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There are a lot of concerns and worries over the use of AI, but there are also plenty of reasons to be excited about the technology. Dads have the opportunity to use the tech to have a ton of AI fun with their kids. Ted Lowe, Bobby Lewis, and Buck Buchanan toss out ideas we can use AI to make lasting memories with our kids. 

Why should you have some AI fun with your kids? For starters, it’s believed using AI can improve social skills and brain development, and also spark curiosity and exploration. AI can boost creativity and invite kids to think critically. If you’re using it with your kids, you’re also connecting and spending quality time together.

What are common ways dads are using AI with their kids?  

·      Use AI to create fun science experiments.  

·      Use AI to turn a trip to the park into a learning experience.

·      Use AI to create (or continue) a bedtime story for your child.

·      Use AI to write fun riddles and jokes. 

All Pro Dad has researched how kids may utilize AI socially. Two popular ways kids are already using AI are as a friend and a therapist.

We get it if the idea of spending time creating fake images, songs, and other goofy things with your kids sounds odd. But, if they like it, consider embracing it with enthusiasm.  

Bottom line: AI isn’t going away, so embrace the fun side of it with your kids. 

Pro Move: If your kids are asking to use it, do some research on which AI apps or websites would be a good fit for your family. Participate together and make some memories.

Other resources: 

Introduction to AI for Dads (See an entire series of AI content with this link)

5 Unique Uses for AI at Home to Make Learning Fun

2 Ways Your Child Might Engage Socially with AI – Part 1

2 Ways Your Child Might Engage Socially with AI – Part 2

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What is a deepfake? It is defined as a video, photo, or audio recording that seems real but has been manipulated with AI. They have become deeply concerning to parents around the world because of how realistic they look. Technology has advanced so much that it’s becoming hard to tell what reality and what’s fiction, and that has dangerous implications for parents. Ted Lowe, Bobby Lewis, and Jason Hood break down how people are using AI to create confusing and harmful content. 

A whopping 73% of parents told the polling service Barna that they’re “concerned” about kids using AI. Maybe that’s because kids across the nation have begun using AI to create deepfakes to bully peers. In multiple states, students have been caught creating fake images of classmates, often involving nudity. It’s a tricky offense to prosecute since many states don’t have laws against AI-generated material yet. The fact that deepfakes are technically not “real” images presents another legal challenge to keeping users in check. 

 What are parents supposed to do? Here are a few tips if you’re worried about AI deepfakes impacting your child:

1. Stay informed about AI-generated capabilities.

2. Educate your kids about AI with your values in mind.

3. Establish clear tech rules before letting your child use a chatbot.

4. Try out an AI image-creator together before handing over the tool.

5. Take steps to protect your kids from predators who use AI tech.

 Bottom line: AI isn’t going away, so stay up to date on all the ways it’s being used and expect constant changes.

Pro Move of the Week: Ask your kids if they know what a “deepfake” is. Talk about what your family feels are appropriate and inappropriate ways to use AI.  

Other resources: 

5 Ways to Keep Kids Safe With AI Images and Deepfakes

3 Insights for Parenting in the Age of AI

4 Warning Bells as AI Continues to Influence the World

AI Quiz 1

AI Quiz 2

AI Images That Went Viral in 2023

Baltimore School Firing Over AI-generated Audio (NPR)

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Whether your child is starting kindergarten this semester or studying in a dorm room somewhere, you’d better believe students everywhere will be seeing and using more AI in the classroom. From science experiments to essay writing, Ted Lowe, Bobby Lewis, and Buck Buchanan break down how students and teachers will use AI in creative and helpful ways.

Despite being used often, AI is still relatively unknown and scary for a lot of people. You may not have even realized that technologies you use every day like voice assistants (Siri or Alexa), navigation apps, and chatbots rely heavily on AI If they aren’t already, students will soon use AI for things like test prep, study guides, and writing prompts. It will tailor their educational experience, give feedback without judgment, and level the playing field. Teachers will use it to save time lesson planning and get immediate feedback from students. To curb cheating, instructors may begin leaning more on oral exams in class. 

If all this sounds new and intimidating, consider these three ways dads can embrace AI in the classroom with their kids:

1.    Don’t run 

2.    Participate with your kids 

3.    Understand the long-term benefit

Bottom line: AI is getting more powerful by the day, but it doesn’t have to scary, and can actually benefit our kids’ education. 

Pro Move of the Week: Ask your kids how AI is being used in their school and work on an assignment together.

Other resources:

Introduction to A.I. for Dads (See an entire series of A.I. content with this link)

Fears About A.I. and Learning in Schools

Warning Bells as A.I. Continues to Influence the World

Is Using A.I. For Schoolwork Cheating?

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Billy Napier was hired as the head football coach of the Florida Gators in 2021 after successful seasons at Alabama and Louisiana. At every stop, the father of three has endured challenges to perform well on the field and be influential at home. Ted Lowe and Mark Merrill chat with Coach Napier about how he strives to live, lead, and coach with purpose.

During the football season, Coach Napier sees his players as much, if not more, than his own children. Intentionality has become a big deal for him. So when family time is on his calendar, nothing gets in the way of it. That’s part of knowing your purpose as an employee, husband, and father – prioritizing what and who is most important to you. 

Have you thought through the question, “What is my purpose as a dad?” If you’ve never considered it, here are three questions to help you find your purpose as a father. 

1. Why am I here?

2. What can you give?

3. Who will you help?

Bottom line: Knowing my purpose makes me a better dad.   

Pro Move of the Week: Look at your calendar and find all the things that are family-related. Pledged to protect those events, not bumping them for anything unless it’s an emergency.

Reference 

4 Ways to Find Your Purpose

3 Questions to Stay Focused on Your Purpose

Ep. 31 Is Work-Life Balance Even Possible?

The Pressure at Work is Overwhelming

Tony Dungy: Working Under Pressure

Tony Dungy: How to Manage Family and a Demanding Job

How to Cope With Losing Your Job

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Smartphones. Tablets. TVs. Most kids in the United States have access to some kind of device with a screen, and it’s almost certain they are using it daily. Ted Lowe, Buck Buchanan, and Reggie Lewis discuss the gravitational pull of technology and how screens are taking over our homes. 

Even if you’ve successfully limited screen time with your kids, the stats on tech use are incredible. In his book The Anxious Generation, Jonathan Haidt shares this eye-opening data about kids’ growing technology addiction:

·      American kids ages 8-12 view a screen for nearly 5 hours per day on average. 

·      Teens’ screen time exceeds 7 hours per day on average.

·      Over 70% of teens don’t get the recommended amount of sleep due to screen usage. 

·      Attention spans have decreased in children by nearly 50% during the last 15 years due in part to screens. 

·      72% of parents expressed concern about their children’s screen time but many feel ill-equipped to manage it.

Technology has the same effect on the portion of the brain that impacts function and impulse control as cocaine. Screen time is highly addictive. How do we handle this growing technology addiction as parents?

 Here are a few tips from The Anxious Generation.

1.    Open Communication

2.    Set Clear Screen Time Limits

3.    Create Tech-Free Zones and Times

4.    Model Healthy Tech Use

5.    Educate About Digital Citizenship

6.    Monitor Online Activity

7.    Support Mental Health

Today’s Pro Move:

Choose one of Dr. Haidt’s tips and have a conversation with your kid. 

Other resources: 

Breaking the Video Game Addicted Kid

Are You Making Your Kids Addicts Without Even Knowing It?

19 Alternatives to Screen Time Your Kids Will Actually Like

All Pro Dad Child Safety Series

"The Anxious Generation" by Dr. Jonathan Haidt

10 Ways Your Child Can Use the Cell Phone for Good 

5 Ways to

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When dads get involved in their kids’ education great things typically happen. Grades tend to improve. Behavior problems usually fade. The rates of teen pregnancy, incarceration, and drug use all drop. Dads play an enormous role in their kids’ education experience – if they get involved. Ted Lowe, Buck Buchanan, and Jason Hood, Director of All Pro Dad Chapters, talk about how easy it is for dads to get plugged in at school.

The All Pro Dad Chapter program started as a way to get dads to connect with their kids at school. Chapters offer monthly meeting opportunities for dads to spend quality time with their children before school to strengthen their relationship. One day a month, other dads and their kids meet together and walk through different topics that invoke meaningful conversations. There are active chapters in nearly all 50 states and internationally, including in countries like Egypt, Kenya, Uganda, and Greece. 

Over 250,000 people attended All Pro Dad Chapter meetings during the 2023 school year. To hear from participants, check out our testimonials page.

Bottom line: Be intentional about your kids’ education.

Today’s Pro Move: Ask an administrator if there is an All Pro Dad Chapter at your child’s school.

Other resources:

Nate Bargatze comedy clip

NateBargatze.com

Find an All Pro Dad Chapter in your state

Start an All Pro Dad Chapter at your kids’ school

FAQ For Parents

8 Tips For Fathers to Help Their Kids Succeed in School

11 Ways to Make Your Kids’ School Year Special

5 Things to Tell Your Child Every Day

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This is the All Pro Dad podcast, where in each episode dads of all ages dive into just one question. Today, we ask, “Have I Taken the Time to Get to Know My Children for Who They Are?”

You spend more time with your kids than pretty much anyone. But, how well do you know them? The real them? What things make them happy, anxious, and afraid? What are their hopes, dreams, and fears? Veteran dads Ted Lowe, Jason Hood, and All Pro Dad Founder Mark Merrill share strategies they’ve used to dig down deep and get to know their children better than ever.

When kids know dad wants to know the real them, they tend to open up more. That’s a win for us as dads but we can get in our own way sometimes. Our personalities may differ from our kids’. Our likes and dislikes don’t always align. It can be tough to find the right balance, but committing to do what it takes to truly connect with your kids will pay off. Here are a few steps you can take:

1.    Be amazed.  

2.    Be curious. 

3.    Be affirming. 

4.    Be flexible. 

5.    Be there.  

Bottom line: When your kid knows you get them, they know you love them. 

Today’s Pro Move: For one week, ask your kid their high and low of the day. 

Other resources: 

The Best Conversation Starters For Teenagers

How to be Amazed by Your Kids

Books by Mark Merrill: 

From Me to You Journal: Sons

From Me to You Journal: Daughters

“I Said This, You Heard That” by Kathleen Edelman

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If he wasn’t an expert in how to handle success and failure before 2023, Florida State Head Football Coach Mike Norvell knows now. His FSU team finished the regular season a perfect 13-0, was passed over for a College Football Playoff appearance, and lost big in its bowl game, playing without its injured Heisman Trophy candidate quarterback. The disappointing end to a special season led Norvell to give one of the most inspired locker room speeches of the season.  

“I told you since the very first day that I came here: hard work does not guarantee success,” he told his Seminoles players after losing 63-3 to Georgia. “It doesn’t and it never will. But it absolutely will put you in the best position to achieve it.”

Mike sat down with Ted Lowe and Family First President Mark Merrill to talk about how the highs and lows of coaching a nationally prominent college football program mirrors the challenges of parenting his 10-year-old daughter. The conversation will lead dads to think through navigating both good and bad moments with their kids in a way that helps them keep their eyes fixed on the process, not the problems. 

Things to keep in mind when parenting through success:

1.    Tell kids to stay humble.

2.    Encourage them to keep working at being their best.

3.    Encourage sharing success with others.

4.    Teach kids where our real value comes from.

5.    Remind your kids to be thankful.

Things to keep in mind when parenting through failure:

1.    Not everyone gets a trophy.

2.    Everyone has different talents.

3.    It’s important to have class.

4.    Learn from your mistakes.

5.    Lessons come from perseverance.

Bottom line: Your kid needs to know you’ll be there during the highs and lows.

Today’s Pro Move: Think about what you will say to your children the next time they succeed or fail.

Other resources:
4 Dos and Don’ts When Your Kid Feels Like a Failure 

4 Things Boys Can Learn from Failure 

The 4 Most Important Lessons Only Failure Can Teach You

4 Things Your Kids Need to Achieve Success

How to Raise Successful Kids

Ryan Succop: 3 Reasons Setbacks Are Good for Us

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Grocery store tantrums. Refusing to follow directions. The list of ways kids act out goes on and on. Acting out is how kids test their limits, learn their voice, and, in a way, mature. But it can be incredibly frustrating for parents to see their child acting out. Ted Lowe, Jason Hood, and Buck Buchanan talk about what they’ve done to try and keep their kids from becoming disruptive or disrespectful.

One thing that helps when you have a child acting out is to run their behavior through this series of questions:

1.    Is this a first-time behavior? 

2.    Is this childish behavior or willful disobedience?  

3.    Did I clearly communicate what our family values in this situation? 

4.    Am I making it easy for my kid to talk to me about tough things? 

5.    What, if any, consequence should there be? 

6.    Is there an underlying issue that contributed to my child’s behavior? 

7.    What can I do to help my kid learn from this experience?  

Understanding why your child is behaving a certain way will help you address it appropriately. 

Today’s Pro Move: Choose one situation with your kid that you are unsure how to handle and run it through the seven questions above.   

Other resources: 

The Secret to Stopping Bad Behavior

5 Decisions You Can Make to End Disrespect

Teaching Boys How to Handle Their Emotions (iMOM)

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Dads love to hold the TV remote. When that little device is in our hands, we can flip on any channel we want. We hold the power! But kids don’t come with a remote. They are actually really tough to control, as much as we try. Does parenting sometimes leave you feeling out of control as a dad? Ted Lowe, Bobby Lewis, and Buck Buchanan try to figure out how to stop being so controlling as dads. 

Having a sense of control helps us feel competent, relieve uncertainty, and boost our self-worth. But, so much in life is out of our control, especially as dads. This drives many men to pursue control even more. It’s not a great quality, because when we tighten our grip, our kids tend to resist our attempt to grab control. How do we manage the urge to be a controlling parent and still show love to our children? Try these tips. 

1. Know Your Triggers 

What does your kid do that bothers you more than it should? When does your reaction not match the situation?

2. Be Realistic

Control is necessary in some situations, but not all. Just because you think something should happen doesn’t mean it will or even that it should. The more realistic we are, the less controlling we are.

3. Communicate Choices 

Kids respond to choices. If you struggle with being a controlling parent, offering kids the chance to choose between options you’ve predetermined.

4. Model Healthy Behavior

This is crucial. If you aren’t trying to control your kids, they will learn not to be controlling, too.  

5. Slow Down 

When your child does something you want to control quickly, give yourself space to let the logical part of your brain return online. That’s the part of your brain that knows you can’t make your child do anything. 

6. Choose your battles. 

The less you try to control, the less controlling you will be.

Bottom line: You can’t control your kid, but you can help them choose. 

Today’s Pro Move: Ask yourself, what is one area where you need to be less controlling with your kid?   

Other resources: 

4 Things You Can Control As A Dad 

5 Things You Cannot Control As A Dad 

4 Ways Fatherhood Teaches You To Let Go Of Control 

4 Kinds of Parental Control Dads Should Use

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