Unhinged Dads Podcast

Dada. Daddy. Dad. Bruh. That is not your kid getting lazy with your name. That is the job title changing out loud.

Brian and Dave talk about how a dad's role has to change as kids grow: caretaker, teacher, coach, mentor. The fights usually start when you keep doing last year's job after the kid has already left it.

In this episode:

• What "Dada," "Daddy," "Dad," and "Bruh" actually mean as job descriptions
• Why pouring cereal for a kid who can do it starts the day on fire
• The packing test: check the bag, hand them the list, or answer the text from the road
• Why child two will ignore everything you learned on child one
• The quiet grief of the last time they fell asleep on you
• How to stay close in the Bruh years without grabbing the wheel back

Not a childhood-development lecture. Just what the work looks like when the title changes and you still have to show up.

Live every Thursday at 8:00 PM Mountain Time on YouTube, Substack, Instagram, Twitch, Kick, and BitChute. www.unhingeddadspod.com

Some weeks you do not get the perfect version. You get the version that keeps the house standing and the kids fed.

Brian and Dave talk about the trap of chasing perfect as dads, husbands, and homeowners. A repaired machete that works instead of looking pretty. Drywall you could sand for another week. A conversation with a hurting kid that cannot wait until you find the perfect words.

Also in this one:

• When good enough is not good enough (electricity, safety, the stuff that can kill you)
• Why inaction is usually worse than an imperfect move
• Stocked-pond fishing vs the dream trip
• Leaving the dishes, skipping the side quests, and still being a decent dad
• Why Unhinged Dads itself is a side quest compared to the actual job

We are not lowering the bar. We are refusing to let perfect keep the work from getting done.

Live every Thursday at 8:00 PM Mountain Time on YouTube, Substack, Instagram, Twitch, Kick, and BitChute.

www.unhingeddadspod.com

What did "good enough" look like at your house this week? Drop it in the comments.

#UnhingedDads #DadLife #Fatherhood #Parenting #GoodEnough #DoneIsBetterThanPerfect #DadPodcast

Most parents try to protect their kids from failure. We step in early, soften the landing, or prevent the crash altogether. It feels like love. Too often it quietly builds fragility instead of strength.

In this episode Brian and Dave talk about why failure is one of the most important teachers your kids will ever have, and how constant rescuing trains the opposite of what you actually want.

We cover:

• Why humans learn best through adversity
• The difference between supporting your kid and rescuing them
• Building real distress tolerance through graduated, age-appropriate failure
• Why GPA is not a social credit score
• Letting kids fail at school, sports, jobs, friendships, and social situations
• How to run an after-action review with your kid after things go wrong
• Teaching them that the world is often unfair and they still have to function in it.

This is not about being cold or hands-off. It's about staying present, empathizing, and then helping them pick up the pieces so they actually grow.

Live every Thursday at 8:00 PM Mountain Time on YouTube, Instagram, Twitch, Kick, BitChute, and Substack.

When was the last time you deliberately let your kid fail at something and stayed in the background to support them instead of fixing it? Drop it in the comments.

Full episodes and more at www.unhingeddadspod.com

A lot of the work modern dads do is abstract. Screens, systems, emails, processes. It's real work, but it's hard for a kid to see or understand.

In this episode Brian and Dave talk about why tangible skills still matter, and why letting your kids watch you learn, struggle, and figure things out is one of the more valuable things you can model.

We get into: • Why physical competence gives kids something concrete to point to • The difference between abstract work and work they can actually see • Practical skills every dad should have around the house and the car • Stories from drywall, tool repair, AC maintenance, electrical mishaps, and more • Why continuous learning beats the idea that you should already know everything

This one is about staying useful, staying curious, and showing your kids that competence is built, not assumed.

Live every Thursday at 8:00 PM Mountain Time on YouTube, Substack, Instagram, Twitch, Kick, and BitChute. Full episodes and more at www.unhingeddadspod.com

What's one physical skill you've learned (or re-learned) as a dad that your kids have actually noticed? Drop it in the comments.

#UnhingedDads #Fatherhood #DadLife #RealSkills #Parenting #HandymanDad #RaisingKids #ContinuousLearning

This week we sat down with Dave and Andres from In the Garage with Dave and Andres (also known as the Men's Mental Health Podcast) for a long, unscripted conversation.

We covered a lot of ground:

• The old military "suck it up and drive on" mindset and what it costs men long-term
• The identity shift and isolation that come with being a stay-at-home dad
• Failure to launch, emerging adulthood, and kids who never learn how to do hard things
• Helicopter parenting vs actually preparing kids for the real world
• Why being real with your kids (admitting mistakes, showing vulnerability the right way) is a major generational change from the old "Dad as The Enforcer" model
• The need for actual male friendship and community instead of just grinding in silence

No polished advice. Just four dads talking through the messy reality of trying to show up better than the generation before us.

Check out Dave and Andres here

Live every Thursday at 8:00 PM Mountain Time on YouTube, Twitch, Kick, BitChute, and Substack. 👉 www.unhingeddadspod.com

This week Chris Dinote, Editor-in-Chief of the Boys Adventure division at Raconteur Press, joins Brian and Dave.

We talk about why classic boys adventure stories largely disappeared, what boys actually want to read (and have wanted for over a century), and why "stories of men doing dangerous things far from home" still matter.

Chris shares how Raconteur Press is deliberately bringing that tradition back, what they're seeing from young readers, and why good fiction is one of the best tools parents have for building resilience, virtue, and real literacy in their kids.

We also wander into Tolkien, Samwise vs Conan, rites of passage, and why most modern kids' books fall short.

Live every Thursday at 8:00 PM Mountain Time. 👉 www.unhingeddadspod.com

Find Raconteur Press: https://raconteurpress.com

Follow their Substack for open calls and new releases.

#BoysAdventure #RaisingBoys #Fatherhood #RaconteurPress #DadLife #UnhingedDads #ChildrensLiterature

Screens aren't going away. The real question isn't just how much time kids spend on them, it's what they're doing and whether we're actually involved.

In this episode, Brian and Dave dig into the quality vs quantity debate around screen time. We talk about why rigid limits often fail, why "just ban it" doesn't work in the real world, and what actually helps: being present, curating better content, and balancing screens with real life.

We get into: • Why quality matters more than raw hours • The reality of secret phones and workarounds • How to explain limits without defaulting to "because I said so" • Why involvement beats restriction alone • Personal stories about hiking, drywall, and trying to raise kids who choose real life

This one is practical, honest, and a little messy, just like parenting.

Live every Thursday at 8:00 PM Mountain Time on YouTube, Substack, Twitch, Kick, and BitChute.

👉 www.unhingeddadspod.com

#ScreenTime #Parenting #DadLife #RaisingKids #UnhingedDads #QualityOverQuantity

If family trips often feel more stressful than relaxing, you're not alone.

Brian and Dave share their real experiences with road trips, flights, and vacations with kids, the good, the bad, and the "never again" moments.

In this episode we discuss:

Why you should travel with your kids anyway (even when it's hard)

Brian's "6 P's" of travel planning and other strategies to reduce chaos

What actually matters most — and what doesn't

Stories of trips that went great, trips that went sideways, and the unexpected moments that became core memories

Special considerations for families with young kids, multiple children, or special needs Whether you're planning a big summer road trip or just dreaming of one, this episode is full of honest, practical advice from two dads who have been there (and survived).

Live every Thursday at 8:00 PM Mountain Time on YouTube, Twitch, Kick, and BitChute.

👉 www.unhingeddadspod.com

After 5 weeks apart, Brian and Dave finally catch up on all the beautiful chaos of real dad life.

Brian's deep in summer dad mode, kids out of school, summer orchestra, daily exercise bootcamp, drafting the kids as work assistants, and pushing everyone with weekly mountain hikes + a big family road trip to Oregon.

Dave and family just moved back into their house (repairs still in progress), survived everybody getting sick, and squeezed in a road trip to Libertycon.

No scripts. No experts. Just two dads talking about the wins, the exhaustion, the ridiculous moments, and what they're learning along the way. If your summer feels like controlled chaos, you're not alone.

Dads what's the biggest chaos happening in your house right now?

Drop it in the comments 👇

We read every one.

Unhinged Dads Podcast — Real Talk. Zero Filter.

#Fatherhood #DadLife #Parenting #SummerDad #UnhingedDads #FamilyChaos #CatchingUp

Why have fewer men and boys been reading fiction over the last century? Brian sits down with Malory — PhD researcher studying men's reading habits and author of gritty, action-packed stories like Psycho Marine and Morgan & Merlin — for a wide-ranging conversation.

They discuss: • How fiction became culturally "unmasculine" and what that's done to boys • Why LitRPG and progression fantasy are pulling men back into reading • The power of verbs, adventure, and stories that actually hook boys • Raising readers in a screen-dominated world • The importance of letting kids be bored and struggle productively

Raw, honest, and full of real-talk dad insights — plus plenty of tangents about fatherhood, skill-building, and what it means to raise capable sons.

Guest: Malory | maloryauthor.com

🔴 Unhinged Dads Podcast – Live every Thursday at 8:00 PM Mountain Time

👉 www.unhingeddadspod.com