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If we were to look at numbers alone, it would be clear that James Breakwell is one of the most popular family content creators on the internet. With over a million followers on Twitter alone, his stuff reaches people from all over the world. But as impressive as it is, the size of his fan army isn't the reason why we at Bored Panda adore him so much. It's Breakwell's actual material that sets him apart, which is unlike the recycled pseudo-inspirational clickbait you so often see on parenting blogs. Take his tweets for example. Sharing snippets from the conversations he has with his daughters, James paints a funny and sincere picture of his household, and you don't need to have kids to enjoy them. His humor is universal.

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We managed to get in touch with James and he was kind enough to tell us more about his family.

"I would describe my parenting style as one of loving neglect," the dad explained to Bored Panda.

"I’m the opposite of a helicopter parent. I’m more of an observe-from-a-safe-distance parent. That way, my kids develop a sense of independence and learn from their mistakes, all while I’m outside the blast zone."

Breakwell thinks it may have been his own folks who shaped him as a father.

"My own parents were very laid back. They never pressured me in any way, yet I excelled at many things. I also failed—hard—at an exhaustive list of activities," he said.

"My mom and dad gave me the freedom to figure out who I was and what I wanted to do. That’s a large part of the reason I’m a comedy writer today. So basically they ruined my life."

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NsG
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Ooh, can we take bets on which one? (Also bumping a hidden comment down)

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Humor, however, is what ties evertything together. "Jokes keep me sane," James said. "A terrible disaster just makes for more content. For example, this week, my appendix ruptured and I nearly died. It made for a great newsletter."

But that's just scrathing the surface. If you are interested in hearing the resr of it, you can subscribe to James's newsletter at jamesbreakwell.substack.com. "It’s the best way to learn more about my parenting style and my occasionally exploding organs," he added.

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aerose101 avatar
Amanda Rose
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Pretty much all group projects ever. School or work related.

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Delta Dawn
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

My youngest was having huge problems with that last school year. She was the only one doing anything, so I gave her permission to stop being the group martyr. She ended up with a C and salvaged her self respect.

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Sheila Stamey
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Why do teachers even still do it if they aren't going to grade the group aspect as in the equal division and actual doing of the labor? I'll be honest, as a substitute, I was truly evil. If I had a group project in the syllabus,I was going to assign people who would accomplish that project, not one person per group to unwillingly drag five others and end up doing it themself. I was hugged once for this. I really was

warrierchithra_1 avatar
Artsy Bookworm
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Every time I'm assigned to a group project, nothing happens until I take the lead and assign stuff to people and then keep on behind them to actually do the work😑

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Bookaday
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

And then I know some of them won’t, so I have to do more because of my control issues. I was supposed to do 2/3 of a project (I knew my partner) and she only did 1/3 of her work and complained of boredom during class. So I did some of hers and it didn’t get finished but I don’t think our teachers noticed.

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Jennifer H
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

This is why I always seemed to ake charge and do a lot on my own. The problem with this is people pick up on it and just come to you to get sh!t done.

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Michelle C
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Yup. I had something similar happened to me in high school. There were five of us in the group and only two of us actually did our parts of the assigned project. I got an A, The other kid got a C, and the rest failed the project.

edurnity22 avatar
Edurne
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

there's a special place in hell for that one teacher that first thought of group projects

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Margaret Weaver
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Your eleven year old is my spirit animal, James. It's like you've reproduced me somehow.

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Jackie Reed
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Yeah,I been there.Especially the group that stands back and watches while I do everything,then tells the person in charge that I wouldn't let anyone else participate

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Blitzø
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Remember the "vsco girl" time? I had a group project with a few- we had to make a country. They decided- without me- to name it "Hot-cheeto land" and the "states" various vsco-girl-related things. I was so pissed I ended up in near tears. Even as I write this I'm choosing to work alone rather than in a group

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Wondering Alice
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

On PB, everyone is always very negative about group project work, so please forgive my alternative experience. Collaborative tasks are becoming way more common here in Wales than they used to be. On the whole, most kids seem to prefer working with others rather than on their own, they get a lot out of it - and the results are more often than not, something they are proud of. When a kid asks if they can work alone, most of the time it is allowed. Occasionally, a group is made up of those who don't like team work, so they can spend a few minutes sharing out tasks before doing their own thing. The projects themselves are rarely graded, usually presented or showcased. A short individual assessment at the end is used to check each child has learnt what they were ment to.

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Jennifer Potter
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Hmmmm, you all might have something, there - will you come and sprinkle some of that over us in the US? 🤔 💡💡💡

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Caitlyn Fell
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1 year ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Well? Can they? It's an important world changing question you know

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Al Christensen
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

This reminds me of my former wife. She hated having her picture taken because she always ended up looking funny. I explained that was because whenever someone pointed a camera at her she made her "Ew don't do that" face.

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Caitlyn Fell
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Of course. Life is all about time management and prioritizing. You raised her well 🙌

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Ellieee
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

In third grade we would always have lessons on the carpet to I guess be more connected or smthg? Anyways we were bored so my friend tried to show me how to breakdance, and I spun around a bunch and accidentally tripped a kid who was carrying a couple boxes of pastels. He landed flat on his face. The teacher called my parents. It was not a great day

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