How To Be a Dad Today Podcast

Summer vacation is officially here across the USA.  Are you going crazy yet?  Have any plans on how to make this summer a great experience for you and your kids, and further their development into responsible, mature human beings?  Take a listen!

Have fidget spinners taken over you life?  Are you worried your kid is going to choke to death?  Have you read the latest urgent report on Facebook regarding the danger of those evil things?   Let's talk about that today...

For every action, there is an equal an opposite reaction.  Sometimes that reaction is a consequence we would prefer to avoid.   When our children are forced to face the consequences of their poor choices, they will quickly learn to modify their behavior to avoid those consequences.  Parents who threaten consequences, but do not follow through, or parents who feel guilty and so do not allow their children to experience any uncomfortable consequences are not doing their children any favors.   Call it tough love, but letting our kids face the reality of consequences will ultimately produce mature, charactered children.  Not only that, it will restore a modicum of peace to our homes.  Isn't that what we all want anyway?

It seems all we hear about today is the subject of toleration.  Does toleration mean acceptance?  Does it mean endorsement?  Does it mean empowerment?  We'll talk about that. And while we are on the subject, we will talk about the mistake of living in a virtual world where the only voices we allow in are the ones who affirm us, but never correct or challenge us.   Don't miss it!

Teaching our kids to be financially responsible is a difficult task, but one that dads should take seriously.  Maybe you made some mistakes when you were younger.  Maybe you are dealing with those mistakes still today.  If so, then you are uniquely qualified to help your kids avoid the same mistakes.  In this episode I talk about the way my wife and I are going about raising responsible money managers.  Maybe you can find something that will help you. 

It is 2017, and the credit card bills should start rolling in any day now!  If you are like so many people over the Christmas and New Years holidays, you spent more money than you could afford.  Now it is time to pay the piper. 2017 Doesn't have to go the same way for you.  In this episode I talk to you about my own journey of financial responsibility.  I discuss the difference between spenders and savers and why you may lean toward one or the other.   I also share a free resource with you that may help you get a handle on your spending.  Next week, we will discuss teaching financial responsibility to our kids.  For this week, its all about the adults! Happy New Year!

Do you ever feel like you are trapped buying gifts that don't mean anything, for people who won't appreciate them, and won't remember them?  Do you dread the credit card bills that will come in January?   Even when buying gifts for our kids, the idea of a merry "little" Christmas is altogether a thing of the past. It doesn't have to be! In this week's episode, just in time for Christmas, I share with you some thoughts, as well as some ideas, on how you can bring meaning back into your gift giving this year; or next year! Merry Christmas!

As much as I wish we could, I don't think it is possible to eliminate all the bullies from this world.  This is especially true since the definition of bullying is getting larger all the time!   I have very little control over the actions of other people.  I can't follow my kids around for their entire lives to protect them from every adversity.  What I can do, is to instill certain values and behaviors in them while they are at home to help them deal with the bad behavior of other people.   In this second part of our two part series on bullying, we focus less on the bullies, and more on what we as parent can do to protect, and prepare our children to live in a world where people behave badly. I hope it helps.  

Bullying is a problem.  It has existed for a long time, and it is not going to go away.  As parents we are tasked with helping our kids deal with this problem in their lives. The internet has made the situation worse.  Children with unsupervised access to the internet and social media are experiencing bullying in their very own homes! What can parents do?  Children are now committing suicide, we are told, as a direct result of cyberbullying.  What is the solution?   There are no easy answers, but we are going to start talking about it right here on this episode.  

Ever had one of those days?  One of those days when you really don't like your kids? Every feel like you are the only one who feels that way?  YOU'RE NOT! In today's episode we talk about dealing with difficult kids.  We've all got them.  I'll talk about my own struggles, and try to give you some encouragement along the way.