The Daily Dad
Episodes
Teach Them to Notice
21 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
"When Robert Lovett, the future State Department official and Secretary of Defense, was a kid, it happened that both father and son took similar route...
If It Works, Do It Again
20 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
"We parents are like field goal kickers. Just like if a certain shirt or a pair of socks brings them luck, we’re always looking for something, anyth...
You Have to Be Proud
19 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
"Imagine you’re in the middle of the biggest moment of your career. Suddenly, someone starts attacking and criticizing your son. They’re not comp...
What Are You Leaving Them?
16 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
"Someone once remarked to the famed Speaker of the House, Sam Rayburn, that his father hadn’t left him much when he had died. Rayburn was quick to c...
You Can’t Be a Hypocrite
15 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
"A few years ago, the Emmy-winning actor William H. Macy was asked for the best piece of advice he was ever given. 'Never lie,' he answered. 'It’s t...
Protect This Impulse
14 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
"We have to remember that our job as parents, as educators, is not to keep our kids in line. It’s not to crush their initiative because it’s disru...
Where Did You See That?
13 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
"Your daughter gets mad, so she slams the door and screams. Your son makes himself a snack and leaves the kitchen a disaster for someone else to clean...
Don’t Make Them Wait for It
12 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
"When you’re gone, when they go through your stuff or when they talk to your friends at your funeral, it will be undeniable clearly: God, your dad j...
When You Get Them to Listen...
09 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
"We all say things to our kids, just as our parents did. Little bits and bobs of wisdom that we picked up places. We hope they hear us. We hope it get...
Here’s How to Have Lasting Impact
08 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
"There’s a lot going on in the world, a lot going wrong. There’s so much we’d like to change, so much we’d like to be better.Where do we start...
Why You Have to Be Good to Your Kids
07 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
"Sure, it’s important that you keep up with your friends. You wouldn’t want to be one of those people that just disappears once they have kids. Yo...
There’s Always an Excuse
06 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
"There’s always an excuse for why you’re not being the parent you’d like to be, just as there’s always an excuse why you’re not being the pe...
This Is the Highest Praise
05 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
"There is one way to judge, in the end, whether you’ve done this thing right. It’s not based on how rich your kids get. It’s not whether they ma...
We All Need to Hear This
02 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Ryan further discusses the letters that author F. Scott Fitzgerald wrote to his daughter, and what they say about him and his character as a parent, o...
We Are All in This Together
01 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
"It’s easy to forget this. It’s easy to give into dissension and conflict and zero-sumness. Especially now. Especially when things are so dark. Is...
You Don’t Have to Be So Serious
30 Sep 2020
Contributed by Lukas
"It’s exhausting to be a kid. Because they’re clever and creative and you’re not. Because they’re pure and idealistic and you’ve been harden...
Who Are You Studying for Their Sake?
29 Sep 2020
Contributed by Lukas
"What kinds of books do dads like? Well, according to the displays at Barnes & Noble and Costco, it’s almost exclusively books about war and his...
Nourish This Wonderful Trait
28 Sep 2020
Contributed by Lukas
"Sometimes, when parents fall down on the job, it falls to someone else to do the job. The primary and most important influence on Queen Victoria, for...
Teach Them to Believe in This
25 Sep 2020
Contributed by Lukas
"In August 1933, F. Scott Fitzgerald wrote a letter to his young daughter Frances who was away at camp. It's a beautiful, personal letter from a man w...
What Story Are You Telling Your Kids?
24 Sep 2020
Contributed by Lukas
"There are a few versions of history you can tell your kids. You can tell them the propaganda version—the fables, the self-serving myths, the lies t...
Your Feelings Don't Count
23 Sep 2020
Contributed by Lukas
"Parenting just demands so much more of you, just more than you ever even thought yourself capable of giving. You do it because you want to, because y...
You Have to Do This. We Need It.
22 Sep 2020
Contributed by Lukas
"There is a reason that this metaphor keeps popping up. Cormac McCarthy talked about 'carrying the fire' in his haunting novel The Road, which he wrot...
Don’t Be Like These People
21 Sep 2020
Contributed by Lukas
"We’ve come to call them 'Karens,' but the truth is that being an entitled, obnoxious ass transcends gender. It has nothing to do with the haircut, ...
Keep the Little Promises
18 Sep 2020
Contributed by Lukas
"We tell our kids a lot of things. We tell them that we love them. That we’ll support them no matter what. That they can come to us with anything. ...
You Must Love the Kid You Have
17 Sep 2020
Contributed by Lukas
"Maybe you’re an introvert and your daughter turned out to be an extrovert. Maybe you always hoped for a daughter and ended up with three sons. Mayb...
What Can You Do? You Can Do This.
16 Sep 2020
Contributed by Lukas
"Especially in the early days, it can seem like being a dad is to assume the role of perpetual third wheel. You can’t nurse. You can’t magically c...
Send Them a Postcard
15 Sep 2020
Contributed by Lukas
"Maybe you have to travel a lot for work. Maybe you take an occasional vacation. Or you’re on the road a lot with one of your older kids for sports ...
You Don’t Have to Have the Words
14 Sep 2020
Contributed by Lukas
"How do you tell your kids how you feel? How do you say what needs to be said? There are so many moments where words escape us. Because we’re stunne...
Tell ‘Em More Than Once
11 Sep 2020
Contributed by Lukas
"Do you remember the best piece of advice you got from your dad? Are there sayings from childhood that have stuck with you? That time you were getting...
Show Them How to Do This
10 Sep 2020
Contributed by Lukas
"In 1952, Margaret Thatcher’s father was driven out of office when a rival political party won a majority in the election. His position wasn’t a p...
You’ve Got to Live Up to Your Standards
09 Sep 2020
Contributed by Lukas
"It’s a touching scene. The father in The Road is giving the last of the hot chocolate they had found to his son. He pretends to make a little for h...
Don't Judge Them Too Harshly... Or Quickly
08 Sep 2020
Contributed by Lukas
"In the spring of 1921, a young ballplayer named Louis Gehrig had a tryout for the great John McGraw at the Polo Grounds. McGraw was the manager of th...
It's OK to Be Ambitious
07 Sep 2020
Contributed by Lukas
"You have things you want to do in this life. Maybe you want to write a book or you’re in the middle of starting a company. Maybe you’re trying to...
This Is How You Teach Them
04 Sep 2020
Contributed by Lukas
"There is so much you want to teach them. When they’re little. When they’re teenagers. When they are out of the house and about to get married. Wh...
Make Them Do Their Own Stuff
03 Sep 2020
Contributed by Lukas
"For some of us, it could be easily deduced that our kids have no hands. And no brains. We put on their clothes for them. We make their decisions. We ...
It’s the Thousandth Time That Counts
02 Sep 2020
Contributed by Lukas
"C’mon, Dad, again! One more time! Can we keep going a little longer? Let’s start over! I don’t want to stop!You’ve heard all these things mor...
You Can’t Stop. No Matter What.
01 Sep 2020
Contributed by Lukas
"Nothing about Marcus Aurelius’ reign was fair. Fate tested him with one catastrophe after another. The Parthians invaded and triggered a war that w...
It’s Not About the Stuff
31 Aug 2020
Contributed by Lukas
"You work very hard and are able to provide. Not just the basic necessities, but all sorts of extras. Because of you, your kids have a swimming pool. ...
It’s About Being There… A Lot
28 Aug 2020
Contributed by Lukas
"How do you get through to your kids? How do you show them what’s right? How can you make sure they know how much you care about them? That you’re...
You Will Have to Take the Lead On This
27 Aug 2020
Contributed by Lukas
"It feels elitist to say this, but it’s true: Public education is built for the lowest common denominator. It has to be. One of the beautiful and po...
Teach Them That They Decide the End of Every Story
26 Aug 2020
Contributed by Lukas
"As dads, one of the hardest things to think about is our kids experiencing hardship. So maybe we teach them to turn away from the things that are har...
Be So Good They’ll Think This Later
25 Aug 2020
Contributed by Lukas
"The writer Ambrose Bierce was a notorious cynic and curmudgeon. He was also fearless and hilarious and a father. At some point in his life—we’re ...
It’s About the Right Moment
24 Aug 2020
Contributed by Lukas
"There are so many books you want your kids to read. The books that influenced you. The ones that changed your life. The ones you have so many fond me...
How Are You Embodying Your Values?
21 Aug 2020
Contributed by Lukas
"We talk to our kids about doing what’s right. We talk to them about thinking for themselves. We talk to them about being kind, we talk to them abou...
A Dad Provides for His Family
20 Aug 2020
Contributed by Lukas
"You remember the famous scene from Breaking Bad. Walter has messed up his life. He is struggling. He meets Gus Fring, who is all the things he is not...
You'll Always Worry
19 Aug 2020
Contributed by Lukas
"What is being a father but worry? We talked about that great image from Obama a while back. Being a parent, he said, is a little like taking your hea...
You Must Be Unreachable
18 Aug 2020
Contributed by Lukas
"You work hard. You have so many responsibilities. So many people depend on you. Which is precisely why you must work to become unreachable."Ryan tel...
You Have to Help Them Do This
17 Aug 2020
Contributed by Lukas
"We love our kids, that’s why we hate to see them struggle. But maybe that’s precisely the wrong way to think about it? Because we love our kids...
Teach Them to Ask Questions
14 Aug 2020
Contributed by Lukas
"Too often, as parents, we focus on the results. We care about their grades. We care about whether they’re turning in their homework. We care whethe...
This Must Come First
13 Aug 2020
Contributed by Lukas
"Trevor Ariza chose family over basketball. He chose his son—a month with him—over $1.8 million dollars in salary. He made the right choice, altho...
They Can’t Tell You This
12 Aug 2020
Contributed by Lukas
“Your kids can’t tell you they’re having a hard time. They don’t know that they are. They don’t understand what’s happening in the world. ...
Look for These Moments
11 Aug 2020
Contributed by Lukas
In the 2008 American presidential campaign, Barack Obama famously used the Reverend Wright scandal as what he later called a “teachable moment”—...
This Is Your Warrant
10 Aug 2020
Contributed by Lukas
"What gives you the right? What’s your purpose on this planet? Why do you work so hard, why do you fight for the causes you fight for, why do you pu...
Everything but This Is Temporary
07 Aug 2020
Contributed by Lukas
"You’ve been working for this moment your whole life. To make it into the league. To sit behind the big desk. To command the squadron. To have the p...
This Is the Enemy of Good Parenting
06 Aug 2020
Contributed by Lukas
"There are so many sad examples: The father who can’t bear to be contradicted. The parents who refuse to admit when they are wrong. The mom who spen...
Let Them See You in Your Element
05 Aug 2020
Contributed by Lukas
"What do you think drew Steph Curry to basketball? It must have been many things, but chief among them has to have been the time he spent in arenas wa...
What Do We Do In Times Like This?
04 Aug 2020
Contributed by Lukas
"So much has happened and so much now remains uncertain. Do we go back to work? Do we let the kids go to the park? Do we stay inside? Do we start home...
You Gotta Take an Interest
03 Aug 2020
Contributed by Lukas
"When Margaret Thatcher was in school as a young girl, she was assigned books like we all were. Some were boring. Some were exciting. Some were strang...
These Are Magic Words
31 Jul 2020
Contributed by Lukas
"When you hear these three words, there can be only one response. To drop everything and look. To engage. To be flattered and excited, to love every s...
This Is the Secret to Your Hardest Job
30 Jul 2020
Contributed by Lukas
"It doesn’t matter if you’re the president, a doctor, or an internationally touring musician—they all agree that the hardest job is being a pare...
There Is No Party Line
29 Jul 2020
Contributed by Lukas
"Should you let your kids have screen time when they’re younger? How young is too young to give them their first phone? What about sugar and process...
Make Life More Promising When You’re Around
28 Jul 2020
Contributed by Lukas
"F. Scott Fitzgerald lived a glamorous life and then he cracked up. All his talent. All his money. All the beauty and the passion evaporated. His wife...
It’s Hard to Be Them
27 Jul 2020
Contributed by Lukas
"It would be nice if the world was nice. It would be nice if it was easy to be a kid. Unfortunately, it isn’t. It’s hard to be the smart kid. As S...
This Is the Tricky Balance
24 Jul 2020
Contributed by Lukas
"School doesn’t matter. It just doesn’t. Have your grades from elementary school ever come up once in your life? Even a Harvard GPA is unnecessary...
Your Bond Should Grow
23 Jul 2020
Contributed by Lukas
"Every father is different, yet when we hear the descriptions, or see the portrayals of fathers on film, it can feel like we’re the only one who is ...
There Are Better Forms of Motivation
22 Jul 2020
Contributed by Lukas
"When you look at champions—in sports or politics or business—it’s hard not to detect a theme running through a lot of their motivations. Many o...
Show Them What You Love (But Don’t Make Them Love It)
21 Jul 2020
Contributed by Lukas
"You have been looking forward to this for so long. The opportunity to turn them onto your favorite bands. To watch your favorite movies. To take them...
This Is a Chance to Learn
20 Jul 2020
Contributed by Lukas
"There is nothing that can prepare you for being a dad, as the cliche goes. No book. No class. No amount of seeing your own parents or siblings do it....
You Gotta Give Them Access
17 Jul 2020
Contributed by Lukas
"We want to make sure our kids have opportunities in life. We want to make sure that they’re not excluded or kept out. We work hard—try to make mo...
Try Not to Give Them Anything Extra
16 Jul 2020
Contributed by Lukas
"We all have issues. We know that. Our goal as fathers, as we’ve said, is to not pass them on. To stop the cycle of dysfunction. It’s a low bar, t...
Look for the Double Opportunity
15 Jul 2020
Contributed by Lukas
"The jogging stroller lets you exercise… while spending time with your kid. The drive to school, or to soccer tournaments… is a chance to have tha...
This Could Be That Day
14 Jul 2020
Contributed by Lukas
"It was just another day on vacation for the Roosevelts in 1921. FDR spent the morning sailing around Campobello Island with Eleanor and his two older...
You Guys Should Do This Together
13 Jul 2020
Contributed by Lukas
"Each morning, Hugh Jackman and his wife Deborra-Lee Furness, get up early and, after they meditate, they read together. Actually, they read aloud to ...
Remember the True Value of an Education
10 Jul 2020
Contributed by Lukas
"You send them to great schools. You make sure they do their homework. You drill them on their flashcards. You are saving for college. You are not goi...
They Deserve to Be Sheltered (Somewhat!)
09 Jul 2020
Contributed by Lukas
"How much should we shelter our kids from the scariness of the world? How much should we protect them from knowing about the day-to-day events of the ...
Don’t Teach Them What to Think, Teach Them How
08 Jul 2020
Contributed by Lukas
"It’s tempting to tell them exactly what they can and can’t do. It’s tempting to tell them what you expect them to do, or explain how the world ...
You Are Being Reminded
07 Jul 2020
Contributed by Lukas
"It’s been a rough couple weeks. You watched your retirement accounts lose as much as 30% of their value. You’re watching businesses disappear lef...
See If They Can Understand This
06 Jul 2020
Contributed by Lukas
"You probably heard the story of the ugly duckling growing up. Or perhaps you remember the story of Solon and Croesus. Both stories—one about a duck...
Keep Their Life Normal
03 Jul 2020
Contributed by Lukas
"We’ve talked before about how children born into privilege or power or a well-known family can easily become spoiled. Marcus Aurelius was an except...
This Is How To Get What You Want
02 Jul 2020
Contributed by Lukas
"We’ve talked about so many things in this email over the last year, so many goals we have as parents. We talked about treating fatherhood as a seco...
They Shouldn’t Have To Earn This
01 Jul 2020
Contributed by Lukas
In today's Daily Dad Podcast, Ryan tells the story of a young Lyndon Johnson and how his mother's adulation would turn into something worse, something...
Don’t Force Your Interests On Them
30 Jun 2020
Contributed by Lukas
You had all these ideas about what being a father would be. You looked forward to fixing cars together. Or watching your favorite movies. Or taking th...
You Have to Take Care of Yourself, Too
29 Jun 2020
Contributed by Lukas
"We’ve talked before of the crossfire hurricane that is becoming a father. When you first become a dad, your whole life gets turned upside down. As ...
They Are Meant For This
26 Jun 2020
Contributed by Lukas
"Maybe you remember when your kids were really young—or maybe they still are really young so you know this even better—what you could do to magica...
You Must Give Them This Gift
25 Jun 2020
Contributed by Lukas
"Theodore Roosevelt lived an incredible life. He was an author. A naturalist. A rancher. A police chief. A cowboy. A hunter. A governor. A soldier. A ...
Seldom Should Be Heard a Discouraging Word
24 Jun 2020
Contributed by Lukas
"If you’re not paying attention, it’s easy to slip into a habit of almost invariable negativity: Stop doing that. Don’t touch this. No, you can’...
Be Spartan With Your Wealth
23 Jun 2020
Contributed by Lukas
"The emperor Hadrian never had a son so he devised a very specific succession plan. He adopted a fifty-one-year-old man named Antoninus Pius on the co...
What Are Your Rules?
22 Jun 2020
Contributed by Lukas
"You’re a parent, so you have rules. What are they? No, not rules for them. Rules for you."Ryan talks about the most important rules that a parent c...
It’s An Honor to Do This
19 Jun 2020
Contributed by Lukas
"They say that the reason people have long shaken hands with their right hands was to signal that we came in peace and we’re not dangerous. They say...
Show Them Their Hometown
18 Jun 2020
Contributed by Lukas
"Maybe you don’t love where you live. Maybe if you had more money or a different job, you’d live elsewhere. Maybe it is too liberal or too conserv...
This Should Be What You Teach Them
17 Jun 2020
Contributed by Lukas
"If you haven’t watched the TV series Friday Night Lights since you’ve become a father, you should watch it again. There’s a reason that Coach T...
It’s Wrong to Ignore What You Know Is Wrong
16 Jun 2020
Contributed by Lukas
"There is so much on your plate. So much you have to worry about as a parent... So it’s understandable if you’ve been distracted, and you’ve mis...
Here’s How to Tie Your Family Together
15 Jun 2020
Contributed by Lukas
"You want them to listen. You want them to respect your rules. You want them to do what they’re supposed to do, the things that will make them succe...
You Are On The Front Lines of This Fight
12 Jun 2020
Contributed by Lukas
"One of the most insidious and toxic forces in the world is the belief that some races are naturally better than others, or that one sex is inferior t...
Be A Towering Example
11 Jun 2020
Contributed by Lukas
"Cato didn’t write any books. He never taught classes. He never gave interviews. He liked to say that he only spoke when he was certain that what he...
Can You Accept You’re Not In Control Anymore?
10 Jun 2020
Contributed by Lukas
"The first thing becoming a parent teaches you, as we’ve talked about before, is that idea of “unavoidable reality.” Each new father, David Broo...
This Is How They Will Learn
09 Jun 2020
Contributed by Lukas
"It was said for all the genius that Socrates possessed, Plato, and Aristotle, and all the sages who learned from him 'derived more benefit from the c...
We Have To Care. We Have To Care.
08 Jun 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Ryan discusses an issue that we as fathers cannot ignore, on today's Daily Dad Podcast.***If you enjoyed this week’s podcast, we’d love for you to...
Teach Them to See the Big Picture
05 Jun 2020
Contributed by Lukas
"Most of us are old enough to remember coming down to find our father at the breakfast table reading the newspaper. It was simply part of the routine,...
This Is the Kind of Coach You Have to Be
04 Jun 2020
Contributed by Lukas
"A father is a provider, a protector, a rule-setter, a friend. They are an educator and exemplar. They are also—whether their kids play sports or no...