Forging Fatherhood

If you are not actively monitoring and checking your child's phone, you should be! They are deleting texts they don't want you to read, hiding images they don't want you to see, and may even have secret accounts and email addresses they don't want you to know about.  All children hide things from their parents, just like you did when you were a teen. But the consequences are so much more dangerous now than where you were their age.In this episode, I talk about how I found something on my son's phone that he tried to keep locked away and hidden. We discuss phone features you need to be aware of, what Homeland Security thinks of sexting, and how a lot of parents today are afraid to even check their child's phone regularly.

On today's show we start a new Fun Friday series called "Bad Boss Stereotypes", where I tell stories and discuss some of the bad bosses that many of you may have encountered in your careers. Our first Bad Boss is "The Blocker", who is someone that goes out of their way to block your career growth. Enjoy the show!

For several months I have been trying to plan something big that I would like to do to commemorate my upcoming 50th birthday. In this episode, I talk about how this process took on a life of its own, going through several iterations, with roadblocks and failures, until finally landing on the event I am now training for. Most anyone who knows me will tell you that, for me, what I have picked is dumb, completely out of character, and going to be very difficult for me to accomplish. But that's part of the goal.

On today's Fun Friday episode, I talk about why I don't have (and don't want!) a motorcycle. I recount a couple of embarrassing stories of my attempts at driving them, and discuss why it's probably a good idea for me to never sit on one again!

In about six months I will turn 50, and I have created some goals that I want to meet by then. These are not your typical "birthday" goals, but ones that focus on a long term impact on my health, fitness, and longevity. I'm also working on doing some sort of big adventure or accomplishment to commemorate the date!LINKS:Vo2 MaxWhat is Vo2 Max: https://peterattiamd.com/category/exercise/vo2-max/Improving Vo2 Max: https://youtu.be/hN12iDSlFEc?si=C-fSXTTxC-e5YNSc&t=5484How to Increase VO2 Max: https://www.triathlete.com/training/how-to-improve-your-vo2-max/VO2 Max: How To Measure and Improve It: https://health.clevelandclinic.org/what-is-vo2-max-and-how-to-calculate-itZone 2 HR:https://marathonhandbook.com/zone-2-training-the-science-benefits/https://honehealth.com/edge/fitness/zone-2-training-cardio/https://www.invigormedical.com/performance/zone-2-heart-rate-training-the-science-behind-the-method/https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-04-28/the-science-behind-zone-2-training-for-athletes/103749442

In this episode I give you an inside look at something harmful that is going on in every school in America, and the steps you need to take to prepare and protect your children. I discuss how not properly preparing my children has caused a lot of severe problems in my family, and I hope that you can take this episode and learn from my mistakes. You may also want to read through my blog post on 7 Things Your Kids Need To Know Before They Start Middle School.

For several months there has been a darkness, a sense of hopelessness and despair, that has been a constant shadow over my life. In today's episode I open up and talk about that, as well as my struggles with my faith, and ultimately realizing that I needed to answer the question: "Who wrote the narrative you keep repeating to yourself?"I know I am not alone in this. With an estimated 39,000 male suicides a year in the U.S., it's obvious that many men are struggling through this.Here is a link to the song I mention in the episode: https://youtu.be/tHxip2x-PLc?si=CjG35NbODNMPjbqsMen, it's time to start talking about this, and ask yourself "Who wrote the narrative you keep repeating to yourself?"

You can live with your family and still be an absentee father. As men, we tend to define ourselves by our careers, by whatever it is we do for a living. But many times our focus and dedication to our jobs takes us aways from our families. On today's show I talk about how me being focused on providing a good life for my family may have caused them to suffer from me not being present for them. We'll talk about how "Lego Me", not knowing what day it is, and the police showing up on a suicide prevention call were some of the wake up calls that I got from my kids.

On today's Fun Friday episode, I talk about 5 dog training tips that I learned when taking my Australian Shepard through AKC courses. These tips are the basis of being able to train your puppy or adult dog, and help build a trusting relationship between you and your pet. By learning how to interact with your puppy, and the proper times and ways to praise and scold, you can takes these tips and use them to successfully train your dog.