Discover the French technique of Le Pause and how it can be applied in parenting - letting children figure things out on their own, struggling before offering help, suspending judgment, and being present for them.

Explore the concept of epithets in the context of fatherhood and the importance of defining guiding principles for parenting.

The podcast challenges the notion of 'quality time' and emphasizes the value of ordinary and mundane moments with kids. The comedian Jerry Seinfeld prefers the garbage time - watching his kids read a comic book or eating cereal late at night. The focus should be on being present and making every moment meaningful, rather than curating their experiences. Ordinary moments can be wonderful too.

Kids often prefer their grandparents because grandparents have let go of baggage and provide unconditional love and acceptance. Grandparents offer a unique perspective and create strong connections with grandchildren. This trait can be a test for parents when facing challenges with their own kids.

The economist Russ Roberts is a guy who understands how the world works. He knows about the laws of the economy and government. He knows about philosophy and he knows about history. He lives his life by a number of rules and rituals. He keeps Shabbat, for instance, and he commits to regularly tithing a portion of his income. He has another rule, specifically for dads, that is worth thinking about today:If your child offers you a hand to hold, take itThe preciousness of childhood, the preciousness of this day, today, this moment when your child wants your hand for comfort can be hard to appreciate in the moment. You might be tired. Or just tired of holding your child’s hand. Take it anyway. As they get older, they assert their independence. That’s good. But in the meanwhile, hold their hand, take care of them with an open heart. And when they ask to hear Curious George for the nth time, read it again as if it were the first. Life and relationships are an endless dance of reaching out and pulling away. You reach out to your kids, they pull away—they’re busy, they’re in front of their friends, they’re mad at you. You try to help them and they don’t want it. You want what’s best for them but they don’t understand. We can’t control that. It’s going to hurt sometimes. Signals will get crossed. It’s heartbreaking but it’s part of growing up. What we can control is that whenever they reach out—whenever they offer us a hand to hold—that we take that opportunity. When they want to lay in our bed with us, we can let them. When they call on the phone, we can answer—even if we’re in a meeting. When they ask to talk about something, we can listen, whatever it’s about. We can hold them tight every chance we have. We need to make a rule of it.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The podcast discusses the importance of teaching kids about sportsmanship and being a good sport, drawing inspiration from Seneca's teachings on anger and maintaining a balanced attitude.

In her wonderful book On Looking, Alexandra Horowitz takes a series of walks in different environments. What does a geologist see on a city block? What does a naturalist see walking through a park? What does a dog see on a short walk around the block? But the most interesting walk was the one Alexandra took with her 19-month-old. The idea was that she would take her young son and really try on his perspective about the world. So they walk out of Alexandra’s apartment, down the hall to the elevator, down and out of the elevator, and across the lobby to the front door, where they would start the walk. And as Alexandra went to check in with her 19-month-old son as they headed out onto the city street, she suddenly realized...that the walk had begun the second they started getting ready in the apartment.To an adult, things have official beginnings and ends. Parties have start times. The gift is given when it is unwrapped and opened. A fun family dinner kicks off when everyone sits down. It ends when the last bite of dessert has been eaten. Everything else is prep or clean-up. Of course, this is all a product of our adult labeling-minds. To a kid, anything can be special and fun. A walk doesn’t have to be outside. Dinner can be anywhere and at anytime. How many stories have we heard or pictures have we seen of young children spending hours on Christmas morning playing in the cardboard box that the actual gift came in? This sincerity and presentness is wonderful. As fathers, we have to appreciate it. We have to encourage it and make sure we don’t crush it with subtle corrections and insistence on the “official” way things are or should be. Most of all, we have to learn from this love of the moment, and add it as much as possible to our own lives. For, the walk truly can begin when the shoes go on, not just when they first hit the pavement.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.