DA413 | Forgiveness Fridays, Throwback Tuesdays, and Building a Close-Knit Family on Purpose (Michael DeAquino)

➡️ How yearly family vision summits (with a hot tub!) shape your family's direction

➡️ The power of tying your kids' names to your family's core values

➡️ Why pre-parental counseling removes the shame that keeps dads stuck later

SHOW NOTES

https://www.dadawesome.org/blog/413

SUMMARY

What if you could prepare for fatherhood before the chaos even begins? In this episode, Michael DeAquino shares how he and his wife are helping expecting parents get on the same page before baby arrives—and why that window of time matters so much. You'll also hear how Michael's family runs themed dinner nights every single day of the week (yes, including Forgiveness Friday and Scenario Saturday), plus how yearly vision summits with your kids in an Airbnb with a hot tub can transform the direction of your family.

TAKEAWAYS

• Creating space to think—like a yearly family summit away from home—is the first step toward vision. You can't see where you're headed when you're drowning in the daily grind.
• Themed dinner nights (Monday Meeting, Throwback Tuesday, Thankful Thursday, Forgiveness Friday, and more) turn ordinary meals into consistent connection points that shape your family culture.
• Your kids' names can carry your family's vision. Michael tied each child's name to a core value—closeness, generational faithfulness, righteousness, light, and stewardship—and speaks it over them regularly.
• The best time to prepare for intentional parenting is before you're holding the baby. Pre-parental counseling removes the shame and chaos that often keeps dads from engaging later.
• Keystone habits cascade into other habits. Start with what you're already doing (like dinner) and build intentional rhythms from there.

GUEST

Michael DeAquino is the co-founder of The Parenthood Project and author of The Parenthood Primer, a pre-parental counseling resource for expecting and new parents. He and his wife have five kids ages 2 to 12 and are passionate about helping couples get on the same page before the chaos of parenthood begins. Michael spent 15 years in church ministry before pivoting to equip parents earlier in their journey.

QUOTES

"I didn't start until my oldest was six. And to see just where things are now—there's a lot of grace." – Michael DeAquino

"Our names carry a lot of identity in them. Why not make it even more than just what you call us?" – Michael DeAquino

"You're going to get a lot of recognition in your career. You're not going to get a lot of recognition as a father—and that's where you'll end up placing your time." – Michael DeAquino

"Everything around us is trying to disintegrate our family. So how do we foster closeness even as our kids get older?" – Michael DeAquino

"What if we got to dads before they even hold the baby—before the chaos, before the shame sets in?" – Michael DeAquino

LINKS

• Send a Voice Message to DadAwesome
• Apply to join the next DadAwesome Accelerator Cohort: Email awesome@dadawesome.org
• Subscribe to DadAwesome Messages: Text the word "Dad" to (651) 370-8618
• The Parenthood Primer by Michael DeAquino
• The Parenthood Project