Dad Szn Show

Denny will review some recent polling on parenting, which includes some concerning (if predictable) data points about how moms and dads see themselves as parents. He's not a fan of the numbers. 

Recent research suggests mental health interventions in schools aren't working, and may be doing harm in some cases. Is the focus on anxiety and depression among children and teenagers misguided and/or counterproductive? Denny discusses that, and encourages dads everywhere to say "I love you" once in a while. 

Insecurity and a desire to be accepted as part of the in-group drives the perpetuation of toxic masculinity. Denny talks about positive/healthy masculinity: What it is, how to cultivate it, and why that's important for your kids.

With anxiety a feature of 21st century life, parents are confronted with not only dealing with their own anxious feelings, but those of their children. As dads are relatively new entrants into this field of emotional labor, Denny talks about his experience helping his kids cope with anxiety, and trying his best not to shield them from those hard feelings. 

Raised in a climate of ceaseless fear and anxiety, poisoned by media obsesses with violence, millennials had no choice but to become helicopter parents. Denny will talk about the downside of helicopter parenting and what kids lose with this approach, along with research suggesting helicopter parenting (intensive parenting) might actually work for academic success. 

Denny talks about grind culture seeping into every part of our lives and the growing challenges of separating work from home life, especially for those who work from home. 

Denny talks about the importance of letting your kids feel hard feelings, the importance of sleep, and how lessons from the single parent life -- courtesy of his friend Nathan Wells -- can translate for any parent. 

Using the good cop-bad cop strategy might work in the short term, but it could have long-term consequences for your kid, who could be thoroughly confused by this dynamic. We'll talk about strategies to avoid this parenting dynamic. 

Denny will talk about recent research showing the harmful effects of internet and social media exposure on children, and what parents can do about it in a perpetually logged-on society.

Denny and Pete -- former Fantasy Mensa partners and longtime friends -- talk about the challenges of creating and maintaining routines while being an involved dad. Pete shares his tips and tricks for getting a little exercise without sacrificing kid-related responsibilities. The guys also talk about what shows/YouTube videos their kids are watching these days. 

Denny talks about ways to remain interested in passions and hobbies and find the interesting person you were before kids. Also, Bluey's annoyingly good dad. 

Denny hosts his NBC Sports colleague, Patrick Daugherty, who talks about his experience with authoritarian parenting and how to work with your child and partner to avoid power struggles in the home. 

We'll chat about various ways not to totally up your first couple years as a dad, and how those lessons can easily be carried over into later fatherhood.

Denny discusses what he's learned about the authoritarian parenting model, and how it has failed him as a dad over the years.

Denny urges guys not to use weaponized or strategic incompetence in the home, and suggests ways to recognize when one is being strategically incompetent.