“That idiot at work. That jerk of a neighbor. That contractor who has repeatedly lied and misled you. These are realities of life, of course, but as a parent, they are also an extra layer of crap you have to deal with on top of bedtimes and colds and getting the kids off to school and making sure they are fed.” Ryan explains why you should never let external events influence your most important job, on today’s Daily Dad podcast. *** If you enjoyed this week’s podcast, we’d love for you to leave ...
May 17, 2021•4 min•Ep. 114
On today’s episode Ryan talks to his friend and writing partner Nils Parker about Ryan’s recent parenting struggles, the urgency of giving your kids your undivided attention, the delicate balance between emotional and financial costs, and more. 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 subscripti...
May 15, 2021•35 min•Ep. 113
“The last year has been rough. It’s not how any of us would have chosen for things to go. Remote schooling. Missed birthday parties. Cancelled trips. No unnecessary trips to the store, no concerts or games from the bleachers. Lost time with older loved ones—maybe even lost loved ones.” Ryan explains why you must grab this situation by the right handle, 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 vi...
May 14, 2021•2 min•Ep. 112
“It’s the most heartbreaking scene in an already heartbreaking book. It’s the scene at the end of Cormac McCarthy’s The Road. The father is dying. He knows it. He is trying to say goodbye to his son, the one he has tried to keep alive, to raise to be decent, to survive. “You said you wouldn’t ever leave me,” the boy cries…” Ryan explains why you’ve gotta give your children you’re whole heart, on today’s Daily Dad podcast. *** If you enjoyed this week’s podcast, we’d love for you to leave a revie...
May 13, 2021•3 min•Ep. 111
“Bryan Caplan is a busy economist. He’s also a busy parent of four kids, all of whom he now homeschools. Might having that many kids and that much education to supervise impede on his career? Probably. But as Bryan tells his grad students as well as his children , ‘You are not an interruption of my work. You are my work.’” Ryan explains what your most important job is, 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 ...
May 12, 2021•3 min•Ep. 110
“Do you know Lewin’s Equation? You’re experiencing its implications as you read this: B = f (P,E) Behavior is a function of a Person and their Environment. Our habits, our actions, our lives are determined largely by our surroundings.” Ryan explains why you must teach your children to read, 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...
May 11, 2021•3 min•Ep. 109
“Everybody wants to get better. Next time, we tell ourselves, we’ll get it right. We’ll try harder. We’ll have less going on at work and therefore more time to focus. Tomorrow will be a fresh start. When they’re a little older we’ll be able to do X,Y,Z.” Ryan explains why now is the time to be the best parent you can be, 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 li...
May 10, 2021•2 min•Ep. 108
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, no matter how far apart you are. The Readeo library includes hundreds of books from publishers like Chr...
May 08, 2021•33 min•Ep. 107
“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 yourself a hard question, on today’s Daily Dad podcast. *** If you enjoyed this week’s podcast, we’d...
May 07, 2021•3 min•Ep. 107
“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. It helps with our visibility, and the more people listen to the podcast, the more we can invest into...
May 06, 2021•3 min•Ep. 106
“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 up for the Daily Dad email: DailyDad.com Follow Daily Dad: Twitter: https://twitter.com/dailydademail...
May 05, 2021•2 min•Ep. 105
“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 that’s when stuff starts to go sideways.” Ryan explains why you should be able to let go of what isn...
May 04, 2021•3 min•Ep. 104
“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 podcast, the more we can invest into it and make it even better. Sign up for the Daily Dad email: Da...
May 03, 2021•3 min•Ep. 103
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. Bookchat lets you read your favorite award-winning books over video chat with your loved ones, no matter...
May 01, 2021•40 min•Ep. 102
“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 leave a review on Apple Podcasts. It helps with our visibility, and the more people listen to the po...
Apr 30, 2021•2 min•Ep. 101
“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 love for you to leave a review on Apple Podcasts. It helps with our visibility, and the more people ...
Apr 29, 2021•2 min•Ep. 106
“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 visibility, and the more people listen to the podcast, the more we can invest into it and make it e...
Apr 28, 2021•3 min•Ep. 99
“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 enjoyed this week’s podcast, we’d love for you to leave a review on Apple Podcasts. It helps with our vi...
Apr 27, 2021•3 min•Ep. 98
“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 Antoninus Pius and groomed for power.” Ryan explains why you must mold your children into good people, on t...
Apr 26, 2021•2 min•Ep. 97
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 with your loved ones, no matter how far apart you are. The Readeo library includes hundreds of books ...
Apr 24, 2021•32 min•Ep. 94
“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 love for you to leave a review on Apple Podcasts. It helps with our visibility, and the more people...
Apr 23, 2021•2 min•Ep. 94
“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 for you to leave a review on Apple Podcasts. It helps with our visibility, and the more people liste...
Apr 22, 2021•3 min•Ep. 95
“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 we can invest into it and make it even better. Sign up for the Daily Dad email: DailyDad.com Follow D...
Apr 21, 2021•3 min•Ep. 94
“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 you to leave a review on Apple Podcasts. It helps with our visibility, and the more people listen t...
Apr 20, 2021•3 min•Ep. 93
“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 Podcasts. It helps with our visibility, and the more people listen to the podcast, the more we can ...
Apr 19, 2021•3 min•Ep. 92
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 subscription is less than $10 a month. Explore your creativity at Skillshare.com/DAILYDAD and get a free...
Apr 17, 2021•42 min•Ep. 88
“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 Apple Podcasts. It helps with our visibility, and the more people listen to the podcast, the more w...
Apr 16, 2021•3 min•Ep. 89
“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 on Apple Podcasts. It helps with our visibility, and the more people listen to the podcast, the more ...
Apr 15, 2021•3 min•Ep. 89
“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—to use his phrase—to be the person philosophy tried to make him, the person Rusticus and his mother a...
Apr 14, 2021•2 min•Ep. 88
“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 visibility, and the more people listen to the podcast, the more we can invest into it and make it even better...
Apr 13, 2021•3 min•Ep. 87
