The Daily Dad

Let them have–at least sometimes–a taste of the smaller, more intimate, less overwhelming childhood that you got to experience.Give yourself the ultimate gift of parenting tools, structure, and community. Join The Daily Dad Society here: https://dailydad.com/society✉️ Sign up for the Daily Dad email: DailyDad.com

The goal isn't to teach your kids more. It's to make them want to learn. In this episode, Ryan talks with Kenny Curtis about how to spark real curiosity in kids. Not by forcing information on them, but by helping them ask questions, make connections, and actually care about what they're learning.

There's so much we don't control as parents. But there is one thing we do control...TODAY IS THE DAY

You're going to have to find a way to focus on solutions, not your anger or your fear.1 DAY LEFT

You want to encourage them to learn, to enrich themselves, to stay curious, to build skills and find something they love. But what do you do for you?2 DAYS LEFT

Pretty soon, those little kids will not be so little. They will not even be kids.DON'T WAIT

Your kids are well behaved…where it counts.

Ryan and Sam sit down in the studio and attempt to have a normal conversation. Kids, animals, marriage, miscommunication… and plenty of unexpected turns along the way.

It goes by very fast…and when it's gone, it is gone.

When do you make time to do the things that you need to do? The things you want to tackle and clear out and fix up and organize Because those things start to weigh you down. They start to pile up.

If you're arguing or fighting with your kids about something, you're wrong, ok?

Our children aren't just observing our daily routines—they're being taught what it means to be an adult from our exampleSPECIAL OFFER exclusively for podcast listeners

There's a reason we don't always say what we think. There's a reason we keep our feelings hidden away.SPECIAL OFFER exclusively for podcast listeners

Ever wake up already feeling behind, before the emails, before school drop-off, before anything has actually gone wrong? In this episode, Ryan talks with Oliver Burkeman, bestselling author of 4,000 Weeks and Meditations for Mortals, about that “back foot” feeling so many parents live in. Ryan and Oliver talk about why we give our best energy to trivial things, why we say yes when we mean no, and how a small shift in how we think about time and trade-offs can change the tone of an entire day.Oliver Burkeman is the author of the New York Times bestseller Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management for Mortals, The Antidote: Happiness for People Who Can't Stand Positive Thinking, and Meditations for Mortals. Follow Oliver on Instagram and X @OliverBurkeman

Just as the flowers bloom and trees grow, our children are growing, too. SPECIAL OFFER exclusively for podcast listeners

Stop worrying what random strangers think. Worry what your kids will think.

They've literally never done this before. This is their first time on the planet.

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.