On each of the 30 days leading up to Father’s Day, Life of Dad will feature a different incredible father from around the world.

Today we meet Frank South, a writer, blogger, and educator.  Frank is an adult with ADD/ADHD, and a father to two ADD/ADHD young adults.  An inspiring guy, a great husband, and a wonderful stay-at-home father to Coco South (16 years old), here is the interview with Frank South.

I really became a father when…  I stopped working a regular job and put focus on my family.  Being an integral part of my kids’ day to day life and learning what’s important to them as they change and grow, completely changed what I valued in my life.

My daughter makes me laugh when… She takes my hand to lead me safely across the parking lot at Wal-Mart. Coco says she has the oldest parents in the whole high school. “You’re the same age as my friends’ grandparents!” she said.  I’m 63, my wife’s 58, so she might be right.  But lately she’s been taking my elbow and guiding me through crosswalks. When I said alright already I’m not your grandfather and I’m in good shape, she said yeah, that’s true but my whole life you’ve never paid attention to what’s around you. Now I’m finally big enough to make sure you don’t get run over by a bus.

Favorite daddy cocktail once the kids crash?  I don’t drink so the big treat at the end of the day for me is a diet ginger ale with orange EmergenC powder over ice in a big tumbler. It fizzes a lot, so it feels like a party.

Dream date night with your lady, where would you go?  Early night in our bedroom with pizza and drinks (Margaret with a vodka martini, and me with the ginger ale,) and the door locked.

What is the hardest thing about fatherhood?  1) Listening – even if it’s not the best time. 2) Then hearing what your kid is really saying. 3) Responding honestly and thoughtfully, even if you know for a stone cold fact that you’ve answered this question and had this in depth discussion five billion times in the last week.

How many hours of sleep each night?  I get 4 – 6 hours a night during the week, usually closer to four, because I turn off light and lock up at night and I’m first up in the morning to make breakfast for Margaret and Coco before they each go to school – Margaret to teach middle school and Coco to go to high school. And they like different things for breakfast.  And they eat at different times.

What food that your kids eat do you like the most?  I used to like Kraft mac and cheese – but after 24 years, I finally burned out on it.  If I never open one of those blue boxes again, that’ll be fine with me.

How has fatherhood changed in the last 20 years?  I really only know how it’s changed for me. Twenty years ago, I worked 12- 15 hours a day during the week and some weekends too as TV writer-producer. I felt then that fatherhood was being a “good provider.” And that was important, in its way, though work always came first. Some years ago when I first stopped doing TV and started staying home instead, my son came up to me and said, “It’s cool that you’re home now, but it’s weird.  We never saw you before, except weekends, and now you’re in the house talking to us all the time and stuff. It’s good, we like it, but like I said, it’s weird.”  I knew what he meant back then, but luckily for me it’s not weird anymore.

Dream family vacation?  Right now we’d take any vacation anywhere. Margaret, Coco, and I have been talking about how we should check the ECO Log House website and look into renting a cabin out by the lake for a few days this summer. Just the three of us.

Make sure you follow Frank’s multiple blogs on Life of Dad, FrankSouth.net, and the ADHD Dad Blog

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