It's the beginning of a new year, and from the perspective of dads everywhere, that means it's time to tackle some annual household tasks. And who better to walk you through those chores than Bo Petterson, dad to six adult children, and known on social media as "Dad Advice from Bo."
In a recent video, Leavenworth, Washington-based Dad Bo walks viewers through a few annual tasks that take only a few minutes to complete. He demonstrates how to vacuum your bathroom fans, wall heaters, and underneath your refrigerator, how to clean your dishwater filter, and how to pull out the gunk that's causing your sinks to drain slowly.
His Instagram channel is my new latest obsession, as it's chock full of great advice from the 66-year old dad, including home and car repair and maintenance advice like how to prepare for storms, how to look for studs in your walls, how to change air filters on your car, how to change a dead battery, how to change windshield wipers, and how wall anchors work. He also provides more general life advice like how to take care of your mental health, how to shave, and how to soothe a baby. The advice is even more terrific because of Dad Bo's kind, gentle, and welcoming personality, which really shines through his heartwarming relationship with his daughter Emily, who films most of the content.
In a great feature article about Bo, CNN explains that Emily suffered a traumatic brain injury when she was 18, and her therapist encouraged her to try to distract herself from the pain by engaging in everyday activities. Emily explains that:
"I started taking photos of the quilts my mom makes and posting them to Instagram. My Dad saw that I was up and out of bed, so he built me an entire quilt stand to hang them from to make photographing easier . . . That's when I thought, 'I should also be sharing how special he is.' I had no idea it would go anywhere or be helpful to anyone."
Emily began recording videos of Bo giving "Dad Advice," which were originally meant for their own family's use. Once they began taking off on social media, however, she discovered that the videos were striking a chord with a much larger audience, and "Dad Advice from Bo" was born. Bo Petterson reflects on the project, telling CNN:
"I'm just a Dad, not an expert in everything . . . Emily is the reason I started making these videos and the reason I continue to make them. Although I realize now that many others are benefiting from these advice videos, it's still just Emily and I filming the content and having a few laughs along the way. I will make videos as long as she asks me to."
Go follow your new favorite internet dad on his Instagram.