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🦺This week's ICE topic: The One Unexpected KEY To Health and Longevity🦺

Dad Meme and Joke Of The Week

Dad Meme

Dad Joke

Q: What do you call a group of buddies who are all dads?

A: A Pack of Puns.

The One Unexpected KEY To Health and Longevity

Scientists found one unexpected and often neglected aspect of life that might be the key to health and longevity.

No, it's not eating like a rabbit (vegan diet).

Or being a supplement freak like Dr. Oz.

Or exercising with great gusto like Richard Simons.

Research shows that having a pack (a group of friends) may be as important to wellness as eating, exercising, and sleeping.

Aussie researchers did a study.

They sent friends into the outback with a large knife, a leather vest and a crocodile hat…

Oops wrong study.

The scientists from the land down under did research over 10-years and found:

Older people who reported having ‘a lot of friends’ were 22 percent less likely to die during the study than those who had ‘few friends’.

That's great, but as I get older, making new friends and keeping the old ones gets more challenging.

My kids and their activities can be like Kryptonite to friendships…

Slowly weakening and eventually zapping my time and energy.

Sometimes I feel like Christopher Reeves (Superman) wearing the Kryptonite necklace in the pool scene.

Here are the 6 antidotes for finding the rejuvenating power of friends:

1/ Annual Guys Trip

Get it on the calendar.

The same time each year.

This way, your wife knows to avoid planning a honey-do list that weekend.

And by planning it around the same weekend every year, you and your buddies will get that Christmas morning-like anticipation.

Eventually, it will become a tradition and make getting coverage for the kids easier.

Nothing is better for a bromance than bonding over a solid weekend of shooting guns, fishing, and drinking beer (am I right?)

2/ Play text roulette

Scroll through your phone and shoot a couple of old buddies a text.

One of those texts might land and reignite an old flame (not romantically).

It might lead to catching a pint, having a coffee or even an invigorating hike.

It is a great way to reconnect in your new phase of life.

3/ Start a dad fraternity

Billy Baker, the author of “We Need to Hang Out,” felt he didn’t have a buddy he could call if his furnace went out in the middle of winter.

So to find that dude, he started a dad-ternity (a fraternity of fellow dads).

I know what you’re imagining;

That scene from Old School when Frank The Tank (Will Ferrell) bongs a few beers and ends up running through the diag naked.

Well, it wasn’t quite this kind of fraternity.

It was more of a weekly get-together with other neighborhood dads, creating deep connections, and so they could find their ICE dudes (In Case of Emergency).

4/ Invite a buddy to something you already have planned

I’ve got a buddy that is great at this.

I get random messages when:

He is headed out on the water to land some fish.

Or he’s jumping on his bike to make a quick mountain biking loop after work.

Even if I can’t join, I know I can count on him if I’m ever looking for a partner in crime.

5/ Get mushy

OK this sounds a little weird.

But hear me out.

If you had a great time with an old buddy or a new friend, shoot him a text and let them know you are grateful and you had a great time.

Be open about your feelings;

I’m about as good at this as I am about putting away my clothes (ask my wife).

I’m trying to be better, which will go a long way to strengthening my bro bond.

6/ Take a class

Think about it, where did you make your closest friends?

They are probably from school (elementary, high school, college).

As an adult, the challenge is finding buds that share the same things.

Taking a class on something you are interested in is a great way to find others with the same interests as you.

Do you like foraging? Take a mushroom identification class.

Or like whiskey? Do a tasting.

Find a class, learn something new, and maybe discover a new buddy with a shared interest.

BONUS:

You’ve probably heard the ol’ saying:

“You’re the average of the five people you spend the most time with.”

The friends we keep, even as adults, help us achieve and learn new things.

Takeaway:

So if you want to be healthier and live longer or make a change, surround yourself with friends.

Find your pack to run with (hopefully not in the nude across the diag).

Your health and longevity depend on it.

This Week's Interesting Read:

Going Commando>>>

No, this isn’t an article about the benefits of letting your boys roam free inside the walls of your slacks.

So fellas, put your tighty whities back on.

This is about “brute force” parenting, commonly known as Commando parenting.

The good old Soviet Union-style parenting…no luxuries, treats or tricks until the child conforms.

Daaaaamn…sounds extreme.

It was popularized by that hill billy tv personality, Dr. Phil, when addressing a child whose behavior is not shaping up after trying everything and the kitchen sink.

The author describes how a command and control style is excellent in a life-and-death situation.

Like during a zombie apocalypse.

However, this kind of parenting through deprivation and punishment can have side effects.

Putting myself in my kids' shoes.

I don't do well with a boss or a leader depriving me of something so that I will conform...hell if I will conform.

Why would I use this form of parenting with my kids.

The author suggests rather than parenting with brute force, try this:

• Have rules with natural consequences.

• Create an environment where kids feel comfortable sharing their emotions by recognizing their emotions

• And the first step in addressing issues is communication.

Often referred to as authoritative. This way, your kids will “never doubt their parents’ unconditional love, support, and concern for their well-being.”

My takeaway:

Command and control parenting is suitable for a zombie apocalypse, but authoritative parenting will raise self-reliant and independent children.

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