The Generational Dad

This is a video about is about how future thinking can paralyze us from doing something right now. This is an easy trap for dads to fall into with young kids. Thinking when they are older we will read the Bible together or do this or that activity.

We often miss opportunities at setting standards at a young age due to how difficult it is and hope it will be easier when our kids are older. We need to think about this differently and this episode goes over how to do so.

In this episode we talk through some of the most important conversations to have with your kids and how to make space for those conversations. Remember, so many of these conversations need to happen many times over a kids development!

When You and Your Spouse Disagree on Parenting: How to Get Back on the Same Page Matt and Craig discuss what to do when spouses aren’t aligned on parenting—whether in day-to-day “micro moments” like discipline and routines or bigger issues like spiritual leadership. They emphasize that disagreement is normal because husbands and wives are wired differently, but bitterness grows when couples stop having ongoing, specific conversations about goals, motivations, fears, and desired outcomes for their kids. They recommend presenting a united front to children, delaying discipline to collaborate privately, and trying the least invasive approach first before escalating. They encourage replacing “my way vs. your way” with an “our approach,” using shared resources to spark dialogue, and prioritizing Jesus and the marriage covenant. The episode also addresses differences in theology, standing firm on core beliefs while pursuing truth assertively and lovingly, and modeling faith consistently for children even in difficult family dynamics.

00:00 Parenting Page Mismatch

01:16 Why Couples Differ

02:08 Talk Before Bitterness

03:25 Ongoing Vision Talks

05:07 Delay Discipline Strategy

06:53 Least Invasive First

08:07 One Flesh United Front

10:46 Tag Team Parenting

12:34 Learning From Outside Voices

16:41 Agree On Outcomes

18:38 Get Specific With Goals

21:43 Long Term Vs Tonight

22:47 Nonnegotiables in Marriage

23:30 Lead Kids with Truth

24:01 Assertive Not Aggressive

24:25 Scripture Brings Stability

26:06 Prioritize God Then Spouse

27:09 Sex and Covenant Roles

30:15 Disagree and Still Grow

32:22 Threading Truth and Love

34:09 Luke 11 Clean House

36:29 Counterfeit Gods and Idols

37:40 Faith at Home After Divorce

39:12 Baptism and Communion Story

42:53 Remove Barriers to Jesus

43:55 Stand Firm for Peace

44:58 Closing Thanks and Next Time

Showing Up When You’re Empty: Faith, Expectations, and Repair in Fatherhood

In their first Generational Dad episode, Matt and Craig discuss how husbands and fathers can show up for their families when they feel exhausted and spiritually inconsistent. Craig describes unrealistic expectations about leading his family in scripture and how disappointment can turn into anger; they emphasize slowing down, building awareness, adjusting expectations for kids’ developmental limits, and quickly apologizing and reconnecting after failure so scripture and discipline aren’t associated with anger. Craig shares a moment of losing his temper with his children and later apologizing, and they describe teaching repair and continued love after hurt. Practical strategies include brief “emergency” prayers, a spouse “tap out” method, using physical tasks or playful activities to break negative cycles, limiting dopamine-driven phone distractions, and remembering they also “need Jesus.” They apply the same principles to marriage: stop keeping score, choose sacrificial love, rely on God rather than a spouse for ultimate needs, confess weakness, and seek reconnection even without a quick emotional fix.

00:00 Welcome to Generational Dad

00:38 Running on Empty

01:09 The Ideal Morning Routine

03:13 When Expectations Create Anger

05:48 Repent Fast Reconnect

07:39 A Real Parenting Blowup

09:49 Discipline With Attachment

13:03 No Energy Left What Now

13:53 Prayer Tap Out and Tasks

16:04 Make It Physical Make It Fun

20:04 Dopamine Distraction Check

22:00 God Wants Your Attention

22:32 Bedtime Hook to Jesus

25:45 Breaking the Anger Cycle

27:06 Honest Limits With Kids

28:13 Marriage Under Pressure

31:22 Stop Keeping Score

33:31 Serving Changes Your Brain

36:22 Leaning on God Together

39:15 When Prayer Feels Dry

42:16 Final Takeaways and Farewell