Stepdad Joins Taylor Swift Reddit Community to Bond with Stepdaughter, Becomes 'Proud Swiftie' (Exclusive)

Rob Scharbach often visited the Reddit community to pick up topics to connect with his stepdaughter about.

A teenage girl’s love for Taylor Swift is serious, and one stepdad knew it was the perfect way to bond with his stepdaughter.

Rob Scharbach, 42, recently thanked Redditors on the r/TaylorSwift subreddit for helping him learn more about the artist, which in turn helped him build a great relationship with his stepdaughter Sophia.

“I’m a very proud ‘fast dad’ to my 13-year-old stepdaughter. She is OBSESSED with all things Taylor, talks about her all day long, sings her songs constantly, has already pre-ordered her Speak Now TV vinyl, and next month is going to one of the Minneapolis shows with my mom … I joined this subreddit just so I could see Taylor updates in my feed and just want to say thank you to all you die-hard fans for all the threads and talking points you’ve provided,” wrote is.

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“My daughter’s face lights up like you wouldn’t believe when I start imparting knowledge or asking if she’s heard the same rumours, etc. I’ve always had a very close relationship with her but this just made that bond so much stronger and I love it. Thank you all for you’re such a wonderful fan base. I’m glad she’s a part of it.”

The post has since gone viral, and Scharbach told PEOPLE that he had no idea his post would reach so many people.

Scharbach says he first joined the subreddit because Sophia, who he first met at age 5, was “running around the house listening to Taylor Swift non-stop.”

“It’s all Taylor Swift in our house, so she kind of took over the house with all that stuff and I started to get more interested. So I started looking for some stuff, and that led me to a subreddit, and I joined it and started reading and learning all these things.

Rob Scharbach and stepdaughter Sophia.

Courtesy of Rob Scharbach

“I had a really good time, just kind of dropping new stuff and being like, ‘Hey, have you heard this?’ And then she would come back with, ‘Yes, I know and I read this.’ It became a lot of fun.”

Sophia thought it was “really cool” to have another Swiftie in the house, “Because not all of my siblings are her biggest fans, and not all of my friends like or know a lot about Taylor Swift.”

“It was fun to have someone to talk to about stuff like that,” she says, noting that her mom is also a huge Swiftie.

“She took me with her on the Reputation tour and she’s going to Eras with me,” shares the teenager.

Sophia is happy that their mutual love for Taylor “gives us something to talk about, talk about and really connect with each other, because we have the same interest.”

Sophia, Rob Scharbach’s stepdaughter.

Courtesy of Rob Scharbach

Scharbach notes that the two have “always had a pretty close relationship,” but as they’ve started going through their teenage years, he’s happy that Taylor “helps keep communication as open as possible and gives us some fun topics to talk about that really enhance our relationship.”

The stepdad is also grateful for how the online Swifties community has embraced him, both before and after he shared his story.

“I think the Taylor Swift fanbase in particular is fantastic because they’re really a community and they feed off each other and people come up with different things and there’s discussions. And then there’s people sharing their stories, everyone’s involved in it.”

Sophia, Rob Scharbach’s stepdaughter.

Courtesy of Rob Scharbach

Scharbach says it’s been “exciting” and “very humbling” to see how people have responded to the relationship he and Sophia have built.

“I saw a lot of things like, ‘You’re the best dad.’ I think my daughter’s favorite comment was, ‘You sir are a legend’, there were some really funny things, but also some really touching things.”

“It’s surreal,” adds Sophia. “One minute you post and like whatever, think nothing of it, and the next thing you know you’re being interviewed. It’s kind of crazy.”

Rob Scharbach and stepdaughter Sophia.

Courtesy of Rob Scharbach

Scharbach hopes other parents who hear their story will do what they can to “keep that channel of communication open.”

“Find something fun that you can relate to with your kids, because it just makes communication so much easier, even for more serious topics,” she advises. “I didn’t start this as a Taylor Swift fan. I knew about her and what not, but since diving into this I’ve really started to appreciate her music a lot more. I’m a real Swiftie dad now and I love it.”

“I think it’s a really great thing and some people might think it’s creepy, but I personally don’t think it is at all. I think it’s a great thing for a parent to have a really good relationship with their child and have similar interests and for the parents to appreciate and respect their interests and get into it,” adds the teenager. “And I feel that every child should learn to appreciate when parents do that.”

Categories: Trends
Source: HIS Education