I'll never forget the day I was mowing our lawn in Georgia, sweating in what felt like Satan's breath, and I got so worked up that I convinced myself Nancie had manipulated me into moving here. Yeah, I went from “This lawn is too big”...
When Nancie and I got engaged, many of our friends, family, and a few strangers felt compelled to pull us aside and deliver the same warning: "Marriage is hard work." They'd say it with this knowing sigh, like they were letting us in on some...
In 2001, when I first started working with married couples at our church, I went to Barnes and Noble to learn everything I could about marriage. Instead of a handful of books, I found an entire section. That moment hit me hard. I thought about...
When my kids were little, no matter how tired I was from work, I always loved turning into our neighborhood. I knew that no man on earth could be greeted more sincerely and more excitedly than I was about to be greeted. Upon walking through...
Rewind with me to 15 years ago. At the time, I had a 10-year-old, a 7-year-old, a 5-year-old, and a very taxing job. I loved my kids and even the craziness of work, but some days it all felt like too much. That’s fatherhood stress,...
When my wife, Nancie, and I bought our first house in 2006, it needed everything. We basically purchased a floor plan and a cracked driveway. Back then, decisions were simpler. We picked materials from a few options at three stores. Now, thanks to Amazon, we...
My co-hosts and I just recorded our 95th episode of the All Pro Dad Podcast. We want each episode to be relevant and give dads go-and-dos they can actually pull off in the real world. We are not interested in piling on more impossible advice...
I was speaking at a marriage conference, walking down the hall of a hotel, when I overheard a couple arguing in their room. I may or may not have slowed down. OK, I stopped to listen, but just long enough to hear a woman yell,...
As a guy who can occasionally forget to think before he speaks, I’ve learned that sometimes, silence is golden with my kids. Silence can keep me from saying things I later regret and give me time to think through a better response. And yes, some...
In a marriage and family counseling class, my professor walked in holding a baby mobile. "Families work like this," he said. "Each person has their place, their rhythm. Add someone new (like a son-in-law), and things shift out of balance until the person finds their...