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Ever Join A Pointless 'Zoom' Meeting..Just To Be "There"?
How To Be The Present Dad Your Kids Deserve
Dynasty Dad
August 01, 2022
Good morning. This newsletter is for radical dads. Dads who know that great kids come from dadding against the grain.
Each week we dig through mountains of info to extract one gem... so you can try it out as fast as your kids slide in and out of their crocs.
This week's Gem is about Connecting with our kids:
How To Be The Present Dad Your Kids Deserve
Mmmmmm...family time...
We live in a world of distractions.
Whether it be the news, our phones, the confluence of the two: it is hard to live in the moment.
So then, how can we be present in a world designed to keep us occupied?
There isn’t one simple answer. Instead, we are going to give you three techniques you can implement in your life to make being present easier.
1) Schedule Time For Nothing
Make time in your calendar for your kids...just put your phone away and honor it...
Honor it like that 1 hrs pointless Zoom meeting that you show up for, quickly go off camera and send a few gifs in the chat to show you are 'engaged'.
2) Make A Clear Distinction Between Work And Family Time
COVID has blurred the lines. We now have more time in proximate to our families. Proximate is the key words because work and home have started to blend.
All of this to say: When you are working, work. When you are done working, be present.
3) Take Time For Yourself
This seems counterintuitive: we are talking about being present with our kids.
What do I gotta do with it?
Listen. A dad needs time for himself to recharge his batteries.
This doesn’t have to be an elaborate hobby, or a three-hour procedure.
You just need time to connect with your own emotions. (Mediation is perfect for this).
Without this, you are doomed to face burnout.
You can’t be a present dad if you are absent in your own life.
What We Read This Week (1 interesting article):
Here's how to raise successful kids...never let them go to school before 10am! (or here for just highlights)
From the other two pillars of Radical Dadding: