The Daily Dad

On today’s podcast Ryan talks to his friend and writing partner Nils Parker about Ryan’s response to the COVID-19 crisis, the difficulty of weighing decisions independently, how to guide your children to being their best selves, and more.   Readeo provides a virtual story time platform called Bookchat. Bookchat lets you read your favorite award-winning books over video chat with your loved ones, n...

“We all enter fatherhood with preconceived notions and expectations. We hear about that magically profound connection that forms the moment they are born. We’re told nothing will make us feel more fulfilled, nothing will give us a stronger or clearer sense of purpose, nothing will compare to the kind of happiness you experience when our kids do this or accomplish that.” Ryan challenges you to ask...

“In Margarita Engels’s beautiful poem Drum Dream Girl (a must read for every parent), a little girl wants to be a drummer. But time and time again she is deterred. By archaic gender roles. By her teachers. By her own parents.” Ryan explains why you must let your kids dream, on today’s Daily Dad podcast. *** If you enjoyed this week’s podcast, we’d love for you to leave a review on Apple Podcasts....

“You want them to listen. You want them to respect you, as we’ve talked about. What’s the secret?” Ryan explains the key to good parenting, on today’s Daily Dad podcast. *** If you enjoyed this week’s podcast, we’d love for you to leave a review on Apple Podcasts. It helps with our visibility, and the more people listen to the podcast, the more we can invest into it and make it even better. Sign u...

“Your kid falls. If you’re not paying attention, they brush themselves off and keep going. But if they see the look on your face? They burst into tears. A lot of parenting is like this. Your kids naturally have the appropriate attitude—whether it’s about standardized testing or body image or what have you—but then we project our silly baggage onto them and attach undue significance to things, and...

“We tell ourselves we’re good people. We support good causes. We vote for the right candidates. We are disgusted when we hear people say bigoted or cruel things.” Ryan explains why your choices matter the most, on today’s Daily Dad podcast. *** If you enjoyed this week’s podcast, we’d love for you to leave a review on Apple Podcasts. It helps with our visibility, and the more people listen to the...

On today’s podcast Ryan talks to his friend and writing partner Nils Parker about Ryan’s response to the COVID-19 crisis, why it’s important to always try to do the right thing for your kids and family, the gap between classes and its impact on people’s response to the pandemic, and more.  This episode is brought to you by Readeo . Readeo provides a virtual story time platform called Bookchat. Boo...

“You’re distracted because this weird work email just came in. You’re in a bad mood because of something you saw. And what happens? Well, your kids get the brunt of it. Or they get only 50% of Dad at dinner, because you’re home but not really home.” Ryan discusses where you should be placing your attention, on today’s Daily Dad podcast. *** If you enjoyed this week’s podcast, we’d love for you to...

“How old were you when you first heard of the concept of being “hangry?” Maybe it was a friend that joked about it, or someone you were dating. Maybe you’re just hearing about this portmanteau of hungry and angry for the first time in this email. Oh yeah, that’s so true.” Ryan explains how hunger can be a teachable moment, on today’s Daily Dad podcast. *** If you enjoyed this week’s podcast, we’d...

“We’ve talked about being a fan of your kids. We’ve talked about believing in them. We’ve talked about encouraging and supporting them. We talk about these things because they’re important.” Ryan describes the delicate balance between discipline and reward, on today’s Daily Dad podcast. *** If you enjoyed this week’s podcast, we’d love for you to leave a review on Apple Podcasts. It helps with our...

“There have been incalculable losses over the last year. The death toll from the COVID-19 pandemic is staggering. The economic devastation is generational. And that is to say nothing of the missed graduations, the lost seasons of youth sports, the time away from the classroom.” Ryan reminds you that there is still more time to grasp the present moment, on today’s Daily Dad podcast. *** If you enjo...

“In Meditations, Marcus Aurelius takes a moment to remind himself of the “malice, cunning and hypocrisy that power produces,” and the “peculiar ruthlessness often shown by people from ‘good families.’” It’s notable that he would say such a thing, because Marcus came from a great family. His grandparents were illustrious Romans, he had a doting mother, and then he was adopted by Hadrian and Antonin...

On today’s podcast Ryan talks to his friend and writing partner Nils Parker about the contradicting ideas of resiliency and fragility and the role that they’ve played in children’s lives during the COVID 19 crisis.  This episode is also brought to you by Readeo . Readeo provides a virtual story time platform called Bookchat. Bookchat lets you read your favorite award-winning books over video chat...

“There’s a wrenching scene in the haunting novel The Sweet Hereafter (not to be read for the faint of heart). A widowed husband is folding up the clothes of his late wife. He’s struck, holding her things, just how physically small she was.” Ryan describes why it’s the little things that you will remember after they’re gone, on today’s Daily Dad podcast. *** If you enjoyed this week’s podcast, we’d...

“There’s a line adapted from Aristotle but given to us by the historian Will Durant: We are what we repeatedly do. Therefore, excellence is not an act but a habit. The real question as parents then is what are we making our kids do?” Ryan discusses the importance of realizing that your kids habits define who they are, on today’s Daily Dad podcast. *** If you enjoyed this week’s podcast, we’d love...

“You’re busy. It’s just a trip to the store. They have been a pain all day. You’re trying to get ready to give them a special surprise. ” Ryan explains why every second with your kids counts, on today’s Daily Dad podcast. *** If you enjoyed this week’s podcast, we’d love for you to leave a review on Apple Podcasts. It helps with our visibility, and the more people listen to the podcast, the more w...

“There are two types of games in this life: Finite and Infinite games. Finite games are things you do once and then they’re over. Infinite games are more like life itself—it goes on and on and everything is interrelated and independent.” Ryan explains why you must choose the games you teach your children carefully, on today’s Daily Dad podcast. *** If you enjoyed this week’s podcast, we’d love for...

“We’ve talked before about enjoying the classics with your kids. Not necessarily ‘the classics’ in the ancient Greek literature sense, but classic rock, classic films. You know, the all time greats.” Ryan explains how your children will grow up to reflect the taste that you give them, on today’s Daily Dad podcast. *** If you enjoyed this week’s podcast, we’d love for you to leave a review on Apple...

On today’s podcast Ryan talks to his friend and writing partner Nils Parker about advice that they wish they would've been given before they had kids.  This episode is brought to you by Skillshare . Try learning a new skill with Skillshare and its amazing community of members. Skillshare is also incredibly affordable—especially when compared to pricey in-person classes and workshops. An annual sub...

“Marqise Lee didn’t play football in 2020. He could have played for Bill Belichick but he didn’t. Not because he was worn down or afraid of the grind—as an athlete and a football player, he’s in the prime of his career.” Ryan explains why difficulty should bring your family closer together, on today’s Daily Dad podcast. *** If you enjoyed this week’s podcast, we’d love for you to leave a review on...

“We can mess up a lot as parents—in fact, we will mess up a lot. We will work too much. We will have issues from our own childhood bubble to the surface. We’ll lose our tempers. We can push too hard...or not hard enough.” Ryan describes the most important responsibility you have as a parent, on today’s Daily Dad podcast. *** If you enjoyed this week’s podcast, we’d love for you to leave a review o...

“Your kids want to know why their friends don’t have to do chores. They want to know why you aren’t happy with middling grades. They want to know why you’re taking the trouble they got in so seriously. It’s not a big deal, they say.” Ryan explains the importance of setting high expectations for your children, on today’s Daily Dad podcast. Marcus Aurelius’s character wasn’t an accident. He fought—t...

“Every TV show perpetuates the stereotype. Our own memories confirm it. At some point, parents have to have “The Talk.” About drugs. About sex. About race. About divorce.” Ryan explains why the perspective you take when raising kids is everything, on today’s Daily Dad podcast. *** If you enjoyed this week’s podcast, we’d love for you to leave a review on Apple Podcasts. It helps with our visibilit...

“We’ve said before that taking a walk will solve most of your parenting problems. Getting the kids outside, rocking them with the ambulatory sway of our species, stimulating them with some sunlight and scenery. It’s decent for your relationships too—with both your kids and your spouse—to get some space, turn down the volume, distract the mind.” Ryan describes the simple solution to most of your pr...

“Every parent wants a resilient child. Nobody feels good sending a fragile or vulnerable kid in the world. We know that resilience isn’t just a tool to weather the inescapable hardships in life, but also the secret to surviving everyday problems without losing your cool, like dealing with difficult people or running late to an important meeting.” On today’s podcast, Ryan reads a few fundamental st...