Netlfix's Adolescence, Ross Gay & Cottage Cheese Scrambled Eggs

3 Things I'm Loving, Reading, Watching or Doing

Tip to Calm the Nerves:

Right before a big speech, shot, or race, it’s totally normal to feel nervous—or excited (same thing, really). Here’s a quick 20-second reset I give my youth athletes to help them show up fully in the moment:

1. Speak (Positive Self-Talk):
   Say something like: "I want this. I'm prepared. I’ve done the work. I’m excited. Let’s go!"

2. Breathe:
   Do two quick inhales through your nose and one long exhale. Repeat 2–3x.
   This calms the body faster than you’d think.

3. Center:
   Bring yourself back to the now. Say a short phrase: Here now. Next play. I’m ready. Whatever helps you ground yourself.

Breakfast of the Week:

Cottage Cheese Scrambled Eggs — protein-packed, delicious and simple.
Scramble 4 eggs, stir in ½ cup cottage cheese, a pinch of salt and pepper. Butter in the pan. Cook to your preferred consistency. Top with avocado.

Author Recommendation:

Ross Gay is my guy. Love this dude. Everything—from his poetry to The Book of Delights—resonates deeply with me. This excerpt from Inciting Joy is technically a book review, but halfway through it turns into a beautiful ode to the world of pickup basketball. If you play pickup (I try to get a game in once a week), this will speak to your soul.👉 Read it here

“On a pickup basketball court... no matter how good you are, you ask to be let on a team, and into the game. Which is to say, you are a perpetual guest... when you have the next game, you’re often inviting others on your team—so you also get to be a host.”

2 Quotes Worth Pondering

Rules without relationship equals rebellion. — Josh McDowell

People don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care. — Theodore Roosevelt (often attributed to him, though exact origin is debated)

1 Big Dad Idea

Adolescence, Netflix show

Parents be warned — Adolescence might just wreck you.

This gripping 4-part Netflix series follows Jamie, a 13-year-old boy accused of murder. But it’s not really a whodunit. It’s something far more haunting—a piercing indictment of the fragile systems that often fail to protect our kids.

The show’s format is raw and immersive (each episode is filmed in one continuous real-time take), and as a dad to four teenagers, I found myself a bit shook after every episode. This isn’t a review, so no spoilers—but I do want to share a few themes that stuck with me. If nothing else, this show pushed me to take a fresh look at my own home. I invite you to do the same.

1. The Impact of Social Media

We know it’s bad, but Adolescence drives the point home: unregulated social media is damaging our kids. Anxiety. Isolation. Depression.

Whether or not your teen is allowed on social, it’s crucial to understand how much phones are shaping their mental health. Jonathan Haidt’s new book, The Anxious Generation, makes a powerful case that this decline isn’t inevitable—and offers a path forward. He’s one of the clearest voices we’ve got right now.

2. Bullying in the Digital Age

Bullying isn’t wedgies and locker-stuffing anymore (my kids aren’t even sure that was real). Modern bullying is relentless, often anonymous, and unlike past generations, it follows kids home.

3. The Chaos of Modern Schools

As a former high school teacher (and with my wife still teaching elementary), I’ve seen how much the school landscape has shifted. From phone addiction and lockdown drills to post-COVID learning gaps and mental health concerns, schools today are under pressure like never before.

Compounding these difficulties is a general decline in respect for adult authority, making it difficult to stem student-to-student verbal abuse. These micro-bullying moments become so frequent that teachers often let them slide just to keep class moving.

In many ways, schools are no longer the “safe space” we assumed they’d always be.

4. The Disconnection Drift

Teenagers pull away. This is normal.

One-word answers. Closed doors. Rolling eyes.

But when that mixes with our own stress—work, marriage, life—connection slips. Yet they need us more now, not less. One thing I’ve personally found helpful? Actively shifting from authoritarian to coach in an effort to guide, not control.

Certainly there’s an argument that we can only do so much as parents. Some things will be out of our control, no matter our efforts. That said, I think there’s plenty we can do to create a safe, loving home and foster a deep connection despite the age-appropriate longing to be set free. Maybe step one is watching Adolescence with your kids and discussing these topics.

Have you watched it? I’d love to hear your take.