The Daily Dad
Episodes
This Is How to Ask Them
17 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
“When Martin Luther King Jr. took over Dexter Avenue Baptist Church in Montgomery, AL, he insisted on a small social shift after his sermons that wa...
This Is What Putting Them First Looks Like
16 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
“For his whole career, Archie Manning had been a company man for the New Orleans Saints. He was great but the team was terrible. For years, they had...
They Are Going to Ask You
15 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
“At some point in the future your kids and your grandkids are going to ask you. They’re going to say: Dad, when there were 200,000 cases and 2,000...
The Lives of the Greats Remind Us
14 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
“Why do we tell our kids stories? Why do we tell them about history? Teach them about Martin Luther King, George Washington, Cincinnatus, Florence N...
It’s Always Been Like This
11 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
"There he walked, along the trail, carrying his young child pressed up against his side. Sometimes the kid would get a burst of energy and call to be ...
Think of Everything They Missed
10 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
"You read an old book and it’s pretty common: Dads didn’t used to be present for the birth of their children. Sometimes they weren’t even in tow...
This Is Something to Invest In
09 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
"You work hard for your family. You know how you sweated for each dollar, which can make it hard to spend. Especially if you have an eye toward invest...
Practice What You Preach
08 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
"If you haven’t read Emily Oster’s work, then your wife probably has. She’s a wonderful, brilliant economist (who also has a brilliant newslette...
Protect Them From This, Too
07 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
"Two thousand years ago, Plutarch, quoting a philosopher named Xenocrates, was talking about how concerned parents back then made sure their children ...
This Is a Family Motto
04 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
"It was one of those nights. The boys would not go to sleep. They had that contagious energy that so often keeps brothers awake. The first time their ...
What You Teach Them Can Never Be Taken Away
03 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
"A lot can go wrong. You and your spouse could split up. You could get cancer and die before your kids grow up. They could join a cult. They could mov...
Better To Be Best At This, Than Anything Else
02 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Cato the Elder was a great man. He was successful at agriculture. He was successful as a writer. He was a powerful politician. He towered over Roman l...
What Matters More Than Results
01 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Tracee Ellis Ross has a famous, successful mother: the singer Diana Ross. You might think that someone that successful would care a lot about success....
Are You Inspiring Them With This?
30 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
"There’s a lot of darkness in the world. A pandemic. Corrupt and failed politicians. Institutions groaning under the weight of modern problems. Mayb...
You’re Your Parents Now
27 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
"It hits you randomly. You’re in the middle of packing your kids up for a drive to the beach. You’re laying on the couch because your back hurts. ...
What Are You Going to Focus On?
26 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
"You can look at all the negative in the world. You can focus on the dark clouds above. Or you can look for the silver lining, the bright spots. We h...
It’s Good to Have Difficult People in Your Life
25 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
"Maybe your parents have issues.Maybe you have trouble getting along with your siblings. Maybe your spouse and you are very different. Maybe you hav...
Now Is the Time. Right Now.
24 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
"Your kids are always listening, that’s true. They’ll always look to see what you’re doing and learn from you. Nell Painter learning from her mo...
This Is Where to Put Your Effort
23 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
"You’re making good money. You’re saving. You’re investing. You’ve bought those personal finance books that tell you how to manage your financ...
You've Been Graced
20 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
"Charles de Gaulle had a hard life. He was a POW in WWI. He had to flee France in order to save it in WWII. He endured protests and assassination atte...
Tell Them Before It’s Too Late
19 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
"An accident, a mistake—no matter the intention, no matter how sweet the child or living the parent—can irrevocably change a life. A kid playing w...
It’s the Hardest Thing
18 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
"Chesty Puller saw some stuff. He fought in the Banana Wars. He fought in guerilla wars. He took islands in the Pacific during WWII. He fought in Kore...
This Is How to Act
17 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
"It’s confusing to be a parent these days. Confusing to be a father, too. Because roles are in a state of flux. Expectations are always increasing. ...
You Have To Unlock This
16 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Clearly, Dean Acheson’s parents did a good job. They raised him to be diligent enough to get into the best schools. They provided for him. They made...
You Don’t Stop Teaching Your Kids
13 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
"Nell Painter was an accomplished adult. She was more than out from under her parents thumb—she was in her seventies. She was a world-class historia...
Yet Don’t Be Too Tough
12 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
"As we’ve talked about, you have to toughen your kids up. No one is well-served by parents who are soft, who let them be soft.But at the same time, ...
Make Them Feel Like They’re “Enough”
11 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
"Obviously you want them to be successful. You want them to be excellent—at whatever they do in this life. But it is essential, as you try to motiv...
Not Just to Read, but to Read Critically
10 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
"An illiterate world is not a good one, but a world where people unthinkingly believe and accept everything they read is not that much better. So it’...
They’re Listening. They Really Are.
09 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
"Like so many dads, Harbaugh kept repeating this ridiculous line because, who knows why, that’s just what dads do. Not once in the five hundred time...
You Have to Come Up With Challenges
06 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
"Of course, you want tough kids. You want boys who are active and resilient. You want girls who are active and resilient. You want them to be healthy,...
Don’t Ever, Ever Do This
05 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
"Cato the Elder, we’re told by Plutarch, “used to say that a man who beats his wife or a child is laying sacrilegious hands on the most sacred thi...
Who Are You Doing This For?
04 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
"It’s almost incomprehensible.The parents were rich. They were powerful. Their kids had access to the best tutors in the world. The best schools. Th...
Only A Parent Understands
03 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
"The Spartan Agesilaus was the toughest of the tough. Like all Spartans, he had been trained in the agoge to be courageous and self-disciplined and be...
They Learn From Home
02 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
"You tell them to be good. To be honest. To follow the law. To care about other people. That safety comes first. You say these things, but what do yo...
What If You Didn’t Think You Knew?
30 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
"You’re a dad, so you know a lot. You’ve been alive a while. You’ve read a thing or two and heard a thing or two. So when your kids ask you ques...
They Don’t Need to Worry About Anything But This
29 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
"F Scott Fitzgerald wasn’t always the best father, but as one of the most brilliant writers and thinkers of his time, he certainly knew how to expre...
Let Them Hear It From You
28 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
"You can’t wait until you’re on your deathbed to let them know how you feel about them. You can’t wait until you’re dead and gone and they go ...
There’s a Reason You’re So Raw
27 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
"While there are certainly people out there for whom the pandemic or our political environment have brought out their worst, the rest of us have start...
Easier or Harder? Which Is It?
26 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
"What’s the through line to judge a good parent through the early days to the glory days through the golden years? It’s simple: Do you make their...
They Are Always Your Child
23 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
"We have to remember that while we’re on this journey. They’re going to get older. Someday, perhaps some day soon, they’ll stop being a little b...
When Is Their Time?
22 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
"Of course, you’re busy. You have work. You have your spouse. You have your kids. You have all the obligations of adulthood. All these things are im...
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...