Positively Dad

Guy Patton decided to leave his job when his son was born and stay at home. He joined a growing, and still small, group of dads who are choosing raising a family over growing a career. Now that his son is in school he's back on the job hunt and it surprised on just how tough it's been to get to work. He shared his story last week with Parents and talked with us about his journey.

Lauren Duca was devastated on election night of 2016. She couldn't believe Donald Trump won and was disappointed her father voted for him. That disappointment eventually turned to frustration and anger. About a month after the election, Lauren wrote a story for Teen Vogue called Donald Trump is Gaslighting America and that only made things worse between Lauren and her dad.

She joins us to talk about the last three years, her relationship with her father - and how they repaired it - and about her mission of empowering young people to have a voice in American politics. She shares thoughts from her book How to Start a Revolution and how dads can support their kids, even when the disagree.

It may be the most powerful Positively Dad episode yet and a must listen for every father.

Pat Mancuso and his family experienced something no family wants to experience, the loss of a child. That loss adjusted Pat's perspective and changed the lives of his family. He shares how he's been purposeful in being present with his family while still having a big business life.

Nearly 70% of American children participate in sports and almost all of them will quit before they're a teenager. Why? Parents are the likely reason. Experts say we may not be setting our kids up to win. A 2018 study showed nearly 60% of parents are encouraging their kids to specialize in one sport and nearly every expert says that's a really bad idea. This week we talk with Dr. Matthew Silvis from Penn State University about his study on specialization. He shares why parents should wait to let their kids focus on one sport and when it's OK.

Jared and Amber Rutherford have four kids age 10 and under and they are very purposeful on how they parent. It's something that's evolved over the years. Jared says he has one major responsibility as a dad - to teach his kids how to think. He shares his story and gives us some great ideas on this week's Dad Talk Episode.

Life isn't perfect and we all have tough times. How do we get through? How can we support others when they experience loss? This week we talk with Dr. David Wheeler, a Psychologist from Baton Rouge about grief and family. He shares how we can get through those times and how we can support our friends and family when they are suffering. Dr. Wheeler shares his own story of losing his wife in an auto accident and how he and his three children moved forward.

We have a special episode for you this Thanksgiving. The entire Positively Dad family shares some thoughts on gratitude. We're thankful to all our listeners and trust you'll enjoy this look at gratitude from James, Terri and Naomi Shaw.

People get emotional. It's part of life. How do you handle your emotions and are you a great role model for your kids? How do you respond when your children get emotional? We answer these questions and more in or conversation with Dr. Marc Brackett from the Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence. He shares amazing insight from his book Permission to Feel that every parent should hear. Find out if you're a scientist or judge parent. You may be surprised!