The Daily Dad

“They’re only going to ask you so many times: to get in the pool with them, to sit next to them, to help with their homework, to talk about the problem they’re having. No, not because you only get a certain number of summers and car rides and moments with your kids, like we’ve talked about. They’re only going to ask you so many times, because at some point they’re going to get the message.” Ryan t...

“Yeah, it costs money to heat a house warmer than it needs to be. Yeah, rooms should be clean. Yeah, it’s annoying when shoes are left in a pile. Yeah, you told them to knock that off already. But? But what’s more important? ” Ryan explains why you shouldn’t sweat the small stuff, cause it’s not what really matters, on today’s Daily Dad podcast. The Boy Who Would Be King is out now, written by Rya...

“You want to put them to sleep, so you read them the first book off the shelf. You’re on the couch with your daughter, so you watch whatever movie is on TV. You want the kids to relax in the car, so you put something on the iPad.” Ryan explains why the stories that you expose your children to should inspire and instruct them, and launches his newest book The Boy Who Will Be King , on today’s Daily...

“Are there differences between boys and girls? Of course. Anyone that tells you differently either isn’t a parent or they have some agenda that’s blinding them. There are sex differences in every other animal that ever existed. Humans are no exception.” Ryan explains why there is no difference in raising different genders, the point is to raise them to be great, on today’s Daily Dad Podcast. *** I...

On today’s podcast, Ryan speaks to writer Allie Esiri about the Stoic’s infatuation with ancient poetry, how to read and find insight in poetry, how the greatest writing communicates to us on a subliminal level, and more.  Allie Esiri is a writer and former actress in stage, film, and television. She has released several poetry anthologies including 2020’s, Shakespeare for Every Day of the Year ,...

“This didn’t used to exist you know. Kids had it way harder before. Not just a hundred-plus years ago when they were valued most for their labor on the farm, but back further still—kids got married when they were still kids, they were exposed to the horrors of the world when they were still kids, they were forced to fight and fend for themselves while they were still kids.” Ryan explains how child...

“In Plato’s Phaedrus , Socrates tells the story of the god Theuth approaching the King of Egypt, hardly able to contain his excitement about sharing his latest and greatest invention: an innovative technology he called “writing.” The King was enthusiastically opposed.” Ryan discusses the timeless debate about the things that are negatively impacting children’s growth, on today’s Daily Dad Podcast....

“You hear it all the time. The voice in your head. You’ve heard it all your life. The one that tells you what’s right. The one that tells you what it thinks you ought to do. It can also turn nasty, whispering that you’re not good enough, that everyone sees through you, that you’ll never measure up.” Ryan explains how our internal narrative is largely developed during childhood, and why you should...

“Of course, your kids love you. They look up to you. They imitate you. They want to be around you. At the same time, it seems like they could not be less impressed or less interested in us.” Ryan uses a story from the Super-Bowl winning quarterback Phil Simms to illustrate why your kids won’t be your fans, but you should be their biggest one, on today’s Daily Dad Podcast. *** If you enjoyed this w...

“You’ve read plenty of bad books as a parent. The ham-handed kids books. The nonsensical ones. The vanity projects. The patronizing ones. Why are you reading to your kids? To teach them to read, of course. To spend time together, of course. But also to teach them about life.” Ryan explains the purpose that stories should serve in your children’s life, and launches his new book The Boy Who Would Be...

Today’s episode features a compilation of some of the best advice that we’ve found from great authors. Ryan revisits stories from Cormac McCarthy, F. Scott Fitzgerald, John Steinbeck, and James Frey.  This episode is brought to you by Ritual , a multivitamin that delivers high quality nutrients, including Vitamin D3, in just 2 daily pills. Your multivitamins are delivered to your door every month...

“You used to think you had it so together. And maybe you still do. At work, you’re important and together. In relationships, you’re measured and firm. You’re an adult. You’re in charge right Nah. They are in charge.” Ryan explains why your children should hold as special place in your heart, on today’s Daily Dad Podcast. *** If you enjoyed this week’s podcast, we’d love for you to leave a review o...

“If you’ve ever watched Netflix’s The Crown , you’ve seen this lesson play out: Queen Elizabeth is strong. She’s stoic. She’s restrained. She’s got a profound sense of duty. And she is continually surprised to see others struggle or fall short of her standards.” Ryan discusses why the point is, as Marcus Aurelius said, to be “tolerant with others, and strict with yourself,” on today’s Daily Dad Po...

“You think they’re not watching, but of course they are. What else do they have going on? You’re the most entertaining and strange show in their lives. They watch what you eat...and how you eat. They watch how you treat your partner. They watch how you drive. They watch how you treat people. They see your habits. They live in your lifestyle. They feel what you value and what you don’t.” Ryan expla...

“Nobody wants to think about this. We love our kids too much. We love our lives too much. We have too much to do. But we have to stop. We have to stop and think about this unpleasant fact: We will not be here forever. Nobody will be.” Ryan explains why you need to be with your children in the present moment, on today’s Daily Dad Podcast. *** If you enjoyed this week’s podcast, we’d love for you to...

“The fact that there are so many memes about this shows how widespread the problem is. ‘Another day without using the Pythagorean theorem,’ reads one. Another jokes about a kid wanting to learn how to balance their finances who is instead taught ‘Hot Cross Buns’ on the recorder. Another has a totally unprepared adult repeating the one thing they learned in school: ‘Mitochondria is the powerhouse o...

Today’s episode features a compilation of some of the best advice that we’ve found from athletes and coaches. Ryan revisits stories about Kobe Bryant, Jack Harbaugh, Archie Manning, and Jim Valvano.  This episode is brought to you by Harry’s , the best subscription service where you receive new razor blades, shaving cream, and other grooming products by mail. For a limited time, Harry’s has an exc...

“We’ve talked before about F. Scott Fitzgerald. He was a great writer who wrestled with many demons. He was spoiled by his parents. He inherited alcoholism. He struggled valiantly at the end of his life to be a good father, but it was an uphill battle. Even the times were against him—society tolerated selfish, immature fathers. Especially high-achieving ones.” Ryan encourages you to be present wit...

“It’s time for us to review your multiplication tables, you tell them. Let’s look over your vocab flash cards. Or maybe you’re one of those parents that makes your kids recite poems or plays, that signs them up for performances. Maybe you’re drilling them for a spelling bee right now.” Ryan discusses why the goal in teaching your children lessons should be to instill the knowledge in them, not jus...

“Aesop’s Fables are silly stories about dogs and mice and foxes and lions. Children love them. But are they ‘for kids?’ No, they are for human beings. They are designed to teach lessons. Bad stories pander. Good stories entertain. Great ones teach while they do it. The question is, what kind of stories are you filling your kid imagination with? What kind of stories are you filling your own life wi...

“Cynicism is easy. Being jaded is easy. Being tired—tired of other people, tired of life—is easy. Hope? Hope is hard. Earnestness is hard. Caring is hard. But that’s the whole thing: Nobody said being a parent was easy.” Ryan explains that raising children is challenging but also rewarding, on today’s Daily Dad podcast. *** If you enjoyed this week’s podcast, we’d love for you to leave a review on...

“They don’t listen. They make bad choices. They don’t give their best efforts. Your kids can drive you nuts. After all, isn’t mimicry pretty aggravating?” Ryan explains how your children are an opportunity for you to understand your own flaws, and to help them overcome them, on today’s Daily Dad podcast. This episode was brought to you by Magic Spoon . Magic Spoon makes delicious cereal just like...

On today’s episode Ryan speaks to professor and author Agnes Callard about pulling children towards philosophy, how to popularize philosophy in your own household, and how to set the stakes higher when teaching your kids.  Agnes Callard is an associate professor of philosophy at the University of Chicago (ancient philosophy and ethics). She wrote Aspiration: The Agency of Becoming and wrote the le...

“In 2013, two of Jack Harbaugh’s kids were coaching against each other in the Super Bowl. They had led their respective teams to the NFL promised land, achieving success at the highest level of organized football, and now they were going to play the game their family loved in front of 71,000 people inside the Superdome and more than 160 million viewers at home across the country.” Ryan discusses t...

“We think we’re too busy. We think it’s impossible. We’re parents now. There’s no way we can start that company. There’s no way we can finish that project. We have to be realistic. We’ve got to put aside for now. There just isn’t enough time. ” Ryan explains why you don’t have to hang up your dreams when you have kids, you just have to be creative, on today’s Daily Dad podcast. *** If you enjoyed...