CurlyStache | The CTRL+ALT+Dad life

This story of how curlystache.com came to be! Launched March 17th, 2023, the site has been growing with a mission to help parents who are raising teens today, guiding teenagers while offering essential parenting dos and don'ts to strengthen and cultivate relationships. This is the author's story and how it all came to be: the CTRL+ALT+DAD!

In this Post:

• The Idea

• Blog | More than Just Fluff

• My Platform | CTRL+ALT+DAD

• CTRL_control

• ALT_alternate

• DAD_conclusion

The Idea

My name is Dan. I am a father of 3 with my beautiful wife, Kelly. As you can imagine, I have a famous curly handlebar mustache that I am well known for in my area in upstate New York. I'll start by saying yes, this is my first blog; it began with my daughter and me wondering where the word "BLOG" came from. We were at the kitchen table earlier today during lunch when she asked me what the funny-sounding word "blog" meant. I had a solid idea of what a blog was, but why not have some fun? I yelled, "Hey Google!" to our Google hub a mere ten feet away, and after the ever-so-familiar Google chime, I asked, "What does 'blog' mean?" My little girl, Khloé, ran over and began reading it on the screen and ensured we all knew it was dubbed "blog" after putting the words 'web' and 'log' together. It was a nice little insignificant moment in our Saturday lives. So we thought...

Blog | More than Just Fluff

Within 6 hours of learning about blogging in detail, I said the hell with it and dove in. I am 39 years old, just missing out on the hardcore social media scene, but not too old to not know what I am doing. I once did the Facebook thing, which was enjoyable- until it wasn't with all of its nonsense. Whether we are talking about Facebook politics, how someone "unfriending" someone else became some death weapon of the soul, or how everybody believes their beliefs are correct, it just became overwhelming and sad. Ultimately, I deactivated it to step away to decompress from the chaos and spend more time with my family. Now, if it means getting back online in earnest so I can reach more people in hopes of helping them in any way- or even just putting a smile on their faces with a dad joke, we'll give it another shot!

My Platform | CTRL+ALT+DAD

Now that you are here, I emphasize that this is my platform, where everyone is accepted and respected. I am a middle-class, proud blue-collar man who climbs telephone poles to ensure everyone has Internet service. I have spent over 20 years in this industry, since the beginning when our online speeds were only 0.5 MBps download (compared to our current services with over 1 GBps download - over 2000 times faster!).

Interested in the differences of speeds, terminology, connections, and what all the fuss is about nowadays? Check out the special edition blog: Home Wifi in 2023

As I got older and wiser, I started seeing everything in the world for what it was and how harsh of a place it had become. Not only how volatile it is at times but how we must change with it or be left far behind. This blog is about how we can adapt to change, embrace it, and to some extent, thrive in these uncertain times- all while staying true to our morals and beliefs.

CTRL_control

I DO NOT consider myself some guru with infinite knowledge on how to act, raise your children, treat your significant other, or anything along those lines. My goal here is to create a "safe place," for lack of terms perhaps, where like-minded adults can come to read, comment, and have a sense of community. This site is a place for what I dubbed CTRL+ALT +Dads (and +Moms too!) It is my "dad joke" play on words, with a bit of underlying meaning: to maintain control of your life while subtilty vanquishing control of your children as they grow and flourish, becoming their own beautiful person, teen, and finally an adult.

ALT_alternate

The 'ALT' that I refer to in CTRL+ALT+Dads (+Moms) is us adults having to learn alternative ways of doing things to get the results we need in a world where it is difficult to do much without being wronged by someone else. Think of it like "thinking outside of the box" to get your solution. It's that thing that I thrive on; you tell me I cannot do something because of [insert problem] and I turn around and tell you, "Mission accepted," and I will find a way- an alternative way. I also think of alternative as meaning I will find MY path in life based on my experiences, the experiences of others, and my upbringing. I do this with my children as well. My wife and I raise them to march to their respectable, courteous, morally, and honest beat, not necessarily what society says it must be. Think of the word 'alternative' as "bend but don't break."

DAD_conclusion

I welcome all relevant comments, stories, chats, links to other posts, and anything else here. It is a place to come, read a bit, leave a comment, kick around some ideas, and share with others interested. Just remember, this is a safe place for us CTRL+ALTs. If you have any questions or requests on topics, let me know by emailing or leaving comments!

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