One of the greatest tragedies a parent can face is the death of their child.In Peter Saunders’ case he was confronted with the possible loss of his newborn and his wife, on the same day.Annesa Saunders had just given birth to their son Dakari; her blood pressure fell during the difficult delivery and there wasn’t enough oxygen getting to the baby’s brain.“When Dakari was born he was completely lifeless and I thought he wasn’t going to make it,” said Mr Saunders. “I grew up very quickly that night. I was very young, just 22 at the time. Thank goodness, they both survived. I tell people that it solidifies my outlook for the rest of my life. Nothing can take that moment away — the fact that they were both going to die and they both made it. The fact that I have had this time with them in the years since, is going to make me happy for the rest of my life.”Their son now has some educational and physical challenges and has to regularly go abroad for treatment.“Even though my son has those challenges there are so many things I have learned from him, and the interaction is so beneficial,” said Mr Saunders. “A lot of people highlight how children can benefit from the interaction from dad but dads can get so much too from the interaction with their children.”Mr Saunders is the author of a popular fatherhood blog, Razors and Diapers. His website includes articles and videos on fatherhood topics such as 7 Habits of Happy Kids, Dads and Breastfeeding and I’m a Stay-At-Home Dad, Now What?It has suggestions for fatherhood movies, activities to do with children, events and more. He also sells dad-centric items such as manly diaper bags. He has so far had about 30,000 hits on the website from people all over the world.“The goal is to be the place where fathers can find everything they need to be the best dad they can be,” he said.This month he is working with the Chewstick Foundation on a writing competition, Brag About Dad.“I approached Chewstick and they were gung-ho about the idea,” said Mr Saunders. “I met with them and it seemed like a natural partnership because they were very much about empowering people. They will be administering the contest. Having experienced fatherhood myself and the benefits, I wanted to inspire other fathers to experience the same benefits. Those who are not involved in their children’s lives are truly missing out on something, the opportunity to grow and develop into the best man they can be.”One of the reasons he wanted to write the blog was that he did not have a relationship with his own father when he was growing up.“I grew up in the country part of Jamaica in a single-parent home,” said Mr Saunders. “So I have first-hand knowledge of what it is like to not have a father in the home and watching my mother struggle to make ends meet. It was very challenging for her but we made it through.”He said in his high school and university life, he was lucky enough to meet people who acted as good role models and inspiration for him. However, his lack of a father came home to him after Dakari was born.“My wife spent many months healing in the hospital so I had to do everything in the beginning. I felt what I was doing was very hit or miss because I never had a father of my own. Added to this was the fact that my son had special needs. It was confusing. I did a lot of research on the internet and started a blog after he was born. The first one was called Fathering and Happiness. I was sharing the experience of being a dad of a special-needs child.”He said he has learned so much from being a father. Even his communication skills have improved by it.“Kids ask a lot of questions,” said Mr Saunders. “Even though my son has speech challenges he still asks a lot of questions, like ‘what does this mean?’ or ‘why does this work like that?’ I have to come up with answers to those things. It builds me as a person and makes me better.”Dakari will be six in September. His father said he is never seen without a smile on his face, and his positivity often touches everyone else around him.“He is just a great kid to be around,” Mr Saunders said proudly.Mr Saunders worked for three years in banking but quickly found that the industry was not for him. He said with the Razors and Diapers website, he has found his calling.Useful websites: www.razorsanddiapers.com, www.chewstick.org.