3
Things I’m Loving, Reading, Watching or Doing
1) Survey on youth coaches quitting
Reading this in my SNL Weekend Update voice: A new survey finds that managing parents is one of the top reasons volunteer youth sports coaches are quitting, with many citing burnout from hostile sideline behavior and criticism from adults more stressful than the kids themselves.
When told of the findings, one parent responded, “What a load of ********! If this coach actually coached, I wouldn’t have to berate him, the refs, or worst of all, my poor ******* kid!”
2) Attention crisis?
In this Variety article, Matt Damon says Netflix is encouraging filmmakers to restate plots multiple times in dialogue and front-load big action scenes because many viewers watch movies while distracted by their phones. That’s a hefty indictment of our shrinking attention spans.
New rule in our house: When watching TV, all phones go in another room.
3) What We Can Know
Our Dad Book Club just read What We Can Know and found it to be genuinely thought-provoking. Ian McEwan’s latest novel is set a century in the future, where a literary scholar unravels the mystery of a lost poem against a backdrop of climate change and societal upheaval. It explores big questions about memory, history, human connection, and the limits of what we can truly understand across time.
If you’re okay with fiction that feels uncomfortably plausible, I recommend it.
2
Quotes Worth Pondering
“Children are great imitators. So give them something great to imitate.”
— James Baldwin
“Children learn far more from who you are than from what you say.”
— W.E.B. Du Bois
1
Big Dad Idea
Health, Parenting, or Personal Growth
Healthy Parents
Your kids learn more from what you do than what you say. So, when they watch you take care of your health, they’re learning that their health matters too. And that lesson is worth more than any lecture.
But beyond the example you’re setting, there’s a practical reality: when you’re healthier, you’re simply better at this. More patient. More present. More energy for the chaos and the ridiculousness and the beauty of raising kids.
Here’s the encouragement: you don’t need to chase whatever the loudest Instagram influencer is selling this week. Medium, done consistently, wins. “Medium forever” beats “75 Hard” for a few weeks and quitting by March.
- Two or three workouts per week
- A simple, sustainable routine
- Some strength work, some cardio, and walking as much as you can
Nothing fancy. Once the habit sticks, you can add another day or stretch a session a little longer. If you do this, you’ll be well ahead of the game, considering many adults do little or no regular physical activity.
Your health isn’t a luxury. It’s foundational. It’s what keeps you steady, present, and durable for everything ahead. Your kids don’t need you perfect. They need you healthy enough to stick around and stay engaged.
Thanks for reading, dads.
Let’s make this time count!
