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 Pete Janelle from My GPS Camera Phone.  Pete has been contemplating starting his own dad blog for several months now, so I thought that this feature would give him a nudge in that direction.  He also shares some great tips on his blog for anyone using a camera phone, which nowadays is practically everyone on the planet.

Tell a little about yourself. Hello fellow parents, I’m Pete and I’m happy to be a dad. I’m a proud father of two beautiful daughters ages 7 and 9. My wife Nancy and I have been married since 2001, but we were friends for seven years prior to that. Let’s just say I’m a little hard-headed when it comes to the ladies. Thankfully, she set me straight.

What about your family background? Nancy and I met in the U.S. Navy way back in 1995 through a mutual friend. Over the next seven years, we did our own thing and kept in touch with phone calls and occasional meet-ups. I went to college at the University of Florida and then stayed around Gainesville after finding a job, wondering what my next move would be. Meanwhile, my wife was continuing her trailblazing in traditionally male-dominated jobs, ending up in Clearwater, Florida. Long story short: we hooked up for real and a kid was on the way. Definitely not what we were expecting!

What do you like most about being a dad? Unconditional love. The girls always have a smile and a hug for me, regardless of what kind of energy I’m putting out. A great day at work, I get a hug. A bad day at work, I get a bigger hug.

What do you find most challenging about being a dad? I’ve got a full-time job, a blog or two, the occasional side job and then regular household dad stuff. Fitting in time for the girls is something that seems hard, but I constantly have to remind myself that the blogs can wait. On busy days, I’ll split the difference and work while we watch a movie. I don’t want my kids to grow old thinking that their dad was never there for them. They say I’m doing pretty good so far, but they also say I’m on the computer a lot – all while they are playing their Nintendo DS. Go figure.

What’s your most memorable experience(s) so far as a dad? There isn’t one single moment that I can pick out because there are so many. The things that stand out are the times when my kids see me doing something wrong and correct me. I leave a plate out and they are quick to tell me to pick up after myself. All I can do is laugh.

The spontaneous made-up jokes are some of my favorite moments, too. Out of the blue, my youngest once told me I smelled like chicken. I didn’t really respond, so she said it again. And again. And again. And again, until I was howling with laughter. We still laugh about it almost a year later.

In general, how do you think dads are perceived? Why? The general perception that I see is that dads don’t have a clue when it comes to raising kids or doing anything domestic. I couldn’t even try to answer why this is the case, but I do know that when other parents witness what I consider normal parenting, a strange thing happens. Other moms look over at their husbands and say something like, “Why don’t you do that?” It can get a little awkward sometimes. I guess that makes me a girly man. I can cook like nobody’s business, do crafts with my daughters and clean the house to the point of sterility (which really doesn’t happen anymore). For the record, though, I like watching college football, building stuff with power tools and drinking good beer.

How has the experience as dad helped you discover something new about yourself? Being a dad has realigned my priorities significantly. I used to stress and dwell over the dumbest things, much of it being “what if” scenarios rather than real concerns. Now, the big things are food, clothes, housing and health. The rest is non-essential and really doesn’t matter in the big picture. I’m enjoy living in the moment, rather than trying to predict the future.

Who do you go to for advice about fatherhood? All of my fellow dads online! Seriously, I have a few close dad friends locally, but I also lurk on many mom and dad blogs to see what other parents are doing. It’s a great way to find out new tricks and to maintain my sanity. It’s good to see that I’m not the only one who has to deal with the trials of parenting.

Do you hang out with many other dads? If not, why? If so, what do you do together? Much of my social life is with parents and their kids. Given our busy schedule, it’s usually a weekend thing like a barbeque and a few beers. Other than that, it’s an online existence crammed in between work and play.

Tell a little about your website. My GPS Camera Phone is a blog I started almost a year ago, right about the time I got my very own cell phone. I enjoyed the challenge of trying to take good pictures with the crappy camera it has, which led to the blog idea. Since the niche was untapped, I went ahead and started the blog. It’s been fun and I’ve met a lot of great people through it.

I’ve also just started a second blog called BRAINdisTRUST, where I can be a lot more loose with the content. It was born out of a Tumblr blog I had, so I was lucky enough to already have about 35 posts to start with. The blog hasn’t been officially announced yet, so you’re the first to know. Stop by and check it out!

Anything else you’d like to share? Someday I want to be able to look back on these years and have no regrets. So far, so good. Having kids changed my life, but in a way that gave me the direction and purpose that I lacked as a college party boy. Even though I had a good job and financial stability, there was no purpose. My life is now based on an empty bank account, endless lists of things to do, and any combination of piano lessons, class plays, play dates, birthday parties and petty arguments. And you know what? I wouldn’t trade it for anything.

Next week’s Spotlight on Dads will feature a dad surrounded by divas! 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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