SAN DIEGO — A San Carlos super dad has a gift for every parent this Father's Day. In this Zevely Zone, I met the man behind the mask.
Kashaka Nedd is a San Carlos dad with two girls and no book writing experience. The father released a children's book for his own daughters about female empowerment.
He became an author in an attempt to garner laughter from his daughters and instill in them a love for reading like his own. This book, titled My Dad is Not a Superhero, is about Kashaka’s own experiences as a father. “Holding your daughter for the first time invokes a lot of emotion - I hope she is healthy, I hope she is safe, I hope she has grit,” he said.
"I am an IT consultant actually," said Kashaka. "This is my first children's book." As the father of 7 & 4 year olds, Kashaka has always dreamed Nadia and Naomi would see their dad as a superhero. "As a dad you want to give your kids everything right? You want to be the superhero, you want your kids to see you as a superhero, but you are juggling family and job responsibilities," said Kashaka.
In My Dad is Not Superhero, a masked man, performs everyday miracles. "When dad cleans up toys we call him the Tidy Typhoon, but he turns into Frosty Frustrated when we don't clean our room," read Kashaka.
His daughters told me that was true. "Sometimes, most of the time," said Naomi. Do they ever clean their rooms? "Hardly," said Nadia.
"He is definitely the nicest, friendliest person you will ever meet," said Kashaka's wife Erin. The mother and wife wonders what do you get a caped crusader on Father's Day? "He asked for a water pick. He is very practical," she laughed. I asked Kashaka if he has a superhero suit hidden in a closet somewhere? "I do actually have the cape upstairs, I didn't bring it out today," laughed Kashaka.
Sometimes being super is simply connecting with your kids which is why Kashaka wrote this book to encourage us all. "It's for every parent who works too hard, loves too much and sleeps too little, so I think the takeaway would be enjoy those moments," said Kashaka.
As for a Father's Day gift? "A dream day for me would be if we went on a hike up Cowles Mountain," said Kashaka. Maybe they won't have to hike. I asked the super dad if he could fly? "Not yet I'm still working on it," he said. Sure, that's what every superhero says. As our story ended, the superhero from the book (who looks a lot like Kashaka) appeared in front of us wearing a mask and red cape. "Yeah!!" he yelled as his daughters surrounded him.
My Dad is Not Superhero is available on Amazon. For more information click here.
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