Foundation Father
Children memorize things. It’s what they are good at. Their brains are made for it. Lean into it. Helping them memorize stuff is the number one thing you can do for them when they are young (under 8). It’s still important until they reach an age where they can work to memorize things on their […]
One of the biggest mistakes you can make as a leader is to claw back the responsibility you have delegated to another. You nitpick what they are doing because it isn’t done exactly how you would do it. You hover over their shoulder. You leave no room for natural learning and as a result, you […]
Being a father helped improve my public speaking. You don’t get this upgrade automatically. It takes discipline and diligence just like anything else. But being a father is like being given a full scholarship to your chosen university. You aren’t going to get handed a diploma just for existing, but the path has been cleared. […]
I remember some of the most random things from my childhood. Some moments of shame. Some filled with hilarity. Some with poignant melancholy. And some that teach an important lesson. When I was 9 or 10, my family spent the evening at the home of some family friends. Oreos were on the menu for dessert. […]
One summer, I worked as the lone car cleaner for an Avis rental franchise. This one was nestled in the back of a BP gas station and never had more than 15 vehicles at one time. Despite the heat and humidity of Kentucky summers, I found the job pleasant enough. Most cars needed only a […]
It is your responsibility to educate your children. You may delegate some of the tasks of their education. You may hire tutors and teachers, send them to a private school. You may even send them to government schools (though I wouldn’t recommend it). But you may not abdicate your responsibility to educate them. When all […]
What does it feel like when someone accuses you of lying? When you tell them something, but by default, they don’t trust you. It feels terrible. Frustrating. Humiliating. This is what your kids feel when you assume the worst. If they know you don’t trust them, why would they come to you for anything? Why […]
I will never forget my 4th grade social studies teacher. She had passed out a worksheet with four questions on it. I don’t remember any of the questions, but I do know the subject was Abraham Lincoln. I thought the instructions were to answer all four questions. That’s what I though I heard. So that […]
Your household is a place your children should feel special. It is their home and no one else’s. You are their father, and no one else’s. They have a special claim on your time and resources. You have a hierarchy of obligation to follow. The wise man knows how to navigate it. Your children are […]
When I was a child, I had trouble paying attention. My knees would be bouncing constantly. I would shift in my seat to my knees, to one leg, to standing to whatever I felt like in that moment. (I still do this when “sitting” at a desk.) I also had (and still have) some symptoms […]