In the spirit of Father's Day we have chatted to some of the wonderful dads in the Father Rabbit community about all things fatherhood. 

Josh is the other half of the amazing business KMC (we work with his wife Kelly). He organises all our Social Marketing and is a real brains when it comes to data and online advertising. We are incredibly thankful for Kelly and Josh and the work that they do for Father Rabbit. They live in Lennox Head in Australia so we haven't even met face to face! But they are a crucial part of Father Rabbit and our success.

WHAT DO YOU HOPE YOUR CHILDREN SEE WHEN THEY LOOK UP TO YOU? DOES IT DIFFER FROM YOUR GENERATION AND HOW FATHERS WERE VIEWED?

"Someone that is kind, patient, respectful and funny. But mostly, someone that enjoys every day and loves them without question. For me personally it doesn’t differ - these are all traits that I saw in my dad and grandads and are traits that I try to emulate." 

 

HOW DO YOU BEST ENJOY SPENDING TIME WITH YOUR CHILDREN? 

"Our girls seem to have developed the same love of the beach that Kell and I have, so spending time with them swimming and enjoying the sun is hard to beat."

WHAT IS YOUR FAVOURITE MEMORY WITH YOUR OWN DAD?

"I learned so much from my dad and have so many good memories from my childhood. He used to take my friends and I surfing lots when we were young and one of them would inevitably do something to make him laugh. He has the best laugh - just hearing it makes me laugh, so I think those moments were some of my favourites."

 IF YOU COULD PICK YOUR OWN GIFT FROM FATHER RABBIT, WHAT WOULD IT BE?

"The Father Rabbit Goods Turkish Towels look really nice." 

 

Find Josh on Instagram at @kellymullerconsulting

Brody is our area manager at Father Rabbit. Brody started out part time and has worked up to be one of our senior leaders at Father Rabbit. He is the reason our stores look beautiful. He works on marketing, buying and social media within our family business and does an exceptional job. We are so proud of his efforts and wish him a very happy Father's Day - his first!

 

WHAT HAS THE LOCKDOWN EXPERIENCE TAUGHT YOU AND WHAT WERE YOUR HIGHS AND LOWS OF THIS PERIOD?

"I feel like we've been in lockdown for most of Addison's life! We were placed into level 4 lockdown when Addison was only two weeks old, so it taught me a lot about being a dad. There was a silver lining as I got to spend so much one on one time with her, that I wouldn't have been able to do. I felt really lucky! This most recent lockdown has been different with Addison being a lot more alert and busy, so it's been a lot of fun!"

 

HOW DO YOU BEST ENJOY SPENDING TIME WITH YOUR FAMILY?

"We've been loving getting out of the house and going for walks. You will most likely find us on a Saturday afternoon walking along Kohimarama Beach boardwalk along into St Heliers or if we aren't doing that then it's a walk down to our local for coffee and eggs bene!"

WHAT IS YOUR FAVOURITE MEMORY WITH YOUR OWN DAD AND WHAT DID YOU LEARN FROM HIM?

"I think I learned about the importance of kindness, good manners and respect from my dad, he is a very traditional dad and always instilled this on my sister and I. My favourite memory with my dad would have been the amount of time we spent outdoors growing up, whether it was doing the lawns or our attempt at having a few farm animals when I lived in the Waikato."

 

IN YOUR OPINION, WHAT IS AN IMPORTANT CHARACTERISTIC FOR ANY DAD TO HAVE?

"I feel like the most important thing is to be present! Everyone is so busy with life and work, it's something I want to always remember!"

IF YOU COULD PICK YOUR OWN GIFT FROM FATHER RABBIT, WHAT WOULD IT BE?

"I've got my eye on one of the new Bellroy backpacks. I typically use a tote for bringing lunch etc into work, but feel like It would bring an extra level of organisation to my life."

Jon Chapman Smith is a very old friend of Claudia and Nick's and along with his wife Grace have been huge supporters of Father Rabbit right from the beginning. Engaging with our business plans and listening to our ideas. They have an amazing branding and design company called Fuman so we respect their opinion so much. Jon is a keen surfer who has the amazing surf board company Blank.  Busy guy! 

 

WHAT DO YOU WANT YOUR KIDS TO LEARN FROM YOU?

"To be thankful for what they have, happy with who they are and to be creative and adventurous."

 

WHAT DID YOU WANT TO BE WHEN YOU "GREW UP" AND HOW IS THIS DIFFERENT FROM WHAT YOU DO NOW?

"I wanted to be an artist and yes I got pretty close with Fuman."

  

HOW DO YOU BEST ENJOY SPENDING TIME WITH YOUR CHILDREN?

"Spending time on the coast, doing missions."

  

WHAT DO YOU DO FOR YOURSELF AMIDST THE BUSYNESS OF LIFE TO HAVE SOME TIME FOR YOURSELF?

"I exercise, sleep and surf."

 

WHAT HAS THE LOCKDOWN EXPERIENCE TAUGHT YOU?

"How lucky we are to live in such an awesome country."

IF YOU COULD PICK YOUR OWN GIFT FROM FATHER RABBIT, WHAT WOULD IT BE?

"A Rains jacket and some of McClure's Spicy Pickles!"  

 

Find Jon on Instagram at @wearefuman  @boardsbyblank

Nick is the founder of Father Rabbit and also runs our wholesale sister company Best Abroad. Reading through his answers.. I'm a bit worried about Father's Day - I've arranged the opposite (x Claudia)

 

DO YOU ENJOY SHOPPING ONLINE OR IN A STORE? IT SEEMS LIKE THERE IS A BIG GENERALISATION THAT MEN DON'T LIKE SHOPPING. IF YOU DO OR DON'T, WHAT SORT OF THINGS DO YOU LIKE PEOPLE BUYING FOR YOU AS GIFTS?

"I don’t like shopping that much, I definitely prefer to shop online, I like buying practical gifts they need eg a good knife and a great tea towel. I need it to have great photos and descriptions."

 

WHAT IS YOUR PERFECT FATHER'S DAY?

"Breakfast Cooked at home. (Poached eggs on Toast). A day pottering at home with then maybe an early roast dinner. No stress, no commitments."

 

WHAT DO YOU WANT YOUR KIDS TO LEARN FROM YOU?

"To be adaptable and resilient. I think that in these new times it is really important to be able to pivot. I actually get excited by the prospect and I hope some of this rubs off on them."

 

HOW DO YOU BEST ENJOY SPENDING TIME WITH YOUR CHILDREN?

"Boating and fishing. The kids love going on our new little boat. We're all so excited about fishing at the moment and can’t wait until we get back out." 

IF YOU COULD PICK YOUR OWN GIFT FROM FATHER RABBIT, WHAT WOULD IT BE? 
"One of our new Bellroy Tech Kits."

 

Find Nick on Instagram at @best_abroad