Kagiso (KG) Mokgadi, multi-award-winning stand-up comedian answers our dad questions

Being a dad is…all the emotions and all the moods and then being second to mommy and actually preferring it that way.

The last time I gagged….Well I was watching TV and she came to the lounge and said with a straight face: ” Daddy(never mommy for these jobs) I need your help flushing the toilet. I have tried everything. It just won’t go away”). She had tried everything including breaking the toilet brush. You asked for gag….

Last time I cried…The first day she went to compete as a drum majorette. The laziest, most unbothered, most chilled person in the whole world after me was about to compete in a team for the first time. The team had been standing in the rain (light drizzle) for a good 20 mins waiting for their turn. I felt so bad for her, other parents had to stop me from taking a chair, and umbrella and jacket and giving it to her. When their turn arrived she was focused and disciplined like I have never seen her before. I was cheering for her at the top of my voice. They killed their performance and won everything. Later on when we were discussing how it went she said something like:” it doesn’t matter. Come rain or sunshine we keep pushing, we remain focused and we kill the show. YOU TAUGHT ME THAT”. I sobbed…

My advice to dads… Don’t compete with mom.  No one wins. Work together, be there and handle your business as best as you can. In my house mom gets all the credit from the kid. She is Messi/Ronaldo and I am the leading goal scorer in the English Premiere League that year. Basically I am not k@k but I am not Messi either. I think that’s part of being a dad.

The best part of being a dad…Everything is the best part of being a dad. Even the scary moments and those of uncertainty. All these moments have made me a better person. My life changed for the better when I became a father.

My biggest challenge…I honestly don’t know if I am doing it right. Most times I imagine I am proper messing it up. There are no reviews and unless you are really really bad at it, everyone thinks you have it all together.

Biggest dad guilt…Being away on some of the important days. If I don’t gig we don’t eat therefore I have to find that balance between work and being available and sometimes I just cannot and video calls are not enough. I imagine it was hell for our parents since they only had landlines

My success is measured by….How she behaves when I am not there. So far so good. Other parents and babysitters have the most glowing reviews about her. I often wonder if we are talking about the same person

The biggest affirmation…I don’t really have one. They come and they go. When it comes to school be prepared. I say this most afternoons after school. In the morning I say do better to encourage her to concentrate more in class. For game days its focus and discipline. I am a coach man. I am more than a dad

Most important behaviourial attitude…Humility, humility and more humility. I keep telling her no one wants to be friends with or work with an ass no matter how good you are

Work life balance as a dad...Better than most dads. Its most times. I work nights and mostly headline shows. Meaning I can wake up in the morning, prep her and take her to school, fetch her from school be home for dinner and leave after she sleeps. When a weekend gig has a child friendly space at the back then she comes with. The only issue is when I have to be out of town

I hate when other dads…Being a dad is proper challenging and dads are generally very cool. We meet as strangers at the park and end up having long conversation while our kids play. Its very cool. I don’t think moms do that. I think I don’t like it when my other dads are better than me at dads and kids day football at school or the 100m run parents only school race at interhouse. I am the fastest fat dad. I lost once and didn’t like that.

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