JoJo Fraser: Parenting beats blogs hands down

Comedian and father of twin boys Sam Avery on stage

I have turned into one of those blogger geeks. I don’t read enough because I am always so busy writing but there is a bloke that stands out and his name is Sam Avery. He ticks all the boxes for me. He is funny, refreshingly honest and as authentic as they come. He writes, is a stand-up comedian and a director for Comedy Trust. This mental health charity uses comedy to channel negative emotions. Laughter really is one of life’s great medicines.

For Sam and many successful stand-up comedians and writers, honesty is where the humour lives. We live in a world full of airbrushed celebrities. This is not real life. It’s a fantasy.

I love listening to Sam and reading his work because I know he keeps it real. He finds the beauty in everyday reality. As a fairly new parent to twin boys – he has shared the wonderful, the bad and the ugly. He captures parenthood beautifully. Parenthood is a crazy ride.

Sam had me in stitches recently on the phone when he spoke about German stand-up comedy. It is far too polished which makes it a bit boring. I am not looking for polished. I am looking for a bit of normal in my life. I want to nod my head and laugh.

One day Sam was sitting in Costa coffee with a double shot feeling a bit anxious. A lack of sleep can do that to you. I have total respect for parents of twins.

As his beautiful, cheeky boys napped he started writing down his thoughts. The blog was his therapy and little did he know that it would go viral shortly after. In my opinion it went viral because his honesty is infectious. I want to be reminded of the fact that us humans are more similar than we think.

JoJo Fraser is a mental health ambassador and author of the popular blog mummyjojo.com. For more on Sam Avery visit www.samaverycomedian.co.uk.