In episode 139 we discuss 11 things that dads should never apologize for. There are things that happen in the world or at work that you shouldn't apologize for and then items related to your family. Not directed at your family (world/work) 1. That you got upset with your kids in public 2. Leaving work a little early for something with your kids 3. A baby that cries in public - every baby cries 4. Missing a friend's party or event (whether you would rather spend time with your family or you are j...
Oct 31, 2017•23 min
I was talking to a dad the other day and he was mentioning his 5-year-old is scared of EVERYTHING. He said, "She just seems scared of everything and everybody". Now I don't know if he was exaggerating but it did give me the idea for this episode. The truth is that 100% of kids have some fear or another. Nobody has no fears. Certainly, some kids are more fearful than others. AnxiousToddlers.com list many of the fears that children face. We'll go over some of these up to age 11 but of course, ther...
Oct 24, 2017•23 min
We focus so much on the parent-child relationship, however, it's important for us to focus on the relationship we have with our spouse. Here are some relationship advice tips for dads: 1) Listen to her instead of trying to solve problems - We men have a tendency to try and solve problems instead of just listening. 2) Know her love language and do more of it: Words of Affirmation, Acts of Service, Receiving Gifts, Quality Time, or Physical Touch...and do more of it 3) Say "I love you" more. Send ...
Oct 18, 2017•27 min
Today in Episode 136 we are talking about natural consequences. What are they are why are they so effective? Definition: Natural consequences to children are things that happen as a result of behavior (or lack of it) with no interference by an adult. The cool part is that you get to teach your children important lessons, without being the bad guy. Here are a couple of examples: 1) If you stand in the rain, you'll get wet. So when you ask them to put on a raincoat, bring an umbrella, or rain boot...
Oct 10, 2017•16 min
This episode 135 is about helping your child make new friends. As they get into school in kindergarten they start creating friendships. A lot of it is related to proximity. Kids in the same class become friends or you become friends with kids in the neighborhood. It's really cool to see kids that develop a bond early on. But sometimes you see that they don't mesh well. You have to recognize if it could be your kid that is the issue or the other children they are around just may not be a good fit...
Oct 03, 2017•24 min
In episode 134 Alan and Jason discuss 9 values dad can teach their kids. Here they are in no particular order: 1. Respect - Have respect for other people, yourself, and things around you. 2. Honesty - Tell the truth. Sometimes it's really hard, to tell the truth. 3. Being Polite - Say please and thank you. 4. Responsibility - Daily tasks such as brushing teeth and doing homework without being reminded teach responsibility. 5. Patience - Not everything happens quickly. It can take a long time for...
Sep 26, 2017•20 min
Anger is a real. We all get angry. But as a dad, it's important we learn how to control our anger as our kids are watching. They see how we react and how we deal with things. Most of us don't want to be angry, we just sometimes can't help it. Although the reality is that it is a choice. While re-wiring our brain is the best answer, it may not be realistic for everyone. Let's start out by discussing a few types of anger. There are many but these seem to be some common ones: Passive anger - usuall...
Sep 19, 2017•21 min
As fathers, we may have an idea of how things should be. We "should" all over everyone. We often have high expectations. This may be expectations for ourselves, our spouses, and yes, even our children. But what happens when we think something should go a certain way and it doesn't or our kid should be a certain way and they are not? What do we do? We love them unconditionally, regardless of what we think they should do or be. For example: My kid is not good at sports - Yes physical exercise is i...
Sep 12, 2017•21 min
Believe it not, we as dads are not perfect. Of course, it's important to identify our mistakes so we can fix them. Here are 10 parenting mistakes dads make: 1) Leaving the parenting up to mom 2) Trying to solve problems instead of showing empathy 3) Not providing enough affection 4) Not spending enough quality time with their kids 5) Doing too much for the kids not thinking they are capable (ie. getting them dressed, cleaning up after them) 6) Living through their children (music, sports, educat...
Sep 05, 2017•25 min
In Episode 130 Alan and Jason have a discussion about Dads managing their time and having alone time. There seem to be 3 different scenarios: Dads with No Time - These dads need to make time for themselves. If they are wanting time, how do they carve it out? If they are happy, does that mean it's not a problem? Dads who don't need a lot of time - These are people in which they don't have a lot of requirements for their own time. Or they may carve out time that the balance is currently ok. Jason ...
Aug 29, 2017•25 min
This podcast episode 129 was inspired by an article found on TheSpruce.com written by Apryl Duncan. While plenty of adults struggle with time management, it's important for us to pass this education on to our kids. Here are some tips: Start Early - Don't wait until they are teens to teach them time management. Toddlers and pre-schoolers can learn skills to begin understanding time management. Make it fun - If you stress out badly with time, they may too. You'll want to make the exercises fun. We...
Aug 22, 2017•17 min
Rewards can motivate people, but it's short term. If the reward stops, then the behavior stops. If you stopped getting paid for work, would you still go? We see rewards and bribes everywhere: including schools and in homes. For true motivation, it has to come from within. For example, if you take anyone who is at the top of their game: athlete, musician, businessperson. The motivation comes from within. Nobody has to stand over them telling them to practice every day. If they did have that, they...
Aug 15, 2017•25 min
In episode 127 we cover how to stop kids from talking back. There are a few other terms for "talking back" or "back talk. These can be: - smart mouth - being snappy - sassy - giving lip Every parent will experience some form of this. It seems to happen when they get around grade school age - 5 or 6. They want to engage you whether it's positive or negative. Remember our discussion about negative discipline in Episode 109 You can't give in to this. Jane Nelson, author of Positive Discipline says ...
Aug 08, 2017•9 min
Episode 126 we discuss patience. We learn why we lose our patience and what to do about it. I think it's important to understand why we lose our patience. What is it about situations that cause us to go wacky? Here are a few I have witnessed: 1) Expectations - You set yourself up for failure. you think something should be going a certain way and it doesn't happen that way. Expectations can be a killer. 2) Tired - Sleep is essential. When you are sleep deprived it's really easy to be irritable an...
Aug 01, 2017•18 min
Let's admit it, most people aren't very good at apologizing...especially kids. We teach them to talk like a robot reminding them "what do you say?" Apologizing is simply something you are supposed to do when you do something wrong. However, apologies are pointless unless people feel that the offender meant it. This can be tone of voice or even body language. I had read about a formula for apologizing that I thought was good. I don't know who the original creator of it is. It's starts out with: 1...
Jul 25, 2017•18 min
There is no doubt that kids yelling at each other and fighting can be a big cause of anxiety and stress for parents. What are we to do? As with any mis-behavior, there is a root of the problem that needs to be addressed. Does one child feel the other is favored? Is one child simply just being selfish? Is there different expectations put on different kids? Or are the same expectations put on two different aged kids? All of these are probably true. Is this episode 124, we talk about reducing confl...
Jul 18, 2017•23 min
The last episode brought up some points about teaching our kids to be independent. That episode inspired us to create this episode. Episode 123 covers 13 things to stop doing for your kids now: 1. Getting them dressed – By 3-4 they can dress themselves. 2. Getting undressed – Between 13-24 months. You should not be taking your 4 year old’s shirt off. 3. Carrying their backpack – If they are old enough to have a backpack, they should carry it. 4. Tying their shoes – Usually by kindergarten (about...
Jul 12, 2017•22 min
Nearly every child goes through a period when they get really clingy and get upset if their parent is leaving. Babies can show signs of it around 6-7 months. It typically peaks around 10-18 months and reduces when they are about 2 years old. For episode 122, we discuss some things you can do help your baby and child: – Get familiar with the caregiver. If you have a brand new person watching the baby, this may prove to be difficult. Give the baby some time to get to know the person who is taking ...
Jul 04, 2017•17 min
Whether your kids are playing sports or playing a board game, losing is a part of life. Maybe they slam their game pieces on the board or throw their glove into the dirt? Losing is a reality. How can we have our kids enjoy competition yet understand how to cope with losing properly? Is there such thing as losing properly? I played sports growing up and I recall losing was pretty devastating to me. I was a very competitive child. However I can’t recall any competitive losses that have stuck with ...
Jun 27, 2017•21 min
Monkey See, Monkey do. In episode 120 our friend Alan joing Jason & Alan for another episode. With many of the things we talk about here, we start with us leading by example. I thought we would bring a list together of 7 things we can do to positively influence our child. 1. Be Polite – They hear you saying please and thank you. They also hear how you talk to them. How you treat wait staff, employees, etc. 2. Help Others – Let them see you helping other family members, friends, and the commu...
Jun 20, 2017•26 min
For Episode 119, Alan and Jason are joined by Jason’s friend Alan who’s story helps articulate some of the difficulties dads go through with their kids during a divorce. Sometimes the relationship can feel like you are starting over. For the kids, they may be in an unfamiliar environment which can add additional stress to them. The discussion some understanding of what both dads and their kids may go through during the divorce as well as offering these tips to maintain the connection with your c...
Jun 13, 2017•41 min
This episode is for the new dads. Oh, it’s exciting. You get to hold your baby for the first time. There is nothing like holding your newborn baby and feeling like you can’t believe that you can love something so much. Then a few days go by. And then a few weeks. Unless you are spending a lot of time with the baby, it can be difficult for you as the dad to feel an immediate close bond with the baby. I’m sure some guys do, but many do not. I know with my kids, the first few months there was much ...
Jun 06, 2017•17 min
Watching your parents age isn’t easy. As we have our own children and they grow, we begin to see our own parents aging. The dynamics of the relationship can begin to change. It can also be difficult as to go through this change. For episode 117, we discuss tips to deal with aging parents. 1) Takes things slow – You must have patience and know that things are going to take you a lot longer than you planned. They may move pretty slow so you need to be considerate of that. 2) Be empathetic that cha...
May 30, 2017•19 min
Terry Liskevych is the President and CEO of The Art of Coaching. The Art of Coaching helps teach coaches how to effectively manage and run their teams. 1) First, we discuss Terry’s background, how he got started, and some of his career highlights, etc. Here is a little background on Terry: Former Collegiate Volleyball Head Coach The Ohio State Men’s Team – 1975-1976 University of the Pacific – Women’s Team – 1976-1984 Oregon State University – Women’s Team – 2005-2015 Took college teams to seven...
May 23, 2017•39 min
For episode 115 we explore the ever important topic of emotional intelligence. According to Wikipedia – Emotional Intelligence (or EQ, emotional quotient) is the capability of individuals to recognize their own, and other people’s emotions, to discern between different feelings and label them appropriately, to use emotional information to guide thinking and behavior, and to manage and/or adjust emotions to adapt environments or achieve one’s goal(s). While some schools have begun to teach EQ, th...
May 16, 2017•22 min
For Episode 114, we explore the 30 Best Things About Being a Dad: 1. Your child things you are a superhero – they look up to you 2. When you child does something really well – whether it’s a sport, music, academic – how proud you feel 3. When they make you laugh 4. When you see them help other people 5. When they come to you for advice 6. When they draw you a picture and have emotion to it 7. When you come home from work and they run to see you 8. Their hugs and kisses 9. When you see yourself i...
May 09, 2017•20 min
While we love our children, there are simply recurring things that happen over and over that are annoying. For episode 113, we explore 25 of the Most Annoying Things Young Kids Do. 1. Whining 2. They ask so many questions 3. Ask the same questions over and over 4. Saying “dad” (or mom) over and over 5. They are loud 6. Not listening 7. Not cleaning up clothes, costumes, toys – all over the house 8. Leaving small toys in the walkway to step on 9. Finding food somewhere it’s not supposed to be 10....
May 03, 2017•21 min
There are many people who have written or spoke on the topic of regret. In reading a few articles, there were social workers, hospice nurses, or people who are around individuals in the final days of their lives. There seem to be common themes around regret. If you talk to people with not a lot of time left, they will often use the phrase “I wish I had….” In order for us to learn how to avoid regret, it really does make sense to understand what people say when they are in the old age. Gary Vayne...
Apr 25, 2017•27 min
Remember growing up we would always hear: “Don’t talk to strangers” or even better was the chant “Stranger Danger”. The problem is that most strangers are not dangerous. There are a few flaws with this method: 1) It is based on fear. Promoting fear is not good. 2) If we base it on how people look, it’s a form of profiling or prejudice. We don’t want to teach that. 3) The reality is that abductions or kidnappings are often done by people the child knows. 4) A child may be afraid to ask for help i...
Apr 18, 2017•16 min
One of the most frustrating things about dealing with children is mis-behavior. In this Episode 110, we explore 11 reasons why young children misbehave and what to do about it. 1) They are tired / Put them to sleep 2) They want to assert their independence or control / Give them choices – would you like X or Y 3) They don’t understand the rules / Be sure to explain the rules, post them if you need to 4) They are bored / Ask them questions – instead of always being their entertainment – What is s...
Apr 11, 2017•18 min
