’d like to share? Yes, I used to be an Elvis impersonator! In a past life I was Chelvis: The Chinese Elvis and you can see me at my website, www.ChelvisLives.com.

Next week’s Spotlight on Dads will feature a brand new dad! Come back and learn more about another involved Dad.  Make sure you don’t miss it – Subscribe to get free updates.

Spotlight on Dads is a weekly series published each Saturday on Discovering Dad. Please feel free to share your thoughts in the comments section. Your feedback and recommendations will help to shape this series. Thanks!

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