The Thoughtful Dad Podcast
By Wes and Joe
They will weave liberal arts, leadership, current events and personal story telling into content that appeals to the modern dad and gives them a listening experience that, hopefully, helps them in their fatherhood journey.
The Thoughtful Dad Podcast Feb 19, 2024
Welcome to Season 2: On the Off Weeks
Where are they now? Sleeping, we hope.
We catch up on reading, making slime, and playing chess. On the leadership front, we seek that elusive balance which can only be found in fully engaging.
Weeks when Joe's off morning meetings, we'll stay up late to bring out another episode of the Thoughtful Dad Podcast. Thanks for listening!
I Need To Get My Pole Saw Out
Spring yard clean ups and the true meaning of Easter egg hunts; our take on an interview with Clint Smith about his poems on Fatherly; scenes from Alex's book tour for the English translation of Beginning to End the Climate Crisis; and since recording, another little brother made his arrival! More on that next time :)
Mementos and Muahahahs
We celebrate a win in Mississippi, remember about death in Pflugerville, and review 10 fatherhood basics in Cleveland. Happy birthday, Mel!
What's Your Fatherhood Love Language?
We reach the drinking age of episodes! Time to celebrate and engage with Love Languages of Black Fatherhood and some School counselor tips for kids' anxiety. Shoutout to Dr Klau: Hey City Year!
Potty Alarm Clock
You want to be a beast on the bike? It takes bladder control, good taste in "old" movies, and most of all, consistency!
Jump Scare Double Jump
Debriefing Am I the Asshole Subreddit threads; Valentines fails; a parable of faith and bike steering; watching scary movies for fun and resilience. Part Two of our Presidents Day double-header. Thanks for listening!
All Kids Are Narcissists
We consider the sibling tendency to look alike and get up in each other's grill; in honor of the Super Bowl, an article about Tom Brady's "viral affection," followed up with a call to "redefine fatherhood." Whether football players have a responsibility to be good role models in the first place is a debate for another day. Note to self: don't play football against Joe. Go Team!
Spare the Rod Parenting with Jaclyn Gorman
A thoughtful mom joins the conversation. Thanks to Jaclyn Gorman for sharing her work with us. What might we gain by seeing things from our children's standpoint? How can we navigate the different approaches of ours and our parents' generation? Is it even possible to spoil a child? (Spoiler: yes, it is). Visit https://www.sparetherodparenting.com/ and tell her we sent you!
Congressional Dads Caucus Side Eye
On the susceptibility of little girls to princess marketing; speedruns for the floor is lava; terrible TV dads; ew Congressional dads; taking responsibility and acknowledging one's weak points. Plus book recommendations: Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, by Gabrielle Zevin, and His Dark Materials, by Philip Pullman. Just please don't call it a multiverse.
Busy Night
Joe Joe sleeps. William inhales medical air. How dads' brains change: a case of nature vs nurture. The leadership involved in making space for good work to happen. Whether it be at the Spokane Library, the couch desk, or somewhere else, get your typies in and let us know what you think.
Two-Way Mirror: Play and Discipline
Thoughtful Dads are back, with special guest Joe Joe! Updates from a month or so of holidays; dance class recital and basketball tournament; play and discipline the foundation of creativity.
The Most Chill Birth Ever
Welcoming Joe-Joe into the world! And ft. William on first half of the recording. This audio, like the last episode, comes from last month, before our extended bye week, but it's still timely: on holiday waves crashing down on us and getting out in front of them; starting and maintaining family traditions; coaching your kids' coaches and translating for your partner. Shoutout to Dr Thigpen!
Ferrari at the Red Light: Pete Beskas
Pete Beskas joins us to share his knowledge around coaching and his experience helping dads deal with burnout. Pete's website; a thought-provoking image he refers to as a metaphor for fatherhood. Grateful to Pete for engaging with our Pandora's Box of questions, and to you all for your patience as we've been battling waves of illness and technical snafus to get this episode out to you.
I Like My AIs Clunky
Life Finds a Way
And so do we. The Thoughtful Dads reach episode 10! We talk unexpected basketball teams, cute marketing ploys, the scientific data on disinterest in fatherhood, flipping the script on labor myths and truths, and psychological safety in the workplace. Remember, all you dads and leaders: "culture eats policy before breakfast."
Mealtime Manifesto
Or, let me go get my crocs (a really good quote from Joe just before we started recording). We take a trip to Baltimore and to the farm, remembering a funeral on a birthday; relish the importance of meals together; contend with the parent trap; and consider what it means to give and receive aid. Sorry for the delay on this one, and sorry for projecting my picnic tables.
A Harsh World
Death in the family, grief in the home; experiencing loss and guilt as children and parents; religion and other role models for mourning.
A tough episode this week, but thanks for listening.
Daddy Tolkien
The Queen, apple picking; a Black Ariel, elves, dragons, and race in prestige fantasy and literature writ large; generational health.
We'd love to hear your thoughts: thoughtfuldadpodcast at gmail. Thanks for listening.
ASMR Play-Doh
Note: no actual ASMR or Play-Doh. We talk about sick kids, long audio books, and connecting without fear of mistakes.
Had a chance to read (or listen to) Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, by Gabrielle Zevin; The Overstory, by Richard Powers; or The Love Songs of WEB DuBois, by Honoree Fanonne Jeffers? Perhaps Manuscript Found in Accra, by Paulo Coelho; or Leadership and Self-Deception, by Arbinger Institute? Or even just Three Common Mistakes-type articles? We'd love to hear your thoughts: thoughtfuldadpodcast at gmail. Thanks for listening.
The Same Leaves Every Fall
Back at long last, after some bumps in the road, with our usual thoughtful take on political shifts and community organizing; Jay-Z and Beyonce as parental and lifelong learning role models; and manufacturing hardships for the good of the child. Careful zooming along at 2x speed on this one, there were some audio hiccups when we recorded.
Intro music: Joe and Shelli singing, playing recorder, and climbing over the 'Star of the sea' (National Music Jukebox)
Outro: Wesley and William playing 'Undertale'
Share determination and send us questions: thoughtfuldadpodcast at gmail. Thanks for listening.
Teaching by Proxy
The back to school episode. Dread, excitement, new shoes and haircuts; homework and homeschooling; pressure that bursts pipes, pressure that makes diamonds; peeing outside; cereal with milk and toast with jam. See also: Shaun T with Christy-Faith on homeschooling
Intro music: Joe and Shelli singing, playing recorder, and climbing over the 'Star of the sea' (National Music Jukebox)
Outro: Wesley and William playing 'Undertale'
Share determination and send us questions: thoughtfuldadpodcast at gmail. Thanks for listening.
The Power of Yet
How do you answer your kid's question when they ask, "Can I swim?" Or carve out time for learning languages? Or foster creative flow? We consider the rift between the coach's perspective and the player's on the threshold of leveling up, and we take up the challenge of sharing the mental load.
Intro: Wesley and William playing 'Undertale'
Outro: 'The Power of Yet' by Janelle Monae and Sesame Street
Share determination and send us questions: thoughtfuldadpodcast at gmail. Thanks for listening.
The Raft and the Shore
We talk bowling with a toddler and sharing with our future self; Taken movies and dad rage, prompted by The Atlantic Books Briefing; Ned Schaut's "Low expectations for fatherhood" TED talk and how to address those low expectations for dads--and high expectations for moms.
Intro music: 'Manzanillo,' from the National Jukebox
Outro: Wesley and William playing 'Undertale'
Share determination and send us questions: thoughtfuldadpodcast at gmail. Thanks for listening.
Lamb Dad, Lion Dad
First episode! We share thoughts on news sources, TV at dinnertime and screen time in general; the "Tiger Mom" Amy Chua interview on Honestly with Bari Weiss and what sorts of dads we are; backyard baptisms and letting the kids help build things.
Intro/outro: Wesley and William playing 'Undertale'
Share determination and send us questions: thoughtfuldadpodcast at gmail. Thanks for listening.