The Daily Dad

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Teach Them The Ideals Of A Rare Spirit Nov 10, 2022

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You wouldn’t think of Meditations by Marcus Aurelius as a parenting book.

The former Chinese Prime Minister Wen Jiabao said all entrepreneurs, economists and politicians should read Meditations (and several American presidents have too). General James Mattis said every soldier should read Meditations. Actors recommend it to others in show business. Athletes recommend it to others in sports. Writers recommend it to other writers. Founders recommend it to others setting out to start a business.

But every parent should read it too.
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You're Lucky They're Born Now Nov 09, 2022

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This seems like such a fraught moment in time. There was a pandemic. There’s been civil unrest. It feels like institutions are falling apart. Naturally, this scares us as parents. We’d like to look at the world before us is with fear and anger. But there's another way: gratitude, and determination.
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Are You Doing This For Them? Nov 08, 2022

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Today is Election Day in America (and countries all over the world will have theirs sometime soon). If you don’t vote, if you can’t be bothered to participate, then how can you say you really want your kids to have a better life? How can you really say you’d do anything to protect them?

Do this for them. It’s literally the least you can do.
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It’s Easy Until It Happens To You Nov 07, 2022

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Each of us goes into this with opinions–so many opinions. Not just about parenting but about other parents. Parents who let their kids have lots of screentime. Parents of kids with “ADHD.” Divorced parents. Parents who ply their kids with soda and sugary cereals to get them to behave. Because we think we know better, or at least we’re confident that we know “the right way” to do things.
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Daily Dad on How Life Can Pull You Away From What Truly Matters Nov 05, 2022

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Ryan talks about a recent chaotic travel week when he was reminded about how easily life can take you away from what actually matters.

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Fatherhood Is Not Babysitting Nov 04, 2022

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You’re not a babysitter. You’re not some lesser figure in your kids’ lives. When you are with them—and when you are not with them—you’re their father. That matters. It’s an important job, one that you should take seriously and never demean (and not let others demean, either). You’re doing it because you love it, because you get something out of it, and you know what kind of impact it has.
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How To Shape Yourself and Your Kids Nov 03, 2022

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The famous screenwriter’s maxim is “show don’t tell.” Marcus Aurelius said it’s a waste of time to speculate or argue about what makes a good man, a good athlete, a good teammate, a good parent. Our job, he said, was to be one. We can have great conversations. We can give them a great lecture. But what matters is what we model.
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Don't Let Them Steal This Nov 02, 2022

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Not every parent is a public figure, but each of us are constrained by the same amount of finite energy. And it could be argued that in a world of social media, we do have a presence on platforms with the potential to expose us to endless amounts of people who disagree or dislike us.

The question is: Are you going to get bogged down by this or ignore it?
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It Takes A Team Nov 01, 2022

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It’s impossible to do this all, isn’t it? We have all the tasks, responsibilities, and aspirations we’ve always had–eating and sleeping and working and paying our taxes and taking out the trash and following our dreams–but now we have little people to care for on top of all that. Little helpless people with infinite needs. How can we do it all?
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Teach Them About This Choice Oct 31, 2022

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Michael Lewis tells the story of a coach named Jack Kenney who changed his life. One morning at an overnight tennis camp, all the campers stormed the dining hall to try to get their favorite box of cereal. The options ranged from Froot Loops every kid likes to the dark bran stuff no kid likes.
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