Does the idea of a whole summer one on one with your kid sound idyllic... or intimidating? If you’ve ever been the primary parent for a whole season, you've likely experienced both of those extremes. In this episode, we’re joined by Joel Costigan, a longtime educator, soccer coach, and dad to a 7-year-old daughter named Ruby. Joel recently made a major career move, trading a lucrative healthcare job for an Ed Tech position, which brought him back to his roots and awarded him an entire summer to spend with Ruby. Joel shares what he learned navigating a busy, adventure-filled season as both planner and playmate, his biggest parenting fears, and the surprising joys (and challenges) of being a hands-on “girl dad." After the chat, stick around for Marc’s family vacation story, complete his boys’ accidental new signature move: "Peen pinching."

Episode 128 of Modern Dadhood opens with a brief catch-up between the guys about the back-to-school season, and they discuss their plans to see friend-of-the-show Pete Holmes. Marc shares about an epic family vacation to Bar Harbor before they replay a recent conversation between Adam and longtime friend Joel Costigan. Joel is a husband, a father of one, and an Ed Tech at a public high school in Maine. His recent job change awarded him a full summer to spend with his 7-year-old daughter Ruby. 

LINKS
Caspar Babypants
Spencer Albee
Modern Dadhood (website)
AdamFlaherty.tv
Stuffed Animal (Marc's kids' music)
MD (Instagram)
MD (Facebook)
MD (YouTube)
MD (TikTok)

#moderndadhood #fatherhood #parenthood #parenting #parentingpodcast #dadding #dadpodcast

Navigating the legal maze of child support and custody can feel impossible... especially when the system seems stacked against you. Picasso Cognizance learned this the hard way when his partner's family took his son away from him at the age of two. Picasso spent the next nearly two decades paying child support, immersing himself in the world of parental rights, and being ping-ponged between agencies who made no effort to help him. Picasso opens up about the emotional and legal challenges he faced when trying to regain access to his son, and shares why he started Resolute Fathers, an organization dedicated to educating other parents about how to navigate these complicated systems.

Topics include:
Challenges of Child Support and Custody: Picasso Cognizance shares his personal experience navigating the legal and emotional difficulties of losing custody and paying child support.

The Importance of Knowing Parental Rights: Emphasis is placed on the need for parents to understand their rights, state laws, and how the system works in order to protect themselves and their relationship with their children.

Emotional Toll and Resilience: The conversation highlights the emotional hardships, feelings of frustration, and the need for perseverance and hope when facing a complex family court system.

Advocacy and Support: Picasso discusses his work with Resolute Fathers, aiming to educate and support parents (particularly fathers) going through similar struggles.

Encouragement for Constructive Co-Parenting: The value of cooperative co-parenting without unnecessary legal intervention is underscored as a path to healthier family dynamics.
 

After the interview, Marc shares a tender (and hilarious) story of a 7 year old with big feelings.
 

LINKS
Resolute Fathers (Instagram)
Who's The Daddy? (Amazon)
Victor M. Sweeney on Modern Dadhood
Caspar Babypants
Spencer Albee
Modern Dadhood (website)
AdamFlaherty.tv
Stuffed Animal (Marc's kids' music)
MD (Instagram)
MD (Facebook)
MD (YouTube)
MD (TikTok)

#moderndadhood #fatherhood #parenthood #parenting #parentingpodcast #dadding #dadpodcast

What does it mean to be a "feminist dad"? Maybe a better place to start is asking: what does it mean to be a feminist at all... and why is that term so controversial? There are many ideas and misunderstandings associated with the concept of feminism, and in August of 2021, we were fortunate to explore feminism and fatherhood with the brilliant Jordan Shapiro: author, educator, and senior fellow at the Joan Ganz Cooney Center at Sesame Workshop. In his acclaimed book, Father Figure: How to Be a Feminist Dad, Jordan unpacks how traditional ideas of masculinity shape our parenting, why inclusivity matters, and what it takes to raise "radically inclusive" kids in a rapidly changing world. Whether you’re new to the topic or ready to challenge what you thought you knew, this Rewind episode is full of big ideas and practical takeaways.

Topics include:

•  Fatherhood as an evolving, not fixed, role shaped by changing ideas about masculinity and gender.
•  Embracing feminism in parenting by modeling inclusivity, equality, and respect for all.
•  Challenging traditional masculine norms and embracing vulnerability and growth as a dad.
•  Prioritizing responsibility and adaptability over authority in fatherhood.
•  The importance of self-reflection and open dialogue about gender, identity, and family roles.
•  And more!

LINKS:
Farther Figure: How To Be a Feminist Dad
Jordan Shapiro (official website)
Jordan Shapiro (Twitter)
Jordan Shapiro (Instagram)
Red Vault Audio
Caspar Babypants
Spencer Albee
Modern Dadhood (website)
AdamFlaherty.tv
Stuffed Animal (Marc's kids' music)
MD (Instagram)
MD (Facebook)
MD (YouTube)
MD (TikTok)

#moderndadhood #fatherhood #parenthood #parenting #parentingpodcast #dadding #dadpodcast

Ever notice how most spray cleaners and detergents seem to be marketed straight out of the 1950s... and almost always to moms? Entrepreneur Sean Busch is on a mission to flip the script. Sean is a dad of two kids who LOVE to make messes, and he's the founder of Dad Mode, a new line of high-performance cleaning products designed specifically for dads. Sean joins us to talk about why it's important that dads meaningfully contribute to housekeeping, what “choreplay” means (and how it might just be the secret to more balance), and the potential risks and rewards of selling gendered products.
 

Several of Adam's favorite recent episodes:
Navigating Miscarriage and Grief as a Dad (Kelly Jean-Philippe)
What Will Our Kids Be Saying About Us? (Pete Holmes)
Dismantling Birth Care Stereotypes (Teddy the Doula)

LINKS
Dad Mode (official)
Dad Mode (Amazon)
Dad Mode (Facebook)
Dad Mode (Instagram)
Dad Mode (TikTok)
Dad Mode (YouTube)
Caspar Babypants
Spencer Albee
Modern Dadhood (website)
AdamFlaherty.tv
Stuffed Animal (Marc's kids' music)
MD (Instagram)
MD (Facebook)
MD (YouTube)
MD (TikTok)

#moderndadhood #fatherhood #parenthood #parenting #parentingpodcast #dadding #dadpodcast

Does it get more "meta" than interviewing your own parent about parenting? For our Father’s Day 2025 Special, Adam Flaherty goes deep with a truly special and personal guest: his own father. Tom Flaherty isn’t just Adam’s dad; he's a father of four (spanning 20 years in age!), an Air Force veteran, a retired police officer, and an inspiration and beacon of hope to many people recovering from alcohol addiction. In a first for the show, Adam and his dad get real about raising kids across two generations, building resilience through tough times, and the evolving role of fathers over the decades. After the interview, Marc and Adam tackle the wild world of kids' slang in a gut-busting So That's a Thing Now about the cringeworthy phrases their children have brought home.

LINKS
What Does It Mean To Be a Modern Dad (article by Adam)
Mom's Guide to Finding Herself Podcast
Storypillar Podcast
Caspar Babypants
Spencer Albee
Modern Dadhood (website)
AdamFlaherty.tv
Stuffed Animal (Marc's kids' music)
MD (Instagram)
MD (Facebook)
MD (YouTube)
MD (TikTok)

#moderndadhood #fatherhood #parenthood #parenting #parentingpodcast #dadding #dadpodcast

Think back to your childhood... Did you have a TV neighbor, friend, or mentor who you trusted? For millions of young people, that person was Luis from Sesame Street, played for over four decades by the legendary Emilio Delgado. In this Rewind episode which originally aired in July of 2020, Emilio discusses becoming a positive role model and even a father figure to kids around the world, even as he was navigating the joys and learning curves of fatherhood himself.

Episode 123 of Modern Dadhood explores the powerful impact that television father figures and role models can have on our lives and on our parenting. In this Rewind episode, we're joined by stage and screen actor Emilio Delgado, best known for his decades-long portrayal of Luis on Sesame Street—a beloved character who was an advocate for positive Latino representation in media. Delgado shares insights on becoming aware of his influence as a role model, the importance of portraying authentic families and diversity on television, and his own experiences as a father, adoptive father, and stepfather. 

The conversation touches on balancing family life with a demanding career, the extended Sesame Street “family” behind the scenes, and integrating personal cultural values into his character.

After the interview, Marc shares a side-splitting edition of Did I Just Say That Out Loud?
 

LINKS
Emilio Delgado on IMDB
Emilio Delgado on Wikipedia
Emilio’s Instagram
Baa Baa Bamba
Quixote Nuevo
Caspar Babypants
Spencer Albee
Modern Dadhood (website)
AdamFlaherty.tv
Stuffed Animal (Marc's kids' music)
MD (Instagram)
MD (Facebook)
MD (YouTube)
MD (TikTok)

#moderndadhood #fatherhood #parenthood #parenting #parentingpodcast #dadding #dadpodcast

Do you feel uneasy about handing your kid an internet-enabled device? Or feel like you know very little about what they're doing online? It can be really tough to broach conversations about this stuff without instantly putting our kids on the defense. We're joined by Soren Poulsen, co-founder of Raising Digital Citizens and father of two, who, alongside his wife, created the Essential Conversation Cards for Life Online. After puzzling over how to prepare their own daughter for her first phone, they developed a new approach to help families talk about digital safety, consent, bullying, and online privacy in a casual manner. Whether your kid is begging for their first device or you’re already deep in the world of screen-time debates, Soren’s insights promise to make your family conversations more productive. After the interview, Adam shares an exciting installment of So That's a Thing Now.

Episode 122 of Modern Dadhood opens with a discussion between Marc & Adam about the topic of digital citizenship. The guys discus how this can be a sensitive topic to broach with young people. The guys introduce Soren Poulsen into the conversation. Soren and his wife, author Jessica Joelle Alexander, co-founded Raising Digital Citizens, an organization aims to empower families to cultivate meaningful, trust-based relationships that support children's safe and responsible engagement with the digital world. Rather than relying on fear or restrictive controls, the organization emphasizes open conversations grounded in shared values and mutual respect. Conversation topics include:

•  The Essential Conversation Cards for Life Online
•  What exactly "hygge" means
•  The importance of parent-child communication
•  Adapting conversations to different age groups and different needs
•  How approaching these conversations early can have positive long-term effects
•  And more!

Stay to the end of the episode to learn about a new phase of life for the Flaherty family in a new installment of So That's a Thing Now.

LINKS
Raising Digital Citizens
Buy the Conversation Cards on Amazon!
Raising Digital Citizens (LinkedIn)
Raising Digital Citizens (Instagram)
Caspar Babypants
Spencer Albee
Modern Dadhood (website)
AdamFlaherty.tv
Stuffed Animal (Marc's kids' music)
MD (Instagram)
MD (Facebook)
MD (YouTube)
MD (TikTok)

#moderndadhood #fatherhood #parenthood #parenting #parentingpodcast #dadding #dadpodcast

Feeling unprepared for the challenges of fatherhood? You’re certainly not alone. In this Rewind episode, Editor-In-Chief Tyghe Trimble, formerly of Fatherly, joins us to navigate the roadmap to modern dadhood. When we chatted with Tyghe in November of 2021, he and his team at Fatherly had just released the insightful book Fatherhood: A Comprehensive Guide to Birth Budgeting, Finding Flow, and Becoming a Happy Parent. Tyghe joined us to discuss the book, as well as actionable strategies for effective communication with your partner, maintaining your social life amid the craziness of parenthood, and the art of roughhousing with your kids. Listen to the end for a sidesplitting installment of Confessions.

Tyghe Trimble, a New York City-based dad of two and former Editor-In-Chief of Fatherly, joins the conversation to chat about:

•  What exactly an "Editor-In-Chief" does
•  Why (and when) communication with your spouse can be hard
•  The importance of shared values
•  The unique structure of Fatherly's book
•  A staggering statistic around new fathers' social lives
•  The profound importance (and many benefits) of roughhousing with your kids

After, the guys get their Confessions on... and Marc takes things to a dark and hilarious place.

LINKS:
Fatherly
Fatherhood (excerpts from the book)
Fatherhood (the book at Powell's
Fatherhood (the book) on Amazon
Modern Dadhood Tees and Dadhoodies
Red Vault Audio
Caspar Babypants
Spencer Albee
Modern Dadhood (website)
AdamFlaherty.tv
Stuffed Animal (Marc's kids' music)
MD (Instagram)
MD (Facebook)
MD (YouTube)
MD (TikTok)

#moderndadhood #fatherhood #parenthood #parenting #parentingpodcast #dadding #dadpodcast

Struggling with kids who are picky eaters? Want to involve your kids in meal preparation but don't know where to start? This episode is for you. We welcome esteemed professional chef (and professional dad) David Nayfeld, who brings fresh ideas to your family kitchen. With his upcoming cookbook, Dad, What's for Dinner?, David shares recipes and strategies for engaging your kids in cooking—transforming mealtime from a chore into an adventure. And for parents of kids who only like mac and cheese with a side of pre-packaged preservatives, David offers insights into making meals and snacks that are fun, healthy, and easy to prepare. Stay to the end for the first installment of a new segment, How Would You Dad This?

In Episode 120 of Modern Dadhood, hosts Adam Flaherty and Marc Checket delve into the culinary and paternal worlds of David Nayfeld, a professional chef based in San Francisco. Known for his expertise in some of the top kitchens globally, Nayfeld shares insights about his upcoming cookbook Dad, What's for Dinner? which is packed with recipes designed to engage children in the cooking process.

Throughout the interview, they explore key topics such as the joys and challenges of involving kids in cooking, tips for managing picky eaters, and the importance of planning nutritious meals. David also discusses his unique family dynamic, referencing his role as a father to his biological and "bonus" children and how these experiences have influenced his culinary approach. Conversation topics include:

•  How inviting your kids into the food preparation process inspires them to take ownership of what they are making, (and more likely to eat it themselves!)
•  Strategies for Picky Eaters
•  Tricks to get kids to try new foods
•  Meal planning strategies
•  Family cooking activities
•  And more!
 

After the interview, listeners are invited to participate in a new segment, How Would You Dad This? where they can offer advice on common parenting scenarios. Marc ponders how you might have handled a situation involving scrambled eggs and a kid who was late to the party.

[Episode art photo by Eric Wolfinger]

LINKS
Pre-Order Dad What's For Dinner?
David Nayfeld (Instagram)
David Nayfeld (X)
David Nayfeld (Facebook)
David Nayfeld (LinkedIn)
Caspar Babypants
Spencer Albee
Modern Dadhood (website)
AdamFlaherty.tv
Stuffed Animal (Marc's kids' music)
MD (Instagram)
MD (Facebook)
MD (YouTube)
MD (TikTok)

#moderndadhood #fatherhood #parenthood #parenting #parentingpodcast #dadding #dadpodcast

Dads, ever feel like you're on autopilot, where each day is just running through the same motions? You're not alone. Dad of three Chris Robbins joins us to discuss how Soul Degree seeks to help men interrupt the flow, get outside, and take some well-deserved time to focus on bettering ourselves. Chris also shares candidly about being a new "empty nester" along with his wife, legendary podcaster, author, and self-help thought leader, Mel Robbins. Listen to the end to learn about Marc's "bloody good" weekend!
 

Episode 119 of Modern Dadhood opens with Adam & Marc discussing a few exciting podcast updates:
1. Adam published an article on Katie Couric Media which references some great child-calming tactics gleaned from Modern Dadhood episodes!
2. The guys will be attending Podcast Movement's Evolutions conference in Chicago in early April and would love to connect with any listeners or fellow podcasters there!
3. The guys have released a podcast trailer for Modern Dadhood (only 5 years too late!) and the video trailer can be seen here.

The guys welcome Chris Robbins into the conversation. Chris is an entrepreneur with a versatile career which took him from the corporate world to owning restaurants, becoming a death doula, opening a world-class podcasting studio in Boston, and founding Soul Degree, a men's personal development program centered around outdoor retreats. Chris shares candidly about this, along with his fatherhood experience, which includes supporting a creative collaboration between his daughter Sawyer and his legendary wife Mel Robbins. Other topics include:

•  Chris and Mel Robbins becoming new "empty nesters" after dropping their youngest of three off at college recently
•  The importance of slowing down, reflecting, and engaging in meaningful conversations about our lives, roles, and mental health.
•  The influence of Chris' father on his own entrepreneurial and fatherhood journeys.
•  The power of listening versus offering unsolicited advice.
•  And more!

After the interview, Marc shares a recent story of a sibling scuffle that ended in a visit to the local emergency room. (But it didn't stop him from making a great pot of chili!)

LINKS:
Soul Degree (official)
Soul Degree (Instagram)
Chris Robbins (Instagram)
Mel Robbins "Let Them Theory" (book)
Caspar Babypants
Spencer Albee
Modern Dadhood (website)
AdamFlaherty.tv
Stuffed Animal (Marc's kids' music)
MD (Instagram)
MD (Facebook)
MD (YouTube)
MD (TikTok)

#moderndadhood #fatherhood #parenthood #parenting #parentingpodcast #dadding #dadpodcast