TEXAS – After the pandemic made Andrew Michael reevaluate how much of his time he was spending on work, the Texas father of four has taken steps to put his family first and help other Texas dads do the same.

“I love watching my kids' dreams come true. And I love the fact that now that I’ve built Lonestar Dads, I can do that for anybody,” Michael said.

Lonestar Dads is an exclusive, free community of men who come together to be better fathers every day, created by Michael.

“Women are just natural networkers and as I’ve had more kids, I realized I have no social life at all. I built Lonestar Dads somewhat of a selfish reason—so I could have a social life with dads who are like minded,” Michael said.

Andrew Michael (center) taking a walk with his family. (Spectrum News)

What he did next though isn’t something most people would call selfish. After the pandemic forced him to work from home like so others all across the country, he realized he was missing out on very important aspects of his life.

“I was spending more time with my computer and my coworkers than I was with my own family,” Michael said. “Whenever I was a kid I didn’t have anything. I had no money, I didn’t have active parents.”

It was enough for him to leave his job and salary of $90,000 behind to focus on being a better father to his children and help others through Lonestar Dads.

“It’s a big financial risk to do this but it’s worth it because I get to spend more time with my kids and that’s more important than anything else in this world to me,” Michael said.

Andrew Michael (left) with his back turned to the camera, fishing with his children. (Courtesy: Andrew Michael)

The 32-year-old has been documenting his experiences as a father in a vlog. He shares special moments like taking his daughter on a trip zip lining in Cedar Creek and surprising all of his kids with a last-minute mini vacation to the beach in Rockport.

“…to get that little bit of family time that I’ve been missing out on. The little bit of family time my son has been begging me for for two years,” Michael said in a testimonial after a trip to the beach.

Lonestar Dads consists of a website and Facebook group where dads can connect and share their own experiences.

Michael organizes events for members and dads can also connect on their own to set up hangouts. It’s also become a place for fathers to ask questions and find help with life challenges. And when he can, Michael will choose a dad and his child for an unforgettable experience.

Andrew Michael reading through comments on one of the pages he runs for Lonestar Dads. (Spectrum News)

In a recent Vlog post, Michael surprised a father with a free flight over Austin with the help of Austin Biplane.

“I had a hundred comments on that post about, ‘What would you want to do with your kids?’ and that was the most intriguing and interesting one. It’s something they otherwise may not have gotten to do. Dad's busy—they have a lot of kids. He’s got a full time job, only Sundays and Tuesdays off. It limits our ability to do these things with our kids so it’s just exciting that I can help make that happen this one time,” Michael said.

Michael just launched Facebook groups in San Antonio, Dallas/Fort Worth, and Houston so fathers in those respective communities can connect with each other as well.