The Daily Dad
Episodes
Are You Sharing This?
16 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
We’ve talked before about Jimmy Carter’s father. James Sr. was a flawed man, to be sure. He was strict and stern, often unaware of the way he loom...
You Can Be Safe Without Being Crazy
15 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Sure, it’s a trend these days that parents are overprotective. We’ve got helicopter parents and snowplow parents and risk averse, paranoid parents...
Don’t Let Them Be Alone With This
14 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In the classic novel, Bright Lights Big City by Jay McInerney the narrator flashes back to the scene of his mother’s deathbed. Battling cancer, awar...
This Is The Greatest Form Of Love
13 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
You do many things for your children because you love them. You work hard to provide for them. You manage their education. You teach them the things t...
Daily Dad On Keeping Your Kids Safe
11 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Ryan talks about the stresses of parenting and how to remain grateful for the time that you have with your kids.✉️ Sign up for the Daily Dad email...
This Changes How They See The World
10 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
This is just my personality, we say. I just don’t have any energy when I get home from work, we complain. I’m in a bad mood today, that’s all. M...
Remember Who Sets The Curve
09 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
It can seem like parenting is a rather perilous thing, right? The statistics come at you like daggers to your heart–how many kids die each year in t...
Why Do We Chase This?
08 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
It’s pretty widely agreed that too much of anything spoils a person. We read the cautionary tales of the rich families whose inheritance wrecks gene...
It’s A Bad Look
07 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
It never looks good when it comes to us via an ESPN headline or a viral tweet. Ja Morant’s dad getting into a fight at one of his son’s games. OBJ...
We Are All Unprepared
06 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In 1929, William Alexander Percy’s favorite cousin died. Then just a few years later, he lost his mother. Then his cousin’s wife died and he lost ...
Daily Dad On Saying No And Valuing Your Time
04 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Ryan talks to his friend and writing partner Nils Parker about why it's important to say no to things that you don't need to do, how important the tim...
The Only Thing To Get Put Out By
03 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Jimmy Carter was a pretty buttoned up guy. He was known, even under the stress of the Oval Office, to be remarkably poised. The angriest an aide ever ...
Don’t Get Caught Hanging Your Head
02 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
It’s one of the most beautiful and haunting songs ever recorded. The version written and recorded by Sting is pretty good, but the Johnny Cash versi...
Beware The Power You Wield
01 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
The things we say to our kids matter. The tone we use, the rules we enforce, the standards we hold them to–they feel it. They feel it profoundly. Ki...
Why This Is So Terrifying
28 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
As we said recently, the wonderful thing about parenting is that it opens you up. It expands your heart to a new capacity, a level you didn’t think ...
They Learned This Lesson For You
27 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
The comedian and actor Rob Delaney’s son Henry was healthy and beautiful, but then he got sick. Delaney and his wife Leah didn’t know what to do, ...
Daily Dad and David Rubenstein on Raising Happy and Healthy Kids
25 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
David M. Rubenstein is a successful entrepreneur and an innovative philanthropist.He is the co-founder and co-chairman of The Carlyle Group and host o...
Meet Them While There Is Still Time
24 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In his book, The Vanishing American Adult, then-U.S. Senator Ben Sasse pondered what might strike a person from the distant past as odd about our mode...
Maybe You Were Saved
23 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
If you’re one of those kids who didn’t get everything you needed from your parents–and let’s face it, pretty much everyone is–you probably c...
Teach Them Real Class
22 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Of course, we want our kids to have class. That is to say: A strong sense of decency and taste, restraint and grace, with a set of values that have be...
You Must Make Time For This
21 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
When we have to go to the doctor, we make the time. If the check engine light comes on in our car, we get it to the shop. When we have some lucrative ...
We Must Show Them That We Mean It
20 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
When she was 68 years old, Jimmy Carter’s mother joined the Peace Corps. She asked to be sent somewhere far away where they could use a nurse’s he...
Daily Dad on the Winter Storms and the Obligations of Success
18 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
On today's episode Ryan talks about a recent winter storm that came through Texas, how him and his family thought about it, how success changes your o...
Try To Be All In
17 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Have you ever watched someone sit and play with a little kid for hours? Like totally engrossed, never checking a phone, never rushing, never getting b...
Do You Want To Lose This?
16 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
We talked recently about the costs of selfishness. Ego, narcissism, self-centeredness–it’s not only a recipe for inevitably overreaching in the pr...
Never, Ever Forget This
15 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Maybe you had a rough day with the kids. Or a tough day at the office. It’s in one of those moments you doubt whether you’re doing enough of this ...
This Is Better Than I Love You
14 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Of course, we try to tell our children we love them. Sometimes they receive it. Sometimes they roll their eyes. Sometimes–depending on how we grew u...
This Is What Is Making You So Stressed
13 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Parenting and stress seem to just go together. Anxiety, concern, they follow too. There’s always something we are tracking, something we’re worrie...
Daily Dad On 'The Last Time'
11 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
On this weekend episode of the Daily Dad Ryan talks about how as parents we can get so caught up in raising the kids we forget to appreciate the lit...
They Must Learn Through Trail And Error
10 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
You can’t prevent your kids from making mistakes. Nor, honestly, should you really want to. You have to let them learn on their own. And you have to...
Point Them Towards What They Can Change
09 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
We’d love to give our kids everything they want. We’d love to fulfill every wish and eliminate every inadequacy. We can’t. So we must focus on w...
What Are You Teaching Them?
08 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
We can tell them now, we can tell them early, that we’d rather them develop themselves as people, find their project, find their people, than optimi...
It's Still Hard For Them
07 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
The good thing is that our kids are smarter and more resilient than we think. With time, they’ll come to understand that hey, we struggled with our ...
So Little Is Left Over
06 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Even when our kids get up early, we have, at most, a couple hours with them before school and work. Then after school or sports and work, we have what...
Daily Dad And Scott Hershovitz On Being A Model Parent
04 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
On this weekend episode of the Daily Dad, Ryan sits down with Scott Hershovitz to discuss how we can become model parents. Rather than getting angry w...
This Is All That Matters
03 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
We need to deliberately let all the craziness and mundane tasks of life to fall away. Because all of those things that we allow to stick around, even ...
They Already Doubt Themselves Enough
02 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
It’s not that you don’t think they’re great or talented. You’re a big fan. You always have been. You know they can do it. You just worry. You ...
Be More Than A Hero
01 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
From the outside, we can admire people. We can acknowledge and be inspired by their heroism, but we must still strive to learn from their failure to b...
You're Stretched To A New Capactity
31 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
There’s no question that becoming a parent has stretched you beyond limits you ever thought possible. You are busier now than you ever were in your ...
How Have We Gotten So Far From This?
30 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Remember: A little fellow follows you. Your kids are always watching. They’re the ones you should want to impress. They’re the ones you should nev...
Daily Dad On Delegating Time For A Successful Home Life
28 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
On this weekend episode of the Daily Dad, Ryan sits down with writing partner Nils to talk about the work life time management and how to balance thei...
It's A Lie And An Excuse
27 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
A little fellow follows you, remember that. The decision to shut down emotionally doesn’t just impact you. The decision to overcommit. The decision ...
Give Them A Minute!
26 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
You missed them while they were away at school. You want to hang out with them. You want to be an attentive, interested parent. You want to make sure ...
The Block Doesn’t Always Chip
25 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
We want such big things for and from our kids. Because we know what they’re capable of. Because we have worked so hard to provide a better childhood...
Does It Have To Be Hard To Be Your Kid?
24 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Think about the life of Randolph Churchill, who we have talked about. Think about the life of Claudia Williams, the daughter of Ted Williams, who we’...
It's Always Been Like This
23 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Out in the street, the kids are playing and screaming. They’re throwing balls and sharing toys. It’s noisy and insane, sweet and overwhelming. It’...
Daily Dad On Making The Most Of Your Time With Your Kids
21 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
On this weekend of episode of the Daily Dad, Ryan shares a compilation of emails that help parents understand the importance of our time with our kids...
You Must Learn To Measure Life On Different Terms
20 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Douglas MacArthur seemed relatively accepting of his quiet, sensitive boy. It was undoubtedly MacArthur’s dream to see his son graduate from West Po...
Here's What Happens If You're Selfish
19 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Each of us has dreams and demons, goals and baggage. Sometimes in equal measure, sometimes not–and not always in favor of the good stuff. We have tr...
Ask Them This Question Every Day
18 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
We’re always asking our kids questions. How was school? How did baseball practice go? Did you stay out of trouble? What did your teacher say about y...
If Not Them, Who?
17 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
We do our best to be good citizens. Good colleagues. Good people. We don’t freak out like some demonic Karen in a viral video when something goes wr...
It's Invisible Work
16 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
It would be nice if the work we did at home was as clear as the work we do at, well, work. At the office, the number of hours matters. At the office, ...
Daily Dad On Demonstrating Valuable Lessons While On Vacation
15 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
On this weekend episode of the Daily Dad, Ryan shares a story from his Family trip to Hawaii over the holidays! Through this experience Ryan draws a l...
What Schools Are Your Kids Attending?
13 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
What schools are your kids attending? No, not what college or prep school. This is more of a “school of life” question. Charis Denison, a relation...
Why You Can’t Compare Yourself To These People
12 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
These apps are designed to make you feel vulnerable, hook you, and sell you stuff. While that is great for the social media platforms, it’s not so g...
It's Afternoon Now
11 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Don’t be sad. Don’t be delusional. Adjust. Accept. Appreciate. Because, as Lindbergh perfectly puts it, “in our breathless attempts we…miss th...
Have Them To Teach Them
10 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
If we want kids who know their own space, know what’s appropriate and what isn’t, what will hurt other people and what brings a smile to someone’...
Why Not Get Better Here?
09 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
If the Stoics have taught us anything it is that we should focus only on the things we can control. We can control what kind of parents we are. We can...
Karen Duffy on Parenting With The Hand Your Dealt
07 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
On this weekend episode of the Daily Dad Podcast, Ryan sits down with former actress and stoic Karen Duffy to discuss her latest book stoic inspired p...
Remind Yourself What Love Is
06 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
There are few scenes in literature that capture love and loss and the terrifying but also inspiring moment of becoming a father quite like the end of ...
Let Them Write Their Own Script
05 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
It seems like it would be easy but as we have found out in the course of our own lives, it’s one of the hardest things in the world: Figuring out wh...
Put Your Focus Here
04 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
You’re at the store and you see a parent talking rudely to their kids. Or letting them run around like it’s their house. You read some news story ...
This Is What You'll Remember
03 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
It won’t be the recitals. Or the graduations. Or the expensive trips to theme parks. Or the birthdays or the Christmas mornings. When you think back...
Is This Really Something To Be Proud Of?
02 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Some people’s houses look like they don’t even have kids. You see it on the Instagram accounts of the picture-perfect influencers. Or you go to a ...
Daily Dad On Maintaining Your Kids Presence
31 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
On this weekend episode of the Daily Dad, Ryan sits down with writing partner Nils to talk about how parents can get things wrong when it comes to mai...
Your Kids Can Have A More Grateful Outlook
30 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
It’s important that you teach your kids about gratitude. Because it’s so easy to take life, to take the gifts we have been given, for granted. Esp...
Everyone Needs This
29 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Regardless of what some people say, it never hurts to give your kids a positive word, or to tell them that you love them and are proud of them. In fac...
How Much Do You Want It
28 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Every parent knows that kids make a great excuse. When people ask us to do something we’d rather not do, if we need a way to get out of a commitment...
Demand The Best Of Yourself For Them
27 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
This is that weird time of year where we start to think about how we want the following year to go. We start thinking about what we call “resolution...
They're Not Trying To Give You A Hard Time
26 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
It can sometimes feel like everything is falling apart. No one is behaving. No one is listening. Everyone is yelling. Causing problems. Making messes....
This Is A Gift You Can Give Yourself (And Your Family)
25 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Here on Christmas, and throughout this holiday season, take some time to think about what it will take to have that. Think about the choices you’re ...
Daily Dad On How To Form Good Habits For The New Year
24 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
On this weekend episode of the Daily Dad Podcast Ryan shares a compilation of his best thoughts on how to form the best habits from this past year. Ra...
Those Impactful Moments Can Come Any Time
23 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
When we think teacher, we think classroom. When we think leader, we think the corner office or the lectern or a general in front of their troops. But ...
We Are All The Same
22 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Nobody wants to be like their parents…or like the adults they remember growing up. The ones who were clueless…or uncool. The ones who seemed to fo...
This Is Criminal
21 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
You weren’t the parent you wanted to be in 2022. You weren’t the person you wanted to be in 2022. Almost no one was. And anyone who thinks or says...
This is Why They’re A Mess
20 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Nobody’s listening. Everyone is grouchy. Grades are slipping. Siblings are fighting. What is happening, one spouse says to another. Why are the kids...
Don't Merge Like This
19 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
We encourage our children. We want to set them up to succeed. But we can’t merge their glory into our own. We can’t let them think they have to im...
How Past Grievances Affects Parenting With Susan Cain
17 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
On this weekend episode of the Daily Dad, Ryan speaks with Susan Cain about parental relationships, not just with their children but their own parents...
This Is The Best Competition
16 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Way too many parents are competitive. They see the car their neighbor is driving and they want to get a better one. They hear that a friend’s kid go...
Show Them How To Be Beautiful
15 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Epictetus said that the root of beauty was beautiful choices. “If your choices are beautiful,” he said, “so too will you be.”It’s simple and...
Where Did They Learn It From?
14 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
We’re rightfully disappointed when we hear about a kid getting caught cheating. Whether it’s on a test or a violation of some NCAA policy, it’s ...
Everyone Has Something Going On?
13 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
We all know how hard our home life is, we know how it affects us–weighing on us, distracting us, making us act out. Well, we can safely assume that ...
Soon It Will Be Gone
12 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
It’s a haunting thought that, in the busyness and day-to-dayness of parenting, we can so easily forget the little things. The chubby hands of our to...
Managing Screen Time and Getting Kids Outside With Steven Rinella
11 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
On this weekend episode of the Daily Dad Podcast, Ryan talks to Steven Rinella about his new book Outdoor Kids in an Inside World: Getting Your Family...
They Deserve To Know Before It's Too Late
09 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
It’s a story as old as fatherhood itself. The son or daughter kills themselves to win the approval of their dad, which never seems to come. There is...
Be Careful Of Telling Them To Be Careful
08 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
You’re just trying to keep them safe. You’re just trying to help them. You’re just trying to look out for them. So you say or scream or text.Be ...
These Are Wonderful Sounds
07 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
One thing that hits you from the very first moments of being a parent is the noise. Your children come out screaming and they don’t stop. It makes y...
Don't Be A Ghost
06 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
You work hard. It keeps you busy. You are trying to provide for a family after all–to keep them safe and secure, so they never have to want or go wi...
This Will Make Your Life (And Kids) Better
05 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
It’s not easy, this thing we’re trying to do. You’d think it would be: Billions of people have done it through history and the survival of our g...
5 Parenting Don'ts
03 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
On this weekend episode of the Daily Dad Ryan compiles advice from his Daily Dad newsletter, podcasts, and interviews to share a highlight reel of 5...
Why Don't You Put That Energy Here?
02 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
The Stoics remind us not only to focus on what’s in our control, but specifically in regards to aggravating people, they tell us that the best reven...
How To Be The Greatest Ever
01 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
We’ve said before: kids do well when they can. When you give them the opportunity, kids generally do the right thing. You don’t have to scream. Yo...
Aren't You A Little Old For That?
30 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
When our kids mess up we say: Aren’t you a little old for that? And we have all sorts of rules of thumb for what things are age appropriate or not—...
What's More Important?
29 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
It’s strange. The things we’re upset about–with our spouses, with our children, with our siblings. They feel like they matter so much in the mom...
You Gotta Be Delicate About These Things
28 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
It’s the moment we dread. Our son is dating someone we know is bad for them. Our daughter is about to change college majors and throw away years of ...
Knowing When To Take A Break
26 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
On this weekend episode of The Daily Dad Ryan talks about being an "activity addict" and how he and his wife balance knowing when it's time to just re...
How To Raise Generous Kids
25 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
You want to raise kids who aren’t entitled. Who are self-sufficient. Who are decent and kind, part of the solutions not the problems of the world an...
Why We Should Always Be Grateful
24 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Today and always we should be grateful. To choose resentment or envy, bitterness or fear, anxiety or anger–because your flight was delayed? Because ...
What Values Are You Rewarding?
23 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Pretty much every parent wants to raise kids who turn out to be good people. So it's important to show them that moral excellence is what matters. Tha...
You Don't Have To Be Perfect
22 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
We sweat so much. Whether we’re on our phone too much, when we could (and should) be playing with our kids. Whether their lunch yesterday was perfec...