Bored Panda contacted James Breakwell again to ask some follow-up questions about Exploding Unicorn. We were wondering if, since our last interview, there have been any significant developments or changes in the creator’s life or work. James shared with us: “I’m currently going through the editorial process for the sequel to my debut sci-fi novel, The Chosen Twelve. The next one is called The Gods of Spenser Island and has perhaps more human-on-alien-octopus battles per page than any other book in human history. I imagine I’ll be banned from writing books after this. My children’s book, You Can’t Be a Pterodactyl, also recently came out. The authorities were too slow to stop that one.”
What makes Breakwell’s work so unique is how the author keeps the balance between humor and parenting advice. This is why we wanted to know how James strikes this balance, and what message he hopes readers take away from his books and content. We found out that: “There’s always humor in life if you’re willing to look for it. The worst days make for the best content. Looking for that silver lining naturally keeps me in balance. Okay, maybe not quite in balance, but it stops me from running away into the woods, never to be seen again.”
Exploding Unicorn has a substantial following. We were curious how a dad of 4 engages with his community. James Breakwell explained: “I’ve been building a community through my newsletter on Substack at JamesBreakwell.Substack.com. It’s an environment free from bots or trolls, so it’s much more productive to engage there. I reply to almost every comment. It’s also where I can tell my longest stories, so it weeds out the people with shorter attention spans. You have to truly be at a bad place in your life to subscribe. You should check it out!”
Asked to share some memorable or amusing interactions or responses from his followers that stand out in his mind, James shared with us: “Ever since I wrote about how I almost died when my appendix exploded, I’ve received emails from people who said my story helped save their lives. Rather than waiting, my readers are going to the emergency room at the first sign of trouble. My life is serving as a negative example to others. It’s all I ever wanted.”
As we promised before, we would also like to share with you some interesting facts about parenting. For this reason, we got in touch with Celia Kibler, family & relationship empowerment coach. We asked the expert what some common challenges parents face today are, and how humor can help them cope and find solutions. Kibler told us: “Often adults, and that includes parents, will take life too seriously and often focus on ‘what ifs’. For example, ‘If this happens, then my child won’t be able to do this in the future’.
In addition, parents often forget the fun of childhood and are so busy being adults that they don’t let their inner silliness come out. Stuff is funny, your kids are hilarious and guess what, you often are too.”
Celia gave some real-life examples: “‘If my child doesn’t eat their spinach, then they won’t grow strong.’ Mealtime is often a time when parents get stressed out, and so do their kids, but if they find the fun in eating, it relaxes their child and they will tend to avoid the sometimes daily power struggle.”
Kibler highlighted that it is important to remember the importance of being a kid ourselves and to relax a bit: “Instead of fighting with them to eat, have a monkey night, put paper on your table and allow everyone to just dive in and eat with their hands… fun, funny and your kids may wind up eating stuff they never have before.
The parenting coach continued: “Here’s another example. When my son was 3, he didn’t like to sit and eat at the table. So, instead of getting aggravated every night and ruining everyone’s meal, I invented ‘Ninja bites’ (named for the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles that he loved). A Ninja bite was this… He was allowed to run a lap inside the house and when he circled back to the dining room, I would yell ‘Ninja Bite’, he would stop, eat, chew and then take another lap. This would continue until all his food was gone, dinner after dinner. Fun and funny all at the same time and the rest of us ate our food happily.
Now, for all you fearful parents thinking you have to teach your child to sit at the table and eat, I will tell you that my son is now 35 years old and has been happily eating meals at a table for decades. The ‘Ninja Bite method’ relieved a struggle in a fun way and avoided arguments and stress, and left us with a fun memory.”
Celia explained how important it is for the parents to build some fun memories with their children: “That’s the good stuff that your child will remember about their childhood, you will too. Parents have a hard time talking with their child, so buy a joke book for them and start telling jokes to each other, laughter makes great, honest connection. Take a step back, perspective is a huge help. How many times have you found something hysterically funny after the fact? When we look at things from the eyes of a child, often what you think is a big deal becomes something that you can laugh about and learn from.”
