We can all DAD better
One of these days you will be remembered. What you will be remembered for is up to you. What is also up to you is to decide to Dad better starting right now. Not perfectly, not manically, just better. Say less meaningless or mean stuff, stop with the threats, try to have fun, and repair all the time. This weekly dose of Dad Vs The Week is intended to help all of us do this a little better all the time. Here we go!
3 things to consider
Habits are things we do all the time without thinking about it. See if you can make these three things a part of your daily self talk and to do list.
Stop yelling: Keep an eye on your tone
No trantrums (remember who the baby is): It is so easy to let everything feel like a little too much because sometime it is. Keep it together no one is coming to save you. Breathe and do something besides bellyache, your kids are watching.
Walk everywhere you can: Whether you are old or not you need to keep moving. Sitting is the new smoking and we have to find ways to get up and move. It doesn’t matter that it is winter or that you have a call, get your jacket and your headphones and get outside you big baby.
Two things to cook
The snack assault is on. We (myself included) give our kids too many snacks and I say we start trying some new things to make the real meals matter.
Master your muffins
The first thing you need to do is stop buying muffins. Just stop. They are cake. Just like they try to say that Aioli is not mayo. Please. A dad needs 2-3 muffins that he can make in 20 minutes that he put in front of grumpy kids. Boom. Try these.
Cookies aren’t all crap
Cookie is a powerful word. Another thing we need to stop buying in a box. These are easy and taste good to almost everyone. It is possible to make everyone happy at once.
Dad Fun - Go out and find it
Who has time to have fun? Do you even know what is fun to you anymore? What have you tried lately?
Try these:
Start a dad’s breakfast group - Get yours friends and their friends and get together once a month to complain about how much daycare costs and to explore how much is ok to pay for sweatpants.
Try Pickleball - Everyone is playing this game both old and young because it is lowskill and easy to get going. Try a lesson, a group play, or rent a course for an hour. Check out Wolverine Pickleball in Ann Arbor or find the courts in your area, they are everywhere.
Dad Magic
For your kids birthdays this year hide all the presents. All of them. Go to chat GPT or make up a pirate map yourself and make them work for them. I actually ordered a pirate chest on Amazon (returned it immediately) to hide Leggos in the field by my house. Make them run around, figure something out, look around for gods sake. It is fun if you let it be. Listen to this guy he does it professionally.
This newsletter is not professional in nature but intended to be real things to try because I have. They won’t all work but this is a process and I’d love for you to join me on the way. Thanks for reading and we hope to see you next week.