30 Jan

Dad’s POV: Building A Play Dresser From Scratch With My Daughter

Building something from scratch can be hard but the memories of doing it together are worth it!

I love attending events where I get to build things with my kids. Most of the time we attend building events like Home Depot’s Kids Workshop or Lego’s Free Monthly Mini-Build. Both are cool and both come with instructions to make our day easier.

But then there are events like Maker Faire where you build things from scratch together. Those are always Cool4Dads but can come with their own set of challenges.

Building things from scratch is never easy with kids. Your vision isn’t always theirs and they will always test your patience.

Building A Dresser 1 #FatherhoodIsLit

So when I saw #FatherhoodIsLit community member Daniel Robinson post a pic of him and his daughter building a dresser for his daughter’s doll on Instagram, I had to ask him how he did it.

He survived his building session with his daughter and hooked us up so we could do the same thing with our kids. Peep what he had to say below.

Where are you from and how many kids do you have?

My name is Daniel Robinson and I’m from Cleveland Ohio. I am a single father to one beautiful daughter named Josilyn.

Most dads, I included, would have bought a play dresser instead, what made you build it from scratch?

Building A Dresser 12 #FatherhoodIsLit

My daughter came up with the idea that we make her Barbie dolls’ a dresser. We had already built a bed for her barbie previously, so she was interested in building the dresser in the same fashion.

People think it takes tons of cash to create dope memories, tell us what you bought and how much did it cost you? Was your daughter part of the buying process?

Micheal's #FatherhoodIsLit

We went to Michael’s, which is a craft store here, and purchased our supplies.

Several pieces of balsa wood were needed. Ranging from 6in×6in pieces for the top and sides of the dresser.

Then 4in×6in pieces to make the drawers.

One 12in×12in piece for the back of the dresser was needed as well.

Building A Dresser Paint #FatherhoodIsLit

We bought wood glue to attach the pieces. We bought a base paint, gesso white acrylic, to prime the wood. Then we bought my daughters two favorite colors, pink and blue. In all, we spent about $80 on supplies.

How did you know how to build this dresser? Did you find something online that helped you or just winged it?

Building A Dresser 3 #FatherhoodIsLit

I have been handy most of my life and learned from my father. So I went to him for advice on building the dresser. And after I figured out the dimensions the rest was pretty simple. I used a razor knife to cut each piece and glued each piece together.

How did you deal with being patient with the whole build, you know kids can make it hard at times lol?

Building A Dresser Supplies #FatherhoodIsLit

It took about two weeks to complete. I have my daughter three days a week so we worked on it a little bit each day. Which helped us both avoid being in a hurry to finish, and to take our time and do it right.

What did you appreciate most by doing this with your daughter?

Building A Dresser Finished #FatherhoodIsLit

Being able to work on a project that my daughter wanted to do was absolutely amazing! We got to spend quality time together first and foremost and did something constructive. Best of all, it was all her idea! I just helped with the execution. Seeing how proud she was brought me more joy than anything else!

What makes #dadlife the best life?

From Scratch #FatherhoodIsLit

There’s no better thing us men can ever achieve in life than being a father. Not just in words but in action. Taking an active role in raising our children is everything.

In my case, being divorced, I don’t let that detour me from being a father and role model for my princess. Always remembering that it’s the little things our children will cherish the most! Not the toys we buy, not where we take them, but it’s the time we spend with them that they will remember the most!

Ever built something cool with your kids from scratch? Hit me up, I love sharing stories like this!

#FatherhoodIsLit


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