At the end of 2021, I quit my corporate job, became a stay-at-home dad, and almost immediately wrote two (relatively) viral Medium articles.  One was on Facebook’s old people problem, and the second was about why Elizabeth Holmes was different from other founders. 

I made a few hundred dollars in my first few months as a newly minted stay-at-home dad.  That came after two years of making almost nothing on Medium.  It was a nice supplement to my wife’s income.  I thought: 

“Wow, if this is the beginning, imagine what I could be doing come summer!”

By the time summer rolled around, I heard only one thing: crickets.  My main website (polispandit.com) was averaging around 1,000 views per month and my newsletter had some growth, but my Medium earnings had nosedived.  Based on other Medium articles I read, it seemed like I wasn’t alone. 

After playing around on TikTok and then YouTube, I realized I actually enjoyed video editing, something I had only done once back in 2017 (I made a video about our wedding).  

We travel quite a bit, and we’re often exploring New York City and its surrounding areas, so I just started filming and editing that content.  The growth hasn’t been explosive, but I’m closing in on almost 100 subscribers (as of this writing) on YouTube after a few months.  On my law and politics TikTok account I have almost 1,200 followers.  

Here’s the video version of my year in 2022, from stay-at-home parent life to finally jet-setting once again.

Although I want to celebrate the great and memorable moments of 2022, I want to be real too.  So let’s take it there. 

Life can be lonely as a stay-at-home parent  

I think more men should try it.  After doing it for a full year, I would be lying if I said there were no moments of mental struggle or near breakdown.  

A stay-at-home parent goes through far more than simply handling the daily challenges of childcare.  Remember, the person playing full time parent is still human.  Purpose, desire, and ambition – none of those feelings disappear because the job title only says “Dad” or “Mom.”  

Worse are the looks and reactions some people have when telling them what you do.  It’s not everyone, of course, but it happens enough to me where I’ve found myself questioning my decisions.  As if I’m not fulfilling my obligations as “the man” of the house.  

To maintain my sanity I found that carving time out for myself, whether in solitude or with people my own age, was crucial.  More importantly, making a conscious effort to spend time with my wife.  We have little help from family, so it’s hard for her and I to enjoy each other unless our little man is sleeping.  

Our relationship came first and started the family, after all.  It needs water and attention too, just like any plant that wants to live and grow.

Consistency is VERY hard for me with content creation

As a stay-at-home dad who now creates content on the side, I’ve found it incredibly difficult to stay consistent.  Not only with regular posting, but staying consistent within my “niche” too.

Our baby has a sporadic sleep schedule.  And like many babies, he gets fussy, throws the occasional tantrum, and needs attention.  So it’s not like I can follow a set, consistent schedule for content creation.  I fooled myself early on that I could.

When the baby finally sleeps, it’s hard to force myself to create.  My brain and body are often exhausted.  I usually want to go to sleep myself.   

But I know that the content game online is all about consistency.  It’s hard to build an audience if you do not offer regular consumption.  

It’s also hard to build or sustain an audience if you are all over the place.  I struggle here the most.  Mainly because I am too interested and curious about almost everything.  I love law and politics, but I also enjoy great food (including making it), travel, books, and now I’ve been getting into photography and videography.  

I’ve never been consistent about a niche since I started my blogging life almost a decade ago.  I have never been consistent on Medium either.  For example, my first Medium article was about one of my favorite winter cocktails, and my most recent one was about why Trump will be the 2024 Republican nominee.

I think I’m happy doing a little of everything.  If I’m truly interested and passionate about something, I don’t want to limit my expression simply because it’s outside of my primary “niche.”  If I lose or fail to gain more followers, so be it.    

Celebrate the everyday moments more and do what I love

This is where YouTube comes in.  I’ve started to create more Shorts of our everyday life to celebrate the little moments.  I’ve made longer form video content about trips we’ve taken.  These videos are as much (if not more) for me as they are for building my channel.  I want the memories.

In the spirit of celebrating the everyday moments, I learned in 2022 to do what I love.  Not what I think will get the most clicks.  Not what I think I should be doing.  Let alone what’s conventional. 

Of course, I try not to create selfish or egotistical content.  I try to make it either entertaining, informative, or both.  But at the same time, I only pursue it if it gets my juices flowing.  One of my favorite 2022 discoveries (Sam Kolder) really inspired that in me. 

Being present and pursuing what we love every second of every day is a life well lived.  I may still need to complete what I have to do in order to do what I want to do, but with this overarching ethos, I think I can be a better person, parent, husband, and writer.

I know I can have some fun along the way too.