The Daily Dad

Blame Yourself—Or No One


Listen Later

A few weeks ago, there was a fascinating piece about the controversial NFL receiver Antonio Brown. Of course, anything about Antonio Brown is fascinating—his behavior in the last several months has cost him something like $40M in guaranteed money and taken the best wide receiver in the game out of the game, possibly forever. 

But what’s worth taking note of in this piece, for any dad or stepdad, are two seemingly inconsequential remarks by Larry Moss, Brown’s stepfather. 

Brown and his brothers, Desmond and Eddie, would often try to intervene in arguments between their mom, Adrianne Moss, and Larry—arguments Larry attributes to trying to parent Antonio.

Larry Moss, Brown's stepfather, says Brown started staying out late and sneaking off with cars around the age of 14, with a "no respect" attitude that contributed to his leaving the Miami Gardens home. As Larry remembers it, he and Brown's mother even lived in separate homes at times because of friction between him and Brown.

Imagine that. 17 years later this guy is still pointing the finger at a child for the troubles in his marriage. And he’s so shameless about it, he’s willing to put it on the record to ESPN. This is not what dads do—even if they do have difficult children, even if they are stressed and overwhelmed by being a father or stepfather. 

We have to follow Marcus Aurelius’ advice always: “Blame yourself or no one.” Your spouse is not the problem. Your job is not the problem. The economy is not why you’re stressed. It’s not the weather. The fact that the house is a mess is not your kid’s fault. The fact that their grades are slipping is not their fault. That’s not why your marriage is struggling. 

You’re the problem. Your systems are the problem. Your parenting is the problem. Focus on that. It’s the only thing you control. It’s your job to take the blame. It’s your job to help fix it. 

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

...more
View all episodesView all episodes
Download on the App Store

The Daily DadBy Daily Dad

  • 4.7
  • 4.7
  • 4.7
  • 4.7
  • 4.7

4.7

568 ratings


More shows like The Daily Dad

View all
The Knowledge Project by Shane Parrish

The Knowledge Project

2,674 Listeners

The Art of Manliness by The Art of Manliness

The Art of Manliness

14,285 Listeners

The Rich Roll Podcast by Rich Roll

The Rich Roll Podcast

11,909 Listeners

The Mark Divine Show by Mark Divine

The Mark Divine Show

1,655 Listeners

The Game with Alex Hormozi by Alex Hormozi

The Game with Alex Hormozi

4,391 Listeners

Stoic Coffee Break by Erick Cloward

Stoic Coffee Break

395 Listeners

Worklife with Adam Grant by TED

Worklife with Adam Grant

9,210 Listeners

Modern Wisdom by Chris Williamson

Modern Wisdom

3,857 Listeners

The Peter Attia Drive by Peter Attia, MD

The Peter Attia Drive

8,189 Listeners

The Daily Stoic by Daily Stoic | Backyard Ventures

The Daily Stoic

4,833 Listeners

Huberman Lab by Scicomm Media

Huberman Lab

29,193 Listeners

Practical Stoicism by Evergreen Podcasts

Practical Stoicism

624 Listeners

The Morgan Housel Podcast by Morgan Housel

The Morgan Housel Podcast

1,044 Listeners

Stoicism: Philosophy as a Way of Life Podcast by Donald J. Robertson

Stoicism: Philosophy as a Way of Life Podcast

38 Listeners

MODERN STOICISM by Presocratic Mind

MODERN STOICISM

39 Listeners