Quick Tips For Dads

Today's guest, Matt Purcell, currently works as an international lawyer for Simplot in Boise. After starting his career as a lawyer on the east coast he returned to his native Boise Idaho to work with Micron and eventually landed at Simplot. In today's discussion, we talk about the difficulties of traveling and working internationally while simultaneously trying to be a good father and husband.  We discuss setbacks and triumphs as Matt tells about his journey.  He gives advice to students and full-time workers alike. His advice is applicable to anyone trying to be a better father, husband, mother, wife, etc... We discuss how creating memories with our kids will cultivate a lifelong bond that won't easily be broken. We also discuss how much a small phone call in the middle of the day from your kids can mean to a parent. It was an honor to chat with Matt and I hope any listener can take this interview, find nuggets of wisdom, and become a little bit better because of it. Enjoy!

How much good does losing your patience and yelling at your kids do? In my experience, not a lot.  In today's episode, I discuss the eighth point from dailydad.com's article on 9 ways to be a better father today.  This episode discusses being patient with your kids, even though they will get on your nerves.  Being a parent is difficult, but lacking patience will make everything harder. I promise. My advice to all parents today is to "fight like hell" to keep your cool. Your life will be better, and your kids' lives will be better.  Link to Article:  https://dailydad.com/9-ways-to-be-a-better-father-right-now/

Today I diverge slightly from the 9 part series to talk about my dad. He has always been a great example of me of someone who loves and cares for my mom. Enjoy

Have you ever been let down because someone didn't live up to your expectations? Did you voice that expectation? Was that expectation reasonable? We all have expectations for ourselves, our kids, etc... but we need to make sure those expectations are fair and not unreasonable. You would never expect a 5-year-old to act like a 16-year-old, and you would never expect a 16-year-old to act like a 21-year-old. These expectations would be unfair and unreasonable. Today I discuss how you should not set unreasonable expectations for your kids. Whether that is to be the star athlete you weren't or to play in Carnegie Hall like you couldn't, it doesn't matter. Setting those unfair expectations for your kids will only do more damage than good.  Link to Article:  https://dailydad.com/9-ways-to-be-a-better-father-right-now/ Music by <a href="/users/lesfm-22579021/?tab=audio&amp;utm_source=link-attribution&amp;utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_campaign=audio&amp;utm_content=5720">Lesfm</a> from <a href="https://pixabay.com/music/?utm_source=link-attribution&amp;utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_campaign=music&amp;utm_content=5720">Pixabay</a>

How well do you know your kids? Do you know that your two-year-old loves tractors; or that your teenager loves sports? In today's discussion on tip number 6 from the article 9 ways to be a better father today from dailydad.com I discuss getting on your kid's level and how we can connect with them to teach them and help them grow into better people. Link to Article:  https://dailydad.com/9-ways-to-be-a-better-father-right-now/ Music by <a href="/users/lesfm-22579021/?tab=audio&amp;utm_source=link-attribution&amp;utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_campaign=audio&amp;utm_content=5720">Lesfm</a> from <a href="https://pixabay.com/music/?utm_source=link-attribution&amp;utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_campaign=music&amp;utm_content=5720">Pixabay</a>

I really like this piece of advice. I remember times in my life when an adult, whether my parent or another person, shared their problems with me and it only brought me down. I remember feeling worse for having had that interaction. I think this piece of advice today really hits home just how oversharing could harm our children. We need to find healthy ways to work out our problems, leave work at work, and find help in appropriate places.   Link to Article:  https://dailydad.com/9-ways-to-be-a-better-father-right-now/ Music by <a href="/users/lesfm-22579021/?tab=audio&amp;utm_source=link-attribution&amp;utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_campaign=audio&amp;utm_content=5720">Lesfm</a> from <a href="https://pixabay.com/music/?utm_source=link-attribution&amp;utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_campaign=music&amp;utm_content=5720">Pixabay</a>

Have you ever been the recipient of someone else's bad day? When someone takes out their frustrations with their own life on you? Imagine that you are the one having a bad day, and you decide to take it out on your child. That isn't fair and it is something that a good father would try to avoid doing at all costs. In this episode, I discuss how we can be chain breakers in our own families with our children. We can break the trauma chain by not taking out our own trauma on our children. We can be the ones that save generations from addiction, trauma, and other issues if we are willing to recognize and work through our own difficult times. Enjoy! Link to Article:  https://dailydad.com/9-ways-to-be-a-better-father-right-now/ Music by <a href="/users/lesfm-22579021/?tab=audio&amp;utm_source=link-attribution&amp;utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_campaign=audio&amp;utm_content=5720">Lesfm</a> from <a href="https://pixabay.com/music/?utm_source=link-attribution&amp;utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_campaign=music&amp;utm_content=5720">Pixabay</a>

This tip is not so much about directly doing something for your kids, but rather doing something that will give them an example. Going out, one on one, with your spouse once a week. Committing to a date night can seem daunting, especially if you are low on funds, available babysitters, stressed, or in the middle of a global pandemic. While not easy, this is definitely worth doing. It will bless your marriage, which in turn, will bless your kids.  Link to Article:  https://dailydad.com/9-ways-to-be-a-better-father-right-now/ Music by <a href="/users/lesfm-22579021/?tab=audio&amp;utm_source=link-attribution&amp;utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_campaign=audio&amp;utm_content=5720">Lesfm</a> from <a href="https://pixabay.com/music/?utm_source=link-attribution&amp;utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_campaign=music&amp;utm_content=5720">Pixabay</a>

In part 2 of the 9 ways to be a better father series, I discuss setting an example for your kids. It has been more applicable to me lately because my toddler has begun talking. He repeats every word we say. We realized that our example is his primary source of teaching. This has made me and my wife really take inventory of our own lives to see if we can be better examples to him. Link to Article:  https://dailydad.com/9-ways-to-be-a-better-father-right-now/ Music by <a href="/users/lesfm-22579021/?tab=audio&amp;utm_source=link-attribution&amp;utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_campaign=audio&amp;utm_content=5720">Lesfm</a> from <a href="https://pixabay.com/music/?utm_source=link-attribution&amp;utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_campaign=music&amp;utm_content=5720">Pixabay</a>

Today's episode and the next 8 will focus on an article written by Ryan Holliday on dailydad.com.  He writes about 9 ways we can become better fathers. I will read excerpts from his article and discuss different stories from my own experience as a dad. Today I discuss putting our phones away when we are with our children and how we can all be better at this.  Link to Article:  https://dailydad.com/9-ways-to-be-a-better-father-right-now/ Music by <a href="/users/lesfm-22579021/?tab=audio&amp;utm_source=link-attribution&amp;utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_campaign=audio&amp;utm_content=5720">Lesfm</a> from <a href="https://pixabay.com/music/?utm_source=link-attribution&amp;utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_campaign=music&amp;utm_content=5720">Pixabay</a>