Fatherhood Friday highlights Dadcentric and The Mantime Show

November 13, 7:26 AMSan Diego Parenting ExaminerSondra Santos LaBrie

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Jason Avant is a typical California surfer dude. He skateboards, listens to music, enjoys Mexican food, beer and hanging out with his family. He also happens to be the founder of Dadcentric, (an online magazine of dad bloggers) and co-creator of The Mantime Show, which you can listen to daily at 10:00 am (PST).

Jason (aka @PetCobra) is a work-from-home-dad to his two children, but somehow, he managed to find time to share a little insight regarding his daily routine and how he manages it all.

SDPE: What prompted you to start blogging?

JA: I've been a writer for most of my thinking life, and thought that starting a blog would be a fun and easy way to write daily. Much of what I did on my personal blog, Pet Cobra, was impromptu – whatever was on my mind, I’d put on the screen. I’d write about surfing, politics, movies, music, literature, along with lots of stuff that made no sense to anyone but me. I found myself writing more and more about my experiences as a dad, and that prompted me to start scouring the Internet for other dadbloggers. There weren’t a whole lot of ‘em out there, and that was one reason I started DadCentric – to bring the best of them together, and form a dadblogging supergroup. The Traveling Wilburys/Asia/Temple of The Dog of dadblogging, if you will.

SDPE: How do you balance writing/family/Mantime?

JA: For me, writing is my job. It’s a huge challenge, because I have two small kids, and most of the time it’s hard for them to grasp that when I’m at the computer I’m actually working. I find myself working around their schedules: I’m up and writing at 5:30 in the morning, and at 11:00 at night.  But I still work throughout the day; the Internet never sleeps. Because DadCentric is my job, I’m constantly promoting the site, working with PR and advertising people, reviewing and editing posts, and fretting over stats.

In the time it took me to type that last sentence, I handed out five crackers, fixed a malfunctioning G.I. Joe, and changed a poop-filled diaper.

The Mantime Show is on every weekday at 10:00; I broadcast from home; we spend some time before each show prepping for that day’s broadcast, and during the actual show, I need to seal myself off in a back room. Beth (my wife) runs interference and makes sure that the kids don’t barge in on me. Telling you this has made me tired. I need to lie down.

SDPE: How has becoming a father changed you?

JA: It’s mellowed me out: I used to do a lot of stupid stuff, like rock climbing, surfing at first light and catching waves for hours on end, and venturing out into the wilderness by myself for days.

Now that I have kids, I try not to do things that may kill me. At the same time, I've gotten better at not acting my age.

I love playing with my kids, and do so whenever I can. Lucas and I have bonded over playing rugby and soccer and discussing the nuances of the Transformers; Zoë’s turning into a real water girl – she loves swimming and the ocean, and I can see her at 16, daring me to paddle out at Black’s with her on a big day.

SDPE: What is your proudest parenting moment?

JA: Watching Lucas walk into his first day of kindergarten with a big smile on his face, and watching him walk out of his class at the end of that day with a smile that was, impossibly, bigger.

SDPE: What has been your biggest challenge?

JA: I’m not a patient person by nature, and Lucas asking me fifteen times in a row if he can have Frosted Flakes for dinner while I’m on a conference call…the deep breathing exercises help. In all seriousness, the biggest challenge for me has been finding ways to have some Me time. That’s one of the toughest things a work-at-home parent faces: the fact that there is such overlap between your personal and your work life. The irony, of course, is that the kids are the reason I’ve managed to eke out a modest writing career. Being able to simultaneously be a dad and a working writer is something I’m still trying to master.

SDPE: What advice do you have for those looking to start their own business? Or become a work-from-home dad?

JA: It is INCREDIBLY hard. The pressure of running your business, and being your own boss, is not something you can really prepare yourself for. You will be in a constant state of worry, and the odds of being truly successful are stacked against you. That said, no one will take your red stapler, you won’t have to worry about those TPS reports, you can do your work in shorts and a Guns N’ Roses t-shirt (as I am right at this very moment) and you can go skateboarding in the driveway with your kid when the mood strikes. That’s more than an even trade.

SDPE: Where do you hope to be in 5 years?

JA: Doing what I’m doing now. I can’t imagine wanting to be anywhere else.

Jason and his wife, Beth, live in Encinitas with their children, Lucas (5) and Zoë (2). You might run into them at their favorite hang-out, El Callejon, which Jason claims has "the best Mexican food in town, a great kids' menu, and margaritas that are exceptionally strong."

Other Fatherhood Friday articles:
Busy Dad
The Mikey Show
Great Dad