Who, you may ask, is Whit Honea, and why should I give two clicks about anything he writes on Mom.me?
First, that hurts. Second, that’s a fair question, and one I’ve been asking myself for years. Who am I? How did I get here? What does it all mean?
This is probably a good time to point out that I don’t have all the answers.
Here is what I do know:
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I am Whit Honea. I grew up in a small town called Marana, Ariz., (adjacent to Tucson), and my dad is the mayor. My wife and I have lived in San Diego and Seattle, and now reside in the greater Los Angeles area with our two boys, Atticus and Zane. We have two dogs and one cat overlord.
I wrote a book called “The Parents’ Phrase Book” and you should buy it (note, it isn’t nearly as funny as the reviews would suggest, those are just my friends that didn’t actually read it). Basically, it’s a guidebook to empathy, reconnecting to our own childhood and opening channels of communication that encourage kids to follow their own path and be comfortable in their own skin. It makes a great gift and also doubles as a decorative paperweight. (Here is the NoneMom.me interview.)
Over the years I have contributed to a number of parenting sites like Babble, BabyCenter, the Stir, GeekDad … it’s actually a pretty long list. My byline has also appeared on TODAY, Fandango, Orbitz, CBS and lots of other places that I’m forgetting. It’s a living.
I’m just a guy standing in front of the Internet asking it to love him.
The current bookends to my online story are my personal site, Honea Express (because Honea rhymes with “pony” and who doesn’t love clever word play, am I right?) that just celebrated 10 years of existence, and a new endeavor called Dads 4 Change.
The former started in a pre-Facebook era as a way to chronicle the lives of my children for family back home. Over the years it has morphed and grown just like we all do. I’ve spent a lot of time in the past year writing about the untimely death of my mother, who, more often than not, was my only audience. I don’t know if such tributes are ironic or fitting, but they are there for the reading.
Dads 4 Change is a space for people to share their personal stories with regard to causes and charitable organizations that they champion and, hopefully, inspire others to get involved. It’s a billboard for those who do good and a springboard for those who want to.
I also work with XY Media Group and the Dad 2.0 Summit to promote the ideals of modern fatherhood through conversation, award-winning campaigns and all kinds of action.
Does anyone else feel like this whole post about me is just about me? It’s kind of embarrassing. Let’s talk about you.
How are you doing?
No, seriously.
One of my goals here at Mom.me, which is an opportunity that I am thrilled to have, is to engage with other parents and share our tales of love and woe. Everybody has a story, and parents have more than most. I hope that the words I share here are not one-sided, but rather the beginning of a back and forth, a give and take, in which we can learn, laugh and listen (or read, I’ve heard it both ways).
And that’s who I am. I am a family man and a storyteller.
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Or, to paraphrase "Notting Hill," second only to "Love Actually" in the grand canon of Hugh Grant’s work: I’m just a guy standing in front of the Internet asking it to love him.
That Internet is you, and that is why I am here. I hope you find it worth the clicking.
Image by Whit Honea
