Hugely popular Kiwi personality and content creator Louis Davis offers his advice on modern fatherhood in his signature warm and witty style.
Our ancestors crossed the ocean for us to achieve our wildest aspirations. Yet, in a world of relative abundance and seemingly endless choices, we face challenges like 'Has my kid been watching The Wiggles for too long?'
Louis Davis (Ngapuhi, Ngati Whatua) is one of Aotearoa's most popular storytellers, with a combined global audience of three million people tuning in to see his heartfelt and funny videos about fatherhood, fishing and whanau life. But with several young children, Louis says his life as a stay-at-home dad is far from a model of perfect parenting: like everyone else, he can often feel like he's making it up along the way. The Modern Dad is the book for everyone who is either already in the parenting trenches or has just found out they're going to have a child. In his signature kind, funny and low-key tone, Louis walks you through the 'Am I ready?' panic response (and no, no-one is ever truly ready) and offers a practical and empathetic guide on how to be a loving partner and parent. From how to be helpful throughout the pregnancy stage and working out where to find your village, through to looking after yourself and your partner's mental health along the way, Louis tackles the big topics around both fatherhood and modern masculinity.
About the Author
Louis Davis (Ngapuhi, Ngati Whatua) is one of NZ's most popular personalities and was named NZ Tik Tok Creator of the Year in December last year, with 3m followers across his online platforms. Louis is a husband, stay-at-home father, adventurer, and successful content creator with over 2.2 million followers on TikTok and 860K on Instagram.
Known for his heartfelt storytelling, he shares relatable content about fatherhood, family, and everyday life that resonates with audiences worldwide.
His most popular video has reached nearly 100 million views, contributing to an impressive average of 200 million views per month across all platforms. Louis passionately challenges stereotypes about Maori fathers, showcasing a nurturing side that inspires many.
Industry Reviews
"""Panic is still a constant undercurrent in my life as a parent, driven by questions and concerns: Am I a good role model? Do they eat too much sugar? Am I nurturing my marriage? Am I teaching my children the right values? What are the right values? Raising children in today's fast-paced, globally influenced world is a blend of holding onto the past and navigating the future. Our ancestors crossed the ocean for us to achieve our wildest aspirations, guiding our instincts and decisions. Yet, in a world of relative abundance and seemingly endless choices, we face challenges like 'Has my kid been watching The Wiggles for too long?'""
""I have not yet met one person who felt ready to become a parent by the time it was go time, and their child came into the world... If you wait until you feel 'ready', you might never get there. I'd say go for 'ready enough'. The only people I've met who thought they were ready, and had done all their reading and planning and got everything in order and thought they were going to be able to ace it, like they succeeded at work and controlled all the other things in their life . . . well, these people got punched in the face by the arrival of a baby.""
""This is probably a bit controversial, but we didn't do a birthing class or antenatal class, where you go and sit with a group of strangers and get told all this stuff about what's going to happen. When went along to one and that was enough, because what I find happens in these classes is that the fastest way for a guy to get a laugh in a group like that is to make a joke about being useless, or say something like, 'Oh, I wouldn't know, I'm a man.' It's that same line every time. I didn't want to be in that environment and didn't want to make friends that way. The only thing we had in common was that our partners were pregnant, and we were supposed to pretend to be useless. I wasn't buying in to that."""
