How Does He Do It?…with Michael Kwan

Michael taking selfie

Twice a month we interview Dads in our “How Does He Do It?’ feature. If interested in participating please reach out on Facebook or Instagram.

Michael and his daughter wearing Mickey Mouse ears

We are excited to introduce you to Michael Kwan. We spoke with him in January. He is a married dad raising one daughter in Burnaby, BC. Michael is a freelance writer, professional blogger, published author and proud father. You can read his blog Beyond the Rhetoric here.

Are you an urban or suburban dad, where do you live?

I guess I’m technically a suburban dad. We live in North Burnaby, a few blocks from the Vancouver border.

Tell us about your children?

We have one our daughter. Addie is five years old and she’s always had a very active imagination. She’s a natural performer who loves singing and dancing. As her vocabulary has gotten more and more complex, so have the stories she loves to tell.

Tell us about your typical weekday?

No one in this family is a morning person, so we all struggle to get out of bed. After trying to get a little breakfast in Addie’s tummy, either my wife or I will drive her to school. I’ll make my morning coffee and head to my home office. I work from home as a writer and editor. After picking up my daughter from school, we drive my wife to work — she works evenings — and then Addie and I will find something to occupy ourselves for a couple hours. If the weather’s nice, we might go to the playground or the park. We have dinner and I get her ready for bed. Depending on how things play out, I might go back to work after she falls asleep. Otherwise, I might get in a bit of Netflix or a book before calling it a night, usually around midnight.

Do you have help?

I work from home and my mom lives with us, so we’ve never had to pay for daycare or a babysitter or anything like that (aside from preschool). My mom helps out a lot when she can; I can get in a fair bit of work while she’s taking care of Addie.

Michael outdoors in a tent in the snow

Who cooks dinner?

It depends. If either of them are home, it’s usually my wife or my mom. If it’s just me and Addie, then it naturally falls on me.

How often do you have date nights?

We try to get out for a date night about once every month or two. It’s almost always a movie, unless there’s something else going on.

What clothing lines or stores do you like to purchase for your children?

Aside from hand-me-downs we get from relatives, my wife has been sewing most of Addie’s clothes for the last couple years. She sources fabrics from places like Whimsy Baby Customs, and they usually feature prints and patterns of things my daughter is into at the time, like dinosaurs or Sailor Moon.

Michael and his daughter laying on the couch

Do you exercise regularly and if so, what and how do you fit in it?

I’ve never been a gym person. I tried getting into running, but that didn’t work out. These days, ever since getting a fitness tracker, I’ve just been trying to hit my daily step goal as often as I can. My goal for 2020 is to hit that step goal 250 times, so about two-thirds of the time.

What is your favourite Christmas/Hanukkah gift that you have received as an adult?

Nothing really jumps to mind right away for me in terms of Christmas gifts, but I was very pleasantly surprised when I got a Nintendo Switch (with Mario Kart and Street Fighter) for Father’s Day.

What are you currently watching?

We just finished the first season of The Mandalorian on Disney+. I’m also in the middle of the second season of You and the first season of The Witcher on Netflix, and I’m looking forward to when Kim’s Convenience and The Good Place come back this month.

Thank you to Michael Kwan for taking time out of his day to let us know How Does He Do It.

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