The Daily Dad

This stuff is not that serious. None of it is.

It's kind of crazy how crazy things are right now. All that you have going on. All the stress that raising a family entails.

If you've ever been called “airport dad” or married to one, this episode is for you. From school attendance to airport stress to the worst-case scenarios we play out in our heads, Ryan and Sam talk about the cost of constantly expecting something to go wrong and what might change if you didn't.

Keep in mind how fast things pass by and are gone—those that are now, and those to come.

Take the opportunity. Encourage the interest. Show them that you're interested in what interests them.

Why is it that so many of us try to impress ambition on our kids? Why are we trying to push them to become famous or powerful? Have we not seen the people who tend to get to these positions? Have we not seen how it works out for them?

What matters is responding with kindness and love. What matters is knowing that they are good and that they are loved and nothing anyone else thinks can change that.

You might not be able to keep track of the time zone or the days anymore, but that's not an excuse for forgetting what's going on with them.

It's our job as parents to remind our kids that they're not powerless, that no matter what's happening around them, they can create change in themselves and in their communities. In this episode, Sharon McMahon, author of The Small and the Mighty, joins Ryan to talk about how we instill real, grounded hope in our kids and help them see that making a difference isn't reserved for someone else. It's within their reach.Sharon is known as “America's Government Teacher,” and after years as a high school government teacher, Sharon now runs the non-partisan, fact-based Instagram account @sharonsaysso. Sharon just released her book, The Small and the Mighty, where she proves that the most remarkable Americans are often ordinary people who didn't make it into the textbooks.

There are consequences to our decisions, the decision to work too much, to check out of a marriage, to not deal with our issues. The problem is that we fool ourselves believing that we can live with those consequences.

No one has ever looked back as their kids grew up or at the end of their own life and thought, “Perfect attendance was worth it.”

It's crazy. It's painful to think how little we have left, how little is left of their childhood, how little time there is left, period. You can let that thought depress you…or clarify.

It starts off so exciting. You're thrust into a totally new situation—you have a kid. And then so much happens and keeps happening. But then what happens?

Why do we tell our kids stories? Why do we tell them about history? Teach them about George Washington, Martin Luther King, Cinncinatus, Florence Nightingale, Jesus, Marcus Aurelius? Because it matters.

In this episode, Ryan and Sam talk about unspoken expectations, why they stopped doing big gifts, and and why fact-checking each other's memories might be the real Valentine's tradition.

Of course, we try to tell our children we love them. Sometimes they receive it. Sometimes they roll their eyes.

Which parent would you rather be, then? Imperious and impossible to please? Or fun and proud and loving?

Your kids are lucky. They have someone who is present, who is loving, who is intentional. But that doesn't mean the work is done.

Show them the difference between picky and particular, between factual and fatuous, between compromise and compromising your standards.

Your house is for living. Your life is centered around your kids. It makes sense that things look and feel (and sometimes even smell) that way.

In this episode, Ryan breaks down five common parenting “don'ts” that even thoughtful, well-intentioned parents fall into. He talks about why these parenting habits backfire, what to do instead, and how everything changes when you stop trying to do everything perfectly.

When they're young, when they're bored, when they're full of energy, when they're older, when you need to talk, early in the morning before school, when you're older, there's one thing you should do with your kids...

You're going to regret that you were stubborn. You're going to regret that you insisted on things being harder than they needed to be. You're going to wonder why you cared so much about what other people think.

Kids aren't ready for something one day and then the next they are. So wait and be ready.

Before you reprimand or correct, you should check the ratio. How many times have you already said that today?

Our kids are not meant to stay in their rooms. Our living room is for living. Our kids deserve the run of the whole place.

What your kids want from you is simpler than you think. In this episode, Jesse Itzler shares a simple parenting rule with Ryan that reshaped how he shows up for his kids. They talk about why the moments that matter most feel inconvenient, why “I'll do it later” is such a dangerous mindset, and how saying yes to your kids' interests can change everything.Listen to the full episode with Jesse on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or YouTube Jesse Itzler is an entrepreneur, author, endurance athlete, former rapper, and part-owner of the Atlanta Hawks. He is the author of two books, Living With A Seal where he lived and trained with David Goggins for 31 days. His other book is Living with the Monks where he lived with an isolated religious community in the mountains of upstate New York. He co-founded Marquis Jet, helped build ZICO Coconut Water, and created the viral New Year planning tool called the “Big Ass Calendar”. Plan 2026 using the Big Ass Calendar that Jesse created: https://thebigasscalendar.com/Check out Jesse's books: Living with a SEAL: 31 Days Training With The Toughest Man on the PlanetLiving with the Monks: What Turning Off My Phone Taught Me about Happiness, Gratitude, and FocusFollow Jesse on Instagram, YouTube, and X @JesseItzler

A person who is a friend to themselves, Seneca wrote, is an aid to all mankind.

It might have been the wrong day. They may have been the wrong age. Maybe they were in the wrong mood, maybe you were in the wrong mood. Maybe you should try again?Let's not write the year off just yet. The Daily Stoic New Year New You challenge is opening back up for a limited time. Learn more and sign up today at dailystoic.com/challenge.

This is how teenagers have been for all time. So why do we take their personality so personally?Let's not write the year off just yet. The Daily Stoic New Year New You challenge is opening back up for a limited time. Learn more and sign up today at dailystoic.com/challenge.

It's never too late to make a change, to start a new career, to quit a bad habit, to get in shape, to apologize, to mend relationships, to try that new thing you've always wanted to try, or to finally invest in yourself.Let's not write the year off just yet. The Daily Stoic New Year New You challenge is opening back up for a limited time. Learn more and sign up today at dailystoic.com/challenge.

Taking care of yourself is contagious. It will spread throughout your house. And so too will a bad example, if that's what you choose to set.

When your kids are struggling, your first instinct is to step in and make it better. In today's episode, Mel Robbins explains why that instinct can actually make things harder. Mel breaks down how the Let Them Theory applies to parenting, shares honest stories about moments she wanted to protect her kids at all costs, and how “letting them” doesn't mean abandoning your role as a parent.Listen to Mel and Ryan's full episode on Apple Podcasts and Spotify or watch it on YouTubeMel Robbins is the creator and host of the award-winning The Mel Robbins Podcast, one of the most successful podcasts in the world, and a #1 New York Times bestselling author. The Let Them Theory was the top selling book of 2025 according to Publisher's Weekly, with +7 million copies sold within nine months of its release date. Tune into The Mel Robbins Podcast on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, and Spotify Follow Mel Robbins on Instagram and TikTok

It's easy to forget how many people would love to be in your position, who are dreaming of the opportunity to have what can so often feel like a burden or a struggle.

We fool ourselves that none of these individual decisions matter. We fool ourselves that the consequences are manageable…which they are until suddenly, they are not.

It's never too late to change and improve, but we should also be aware that the clock is ticking, the windows are closing.

In the course of a day as parents, we make hundreds, thousands of assumptions. Most of these assumptions are faulty. We're just making them up…even though they make us miserable!

Today is Martin Luther King Jr. Day in America—a day we reflect on his life and legacy. One particular lesson from Dr. King can help us better connect with our kids each day.

Growing up with a disability meant Ezra Frech was made to feel different from a very young age. What gave him unshakeable confidence wasn't his athletic talent, but how his parents chose to raise him.In this episode, Ryan sits down with Paralympian Ezra Frech to talk about the impossible decisions his parents had to make early in his life and how those choices shaped his confidence.Ezra Frech is an American track and field athlete who competes in high jump, long jump and sprinting events. He is a two-time Paralympian, having competed at the 2020 Summer Paralympics and won two gold medals at the 2024 Summer Paralympics. Ezra co-created and produced a three-part docuseries called Adaptive with NBC Sports + Peacock. Check it out here! Follow him on Instagram and TikTok @EzraFrech and on YouTube @ItsEzraFrech

We made a decision to have kids many years ago and then for years, that decision works on us, shaping, changing, transforming us.

Later, they might not want to anymore. Later the opportunity might not exist.

They should be able to be maniacs…because that's what kids are. And you, as a well-regulated mature adult, should be able to handle this.

When did we get so jaded? Why don't we acknowledge the little stuff anymore?

Kids are kids. Always have been and always will be.

You can live these years without writing anything down, but you will miss more than you think. In this episode, Ryan and Sam talk about why journaling is one of the most underrated practices for parents, how small entries reveal patterns you cannot see day to day, and why even one line a day can change how you understand yourself as a parent.

Enjoy it while you can because you're the lucky one right now. Because one day, you won't have it anymore.

We think of the Stoics as philosophers, which of course they were. But they were human beings too—sons, daughters, husbands, wives, and parents.

Look, very few of us are born just knowing how to do this—how to express ourselves, how to process difficult feelings. It takes work. And it's our job as parents to do that work ourselves, and to help our children get better at it too.

Our kids have so comparatively little experience, so little wisdom, so little confidence. It's insane. It's more insane still that we confuse and disorient them with our own expectations and projections…even though we know how much our own parents confused us in this regard.

You're just trying to get your point across. You're just trying to teach them. You're just trying to keep them safe. But how do you think it feels? How do you think it feels to be them?

Before you try to parent differently in 2026, remember what actually helped in 2025. In this episode, Ryan shares a few parenting insights he picked up in 2025 from conversations on The Daily Stoic Podcast. You'll hear why self regulation is the real skill we're teaching our kids, how children borrow our nervous systems long before they can manage their own, and a powerful reminder about character.