You grew up a certain way. You were shown certain things. You were taught a certain worldview—the world was a certain way. And now? Now here you are.
Here you are not just in a new world, but with children who will challenge that constantly. They have new beliefs. They have new needs. They thrust you into new situations. They demand new strategies, new perspectives, new ideas.
It’s a lot. It’s overwhelming. And yet how we respond to this generational vertigo—which has always existed and always will exist—is what defines us as people and as parents.
When Zaya Wade came out to her father, NBA legend Dwayne Wade, she dealt him precisely this challenge. “I was so scared,” she explained to a reporter. “Everyone’s scared about coming out to their parents, and yeah, my parents are from Chicago. Chicago’s not the most [progressive] … Like, in that moment, [my dad] had to make a choice: Do I stay in my beliefs from my childhood, or do I grow and expand and evolve in order to be a better dad for my kid?”
This is the question we are all faced with as parents, in ways big and small. Our kids are going to do things we don’t understand. The world is going to evolve in ways that surprise us, perhaps scare us. Our beliefs will be put under tension. Our sense of what’s ‘normal’ will be tested. We will be given a choice—actually the same choice many, many times over.
Will we stay with who we were? Are we going to stick with what we were taught and what we know? Or will we grow and expand and evolve in order to be a better parent for our kids?
This, by the way, is exactly why we started Daily Dad Society. We wanted to create a supportive community where we could talk about the challenges of parenthood, share concerns, celebrate wins, get advice, and learn actionable strategies for our most important job—parenting.
With our private member forum and a live call each month (led by me, Ryan Holiday), we’ve met with parents all over the world and covered a wide breadth of topics, including how to model the right behavior for your kids, how to apologize and repair, and what questions to ask your kids each day to make sure they stay curious and engaged.
We welcome you to join us!
Parenting is hard. Together, let’s learn how to be the best we can be—the parents our kids deserve.
