The Daily Dad
Episodes
Raise Them To Be a “Why” Child
11 Mar 2020
Contributed by Lukas
In one of F. Scott Fitzerald’s funniest short stories, “Head and Shoulders,” a certifiable genius falls in love with a showgirl. The plot and mo...
Don’t Let Them Get Discouraged
10 Mar 2020
Contributed by Lukas
We’ve all done it. It’s happened to almost all of us. We see a thing. We want to try it. It’s hard. And…we give up. Whether it’s karate, bus...
You’re Doing Better Than You Think
09 Mar 2020
Contributed by Lukas
It can be easy to question your parenting. To feel like you’re not doing good enough, that you’re not nearly enough. You see what other parents ar...
They Are Always Listening
06 Mar 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Have you ever heard your kids say something that just stops you cold? One of those remarks that instinctually makes you do a double take? It can be an...
Make Sure They Spend Time Around Old People
05 Mar 2020
Contributed by Lukas
In his book, The Vanishing American Adult, Senator Ben Sasse pondered what might strike a person from the distant past as odd about our modern society...
This Is Something to Work Towards
04 Mar 2020
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...
Introduce Them To The (Friendly) World of Ideas
03 Mar 2020
Contributed by Lukas
General Jim Mattis has talked about his idyllic childhood in Pullman, Washington. There he spent time outdoors, explored, got in trouble, and had an a...
You Can't Prevent Them From Making Mistakes
02 Mar 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Nobody wants to see their kid make a mistake. That’s why we spend so much time teaching them right and wrong, why we try to be a good example, why w...
Don’t Let Your Kids Down
28 Feb 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Do you know the story of the 300 Spartans? Maybe you do. It was first immortalized by Herodotus, and then has been passed down through the ages from S...
Why This Is So Important
27 Feb 2020
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...
This Is All You Can Want For Your Kids
26 Feb 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Douglas MacArthur was a complicated man. He was ambitious. He was vain. He made many mistakes. It’s very unlikely that he was a perfect father. In f...
Where Will They Get Their Degree?
25 Feb 2020
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...
You Can Give Them This Gift
24 Feb 2020
Contributed by Lukas
In 1982-83, Jim Valvano coached the North Carolina State basketball team to a National Championship title. The Wolfpack was a mid-ranked team that ent...
Love is About Service
21 Feb 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Ernest Hemingway was not a great husband or, as often as he should have been, a great father. He had four wives, at least one affair, and was often ab...
You Are Letting Them Steal From Your Family
20 Feb 2020
Contributed by Lukas
In early January, Kobe Bryant got a note from a reporter at ESPN. She was working on a story about a moment in Lakers’ history and she wanted to fea...
Don’t Be A Dream Hoarder
19 Feb 2020
Contributed by Lukas
There is a type of parent out there. Career-wise, they are killing it. They have a good marriage to an income-earning spouse and together they make go...
How Could You Be So Stupid?
18 Feb 2020
Contributed by Lukas
If you ever hear yourself uttering these words, “How could you have been so stupid?” to your kids—because they just got escorted home by a polic...
Your Kids Will Be Whatever You Make Them
17 Feb 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Dr. Edith Enger’s son was born with athetoid cerebral palsy. A diagnosis like this would be scary whenever one gets it, but getting it decades ago w...
Are You Teaching Them Gratitude?
14 Feb 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Your kids should be grateful. Not to you and mom, of course, you’re just doing your job. You’re legally and biologically obligated. Your kids shou...
You Can Be a Dad Anywhere
13 Feb 2020
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 ...
Help, But Don’t Make Them Helpless
12 Feb 2020
Contributed by Lukas
There is so much to do. Your kids have to be dressed. They have to eat. They have go to school. They have to do well in school. They’ll need jobs. T...
Here’s Where To Be A Competitive Parent
11 Feb 2020
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...
Blame Yourself—Or No One
10 Feb 2020
Contributed by Lukas
A few weeks ago, there was a fascinating piece about the controversial NFL receiver Antonio Brown. Of course, anything about Antonio Brown is fascinat...
Your Expectations Are A Self-Fulfilling Prophecy
07 Feb 2020
Contributed by Lukas
The writer Thomas Sowell once noted, sardonically, how sad it is that editions of Frederick Douglass’s memoirs, when provided for high school studen...
What’s The Contract You Have With Your Kids?
06 Feb 2020
Contributed by Lukas
In 2009, after winning two National Championships as the head coach of the Florida Gators football team, Urban Meyer stunned the nation by announcing ...
Don't Wait To Be Proud
05 Feb 2020
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...
You’re Too Old To Act Out
04 Feb 2020
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—...
How To Teach Them This Essential Value
03 Feb 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Pretty much every parent wants to raise kids who turn out to be good people. Almost no father thinks: I’d love for my son to be rich, but awful. Or ...
Get Rid of Your Preconceived Notions
31 Jan 2020
Contributed by Lukas
One of the things Napoleon advised his generals against was “forming a picture” of the battle. What he meant was that your preconceived notions, y...
You Must Engage With The Slime
30 Jan 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Rules and regulations are important. A child needs to learn what behaviors are acceptable and which ones are not. They need structure and guidance. Th...
Don’t Baby Them When It Comes to Books
29 Jan 2020
Contributed by Lukas
It’s interesting to think about the steady decline in expectations for our kids when it comes to reading. Sure, we want them to be able to read earl...
Teach them Early Where Their Value Lies
28 Jan 2020
Contributed by Lukas
The ancient writer—and father—Plutarch tells us of a parenting strategy he discovered in the works of Plato. “Young people must be taught from c...
You Are Not A Babysitter
27 Jan 2020
Contributed by Lukas
The late ESPN broadcaster—and father of two girls—Stuart Scott, was once sitting in a restaurant with some friends and their respective children. ...
You Will Want A Crowded Table
24 Jan 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Right now, you’re thinking about what all the other parents are doing. What schools they’re getting their kids into. What the best strollers are. ...
What Do You Think You Look Like When You’re Anxious?
23 Jan 2020
Contributed by Lukas
A couple weeks ago, we talked about the sobering exercise of trying to observe other people getting upset or losing their temper at their kids. Nothin...
This Is Good Advice For Your Kids
22 Jan 2020
Contributed by Lukas
We’ve talked before about David Epstein’s wonderful book Range, which advises against premature specialization—in athletes, in kids, in intelle...
Just Listen. Just Listen. Just Listen.
21 Jan 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Ted Williams was not a good father. We’ve written about this before, but it bears restating for our purposes here that while he was the greatest hit...
You Have To Be Flexible
20 Jan 2020
Contributed by Lukas
When you read parenting books, it’s hard not to get the distinct sense that there is a right way to parent. That being a dad (or a mom) means follow...
How Many Times Have You Been Told?
17 Jan 2020
Contributed by Lukas
You’ve told them a million times. You told them why they need to study before their test, and they didn’t and they came home with a D. You told th...
You Are Capable of Change
16 Jan 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Ted Williams was not a good father—at least not for most of his life. He was a great baseball player, but for a long time, he was a really selfish a...
Nobody Is Better Than Your Kids
15 Jan 2020
Contributed by Lukas
The great physicist Richard Feynman had a father who instilled his brilliant son with an interesting perspective about the world. Sitting down, he wou...
It’s Time To Look in the Mirror
14 Jan 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Kids are crazy, right? When they’re hungry, they are rude and difficult to manage. They are demanding and seem incapable, most of the time, of doing...
This Is Proof You Have What It Takes
13 Jan 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Who among us is not insecure? We look around and see people who make more money. Who have bigger houses. Who have accomplished more than we have. This...
This Is Making You So Much Better
10 Jan 2020
Contributed by Lukas
We talked before about how MacArthur had a kind of scheduled morning craziness with his son Arthur, who would enter his room promptly at 7am and pumme...
Where Is Your Ego Getting In The Way?
09 Jan 2020
Contributed by Lukas
We live in a world awash with ego. We see it every day. We can see the ego of our boss, and how it has turned the office against them. We can see ego ...
It’s a Low Bar, But You Better Clear It
08 Jan 2020
Contributed by Lukas
If you haven’t seen the fascinating Netflix documentary about Rachel Dolezal, a troubled woman who pretended to be black when she’s actually white...
All You Can Do As a Dad
07 Jan 2020
Contributed by Lukas
You might not think of Tom Hanks as a father, but he is one. He had four kids, two from his first marriage, Colin and Elizabeth, and two from his seco...
Do You Know What You Look Like Angry?
06 Jan 2020
Contributed by Lukas
A while back, we talked over at Daily Stoic about one of Seneca’s remedies for a hot temper. Try to catch a glimpse of yourself in the mirror some t...
Feelings Are Not Indictments
03 Jan 2020
Contributed by Lukas
One of the things you have trouble adjusting to when you first have kids is the crying. Not just because it’s loud, but because it feels like you’...
A Dad Must Think The Unthinkable
02 Jan 2020
Contributed by Lukas
It’s fitting that one of the most important things you can do as a parent would require you to think about a thing that’s very nearly impossible f...
Make Sure You Make Time For Crazy
01 Jan 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Douglas MacArthur was a man of routine, most military men are. So it shouldn’t surprise us that he built a family life around routine. But unlike fa...
Teach Them Early—When You Still Can
31 Dec 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Cato the Younger was not an easy man to get to do something. If he felt it went against his conscience or that it was illogical, you’d have an easie...
You Can’t Choose Your Parents, But You Can…
30 Dec 2019
Contributed by Lukas
One of the best lines from Seneca is that while we can’t choose our parents, we do have the ability to choose whose children we will be. In ancient ...
If You’re Not Getting Better, You’re Getting Worse
27 Dec 2019
Contributed by Lukas
It’s a sad sight when you see a dad who has clearly stopped trying. He puts on weight. He checks out of his marriage. Maybe he starts drinking more....
The Stakes Are High
26 Dec 2019
Contributed by Lukas
It’s hard to picture Fred Rogers as a parent. Of course, we can easily recall him as Mr. Rogers, patiently and lovingly explaining things to generat...
Why Are You Rushing?
25 Dec 2019
Contributed by Lukas
We’re always in a rush. We have to get them ready for school. We have to get them off to bed. We have to get to the airport. We have to get back ins...
What Kind Of Energy Are You Bringing?
24 Dec 2019
Contributed by Lukas
The ubiquity of the word “energy” these days is probably a sign of how pervasive pseudo-science and charlatans have become. We are inundated with ...
If You Want Your Children To Turn Out Well
23 Dec 2019
Contributed by Lukas
It’s easy to think that money is the solution to most of the problems of parenting. After all, we remember our own childhood and the things that mon...
You Have To Mean What You Say
20 Dec 2019
Contributed by Lukas
It’s so easy to make threats as a dad. If you don’t stop that, I’m going to turn the TV off. If you don’t start being nicer to your brother, w...
There Is Nothing Better Than This
19 Dec 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Falling in love with your spouse is great. Making a lot of money is awesome. Crushing it at work is too. It’s nice to have a big house or to go out ...
Kids See Through To What Matters
18 Dec 2019
Contributed by Lukas
You can sit your kids down to watch what you think is the greatest movie of all time, and they’ll get bored and fall asleep. You can get floor seats...
Always Think About How Other People Are Doing
17 Dec 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Perhaps you’re familiar with the scene in the Bible where Moses—aided by God—parts the Red Sea. It was a miracle of epic proportions that allowe...
Teach Them It's Figureoutable
16 Dec 2019
Contributed by Lukas
There’s a story that occurs constantly in the biographies of many creative and brilliant people. It goes something like this: As a kid they had a qu...
Don’t Just Protect Yours
13 Dec 2019
Contributed by Lukas
We take care of our own, we say. Family is family. Blood is thicker than water. These are noble sentiments that have encouraged beautiful sacrifice, f...
There Are Things Better To Just Not Think About
12 Dec 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Emily Oster is a writer and a thinker after our own heart. Frustrated with all the bad parenting advice—most of which seems to be based on old wives...
Who Cares What That Idiot Thinks?
03 Dec 2019
Contributed by Lukas
There are going to be moments in fatherhood—when you’re dancing to Baby Shark to entertain your kid, or you’re way into the third book in the Tw...
They Don't Feel as Old as They Look
03 Dec 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Do you remember when you were in fourth grade and you looked across the playground and saw the sixth graders? They looked so much older. So much bigge...
Teach Them to Choose
03 Dec 2019
Contributed by Lukas
It makes sense that you and mom would make most of the decisions for your kids. You guys know more. Your kids basically know nothing. About life. Abou...
Let ‘Em See You Work
03 Dec 2019
Contributed by Lukas
One of the unusual side effects of our modern lives is how siloed work is for most people. “Work” is a place you drive to in the morning and come ...
Don’t Give Them an Ego
03 Dec 2019
Contributed by Lukas
You love your kids more than anything. You think they’re God’s gift (which they are, to you!). You want them to know how you feel about them, and ...
Curb Sometimes, Spur at Others
03 Dec 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Seneca was a father, though we don’t know much, if anything, about his son. We know he was a wonderful uncle, and that he struggled valiantly as a t...
Your Kid is Not a Status Symbol
03 Dec 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Did you know DJ Khaled has a son? And his name is Asahd? Of course you did, because if you’ve heard of DJ Khaled even once in the last couple years,...
How to Get Them to Read (Or Do Anything)
03 Dec 2019
Contributed by Lukas
We want our kids to read. We want them to read instead of watching so much TV or playing with the iPad. So we make up rules or create incentives to mo...
Help Them Carry the Fire
03 Dec 2019
Contributed by Lukas
There are brief moments where you get a glimpse inside your kid’s soul. When they meet their baby brother or sister for the first time and start to ...
What are Your Rules?
03 Dec 2019
Contributed by Lukas
In her memoir, Composed, Rosanne Cash talks about how she wished she was as a parent of small children and how different that was from the reality. Sh...
Epithets for Your Kid
03 Dec 2019
Contributed by Lukas
One of the most interesting passages in Marcus Aurelius is this one:Epithets for yourself: Upright. Modest. Straightforward. Sane. Cooperative. Try no...
Is It Really Time to Go?
03 Dec 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Even the most patient dad gets bored. Or has somewhere to be. Or really doesn’t see what makes this flower--the 400th one drawn in a row--so special...
Your Kids are Not a Reflection of You
03 Dec 2019
Contributed by Lukas
The philosopher Stilpo of Megara had a daughter who had a bad reputation. We don’t know what for, it could have be deserved or it could have been on...
This is a Fresh Start
03 Dec 2019
Contributed by Lukas
We were all deprived or hurt in our childhoods. Even the best parents left something to be desired. Maybe we were ignored. Or maybe we were pressured ...
Practice the Pause
03 Dec 2019
Contributed by Lukas
In her famous and controversial book Bringing Up Bébé, the author Pamela Druckerman talks about Le Pause—The Pause—as the secret to French paren...
Blow Their Nose, and Your Own
03 Dec 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Because women can seem so much better at this parenting stuff, because historical gender roles have often decided for them that most household duties ...
Punishment Should Make Them Better
03 Dec 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Punishments aren’t supposed to be fun. They’re suppose to deter bad behavior. That’s why kids get grounded or sent to their room. That’s why w...
It's All Quality Time
02 Dec 2019
Contributed by Lukas
You’ll hear other dads talk about the need for “quality time” with their kids. It’s sort of a strange phrase, if you think about it. Because i...
Why Kids Like Their Grandparents
02 Dec 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Even if it wasn’t such a relief for overworked dads and moms, it’d hurt a little to think about how much our kids love their grandparents. It almo...
What a Good Sport Looks Like
02 Dec 2019
Contributed by Lukas
As we’ve said before, Seneca was a father and a father figure to many people. Even today, through his writing, he remains an inspiring, patient, and...
An Important Rule for Dads
02 Dec 2019
Contributed by Lukas
The economist Russ Roberts is a guy who understands how the world works. He knows about the laws of the economy and government. He knows about philoso...
No, This is the Special Part
02 Dec 2019
Contributed by Lukas
In her wonderful book On Looking, Alexandra Horowitz takes a series of walks in different environments. What does a geologist see on a city block? Wha...