Dad In A Daughter's World

This is the end of my passion project. I have learned a lot. I won't say I won't come back to this sometime in the future, but for now, I'm stepping away to focus on life with my girls.

This may be controversial, but I have chosen to bolster their courage instead of dispel their fears. We can't always know what it is we are facing, so instead of trying to explain it away, lets just punch it in the face.

Is anyone else sick and tired of the kids shows being filled with adult content? I sure am.

I'm back from my time away. I had some big projects to focus on. I left off with my advice on preparing for Disney and I'm sorry I didn't my update out sooner, but here it is. We had a great time, but also learned some lessons.

It has been a few years, but we are going back to Disneyland. I thought I would share some of the tips that help us be successful on our Disney outings. We have gone enough times that these are tried and true. I hope they help.

I finish up my bit on health by interviewing my coach for the last 15 months. Bernard has been a huge blessing in my life. I am so grateful for his influence. I am an advocate for getting a coach. We need people in our lives who are pushing for the same things. If you would like to connect with Bernard, you can find him on Instagram at @bernard_crohns_warrior 

Everyone tells us we should all have goals. I don't disagree, but the goal is not really important. The goal is just something to get us on a journey. Once we are on a journey, striving to succeed, then we will change and grow. Then...we'll keep going.

A key to success on my health journey was removing the mental burden of feeling like, "I HAVE to work out today." I don't have to do anything....I GET to work out today. Making this change helps remove the mental burden, which allows us to sustain our habit longer.

Negative self talk is causing more damage than you think. We think it only impacts us because it is our brain, but it doesn't. It impacts our whole family. I'm not asking you to instantly switch from negative self talk to being a positive person walking on clouds and sunshine. Lets just take the first step and from negative to neutral. 

A health journey is the best way to train ourselves for being good dads. The first step in getting healthy, learning to show up every day. If you can master that, then you can build a foundation of trust with yourself and with your kids.

Are you stuck trying to figure out how to start getting healthy as a busy parent? It's hard, but it's important. My friend Joey joins us again to talk about what it takes to get started on a health journey. Please be sure to find Joey on IG (@joeyszolowics)

I hope you are on a health journey. I am and wanted to share the beginning steps. There was so much mindset work that had to be done before I could really get results. I'm going to continue sharing insights from my journey in hopes that it will help you on yours.  If you aren't on a health journey yet, get on one. You need to be alive and as strong as your girls need.

It's 2023 and time to set your vision. There is no "new year, new you." There is just you and you will either move forward, backward, or stay the same. Just remember, whatever you do, you are modeling how to live for your girls.

We took a day trip up to the snow and nothing went as planned. That's alright though, because it was not about anything other than family time. So, keep the spirit of adventure and you'll be okay.

I hope your holiday has much less sickness than mine. With all this time spent being sick, I had some time to reflect on the negative impacts on how we treat our sick friends and family as well as how we need to change this going forward.

Keep the magic of Santa and the Scout Elf alive for as long as you possibly can. The kids will have plenty of time to be jaded. But, be prepared for the transition, it won't last forever.

I finally got struck with the "rona" and got some separation, which really helped me clarify some things, like my kids are just doing what kids do. The forced separation was good time for me to reflect.

I had a moment when I really needed my daughter to listen to me, but I have yelled too much and she has become desensitized to it.

It is critically important to keep as many family traditions as possible. I know Thanksgiving gets overshadowed by Christmas, but it is one that my family loves. I make sure we are there too. These traditions keep us connected to something much larger than ourselves. 

We have to stop raising a nation of squibs! I don't really say that, but if you watch Bluey as much as I do, then you know what I'm talking about. It's true though. These generations are soft. We need to do our part to make sure our kids are ready to be adults. 

We are the summary of the 5 people closest to us. This is why the friend group is so important. I share how I ask about the friend group and encourage her to pick good influences and separate from the negative ones. 

Our young girls are caught between two worlds. They are too old for Disney music, but not old enough for Katy Perry. Where are they supposed to go? This is a challenge I've been working through and, to be honest, not completely figured out. We can't shelter them from every burden, but we can't force onto them more than they can handle. 

Feedback is so important for our kids because they want to learn everything they can from us (even if they act like they don't). The problem is we can get stuck in a negative rut and only see the bad things they do. We have to be clear and positive with our kids when providing feedback.

Ever since having daughters I have become much more aware of the presentation of women. Now that football season is back up, I have to ask, "what is the point of cheerleaders?" They don't actually do anything at the game. They do force me to address concepts of what beauty is with my kids though, so I guess there's that.

My daughter asked me, "why do we eat the same thing for breakfast every day?" Well, I'm so glad you asked, let me tell you....