What does successful fatherhood look like when your kids are grown?
For Jay Tinsley, part of the answer is simple: he hopes his children still genuinely want to spend time with him.
In this episode of After Bedtime Podcast, Jeremy Givens and Jay have an honest conversation about raising children with character while navigating youth sports, competition, family life, and a culture that can sometimes reward the wrong things.
Jay shares why his family intentionally keeps sports focused on joy, hard work, friendships, grit, and personal growth rather than treating childhood athletics as an early audition for scholarships or professional sports.
They discuss what it means to be a cheerleader for your children and others, why Jay teaches his kids to be upstanders rather than bystanders, and how fathers can model compassion, courage, humility, and support through everyday experiences.
The conversation also explores running, coaching, the arts, family adventures, overcoming fear, and creating the kinds of memories that children carry into adulthood. For Jay, those experiences are ultimately building toward something bigger: raising children who become independent adults but still choose to come home, spend time with their parents, and continue experiencing life together.
As Jay puts it, “The best reward is a life well lived.”
This episode is about more than raising athletes or successful kids. It's about raising good people—and building a relationship with your children that can outlast childhood.