As I work on the All Pro Dad Podcast and these articles, I frequently ask myself, “Am I a good dad?” But this isn’t a new question for me, as I’m sure it isn’t for you. You want to be a good dad—if you didn’t,...
Recently, on a lake trip with my family, I experienced an uncommon emotion for me: peace. Typically on our family lake trips, I’m stressed by wanting to ensure everyone is safe and having a good time. So why was this trip different? Because of what...
For many of us, nothing creates more angst than hearing our wives say, “How do you feel about this?” If that describes you, let me say of course it does. As guys, most of us were led to believe that emotions are not our friends. Many...
It was our first Christmas together as a married couple, and I thought I had purchased my wife the perfect gift—a Snowbabies figurine. I took into consideration all the things I knew about my wife to select the perfect gift. Inexpensive. We didn’t have much...
My mom suddenly passed away when I was 10 years old. My emotions were all over the place. A few weeks later, an adult snapped at me for making a mess, and I started to cry. His response to my tears was, “Just because your...
My adult son recently decided it would be fun to play a game I like to call Parental Gotcha. It goes a little something like this. We are just hanging out, and he casually says, “Do you remember that time I told you I was...
We’ve all been there. You say something that does not land well with your wife. You didn’t mean to hurt her feelings or make her angry, but you did all the same. Often in these situations, we can tend to defend ourselves with lines like,...
I have had a great friend and mentor for the last 25 years. I’ve watched him raise his kids since they were 5, 2, and 1. As a dad, he always seems to get it right. He is calm, solid, affectionate, wise, present, faithful, and...
Early in our marriage, my wife told me several times that she had challenges with a coworker. I felt terrible for my wife. I wanted her to love her job, and this situation stood in the way. Because this was an ongoing situation, I offered...
Our oldest son has always been a picky eater. When he was 18 months old, our pediatrician said, “Feed him the foods he should eat. When he gets hungry enough, he will eat it.” He refused to eat rice and chicken for dinner a few...