Have you ever read a book to your kids and been so disappointed by how uninspired the story is? Or how half-baked the visuals are? Or how poor the grammar is? Same. That's why when you come across the truly great ones, you elevate them and celebrate them. Maine author and illustrator (and father of two) Chris Van Dusen joins us to share about all that goes into creating purposeful, high quality children's literature.

LINKS:
Chris Van Dusen (official)
Chris Van Dusen (Instagram)
Chris Van Dusen (Facebook)
Caspar Babypants
Spencer Albee
Modern Dadhood (website)
AdamFlaherty.tv
Stuffed Animal (Marc's kids' music)
MD (Instagram)
MD (Facebook)
MD (YouTube)
MD (TikTok)

#moderndadhood #fatherhood #parenthood #parenting #parentingpodcast #dadding #dadpodcast

Any parents of teenagers? (...Or have kids who will be teenagers before you know it?) The seismic shifts that take place during the teenage years can make parenting feel impossible. Inspirational speaker Ed Gerety joins the conversation to impart some wisdom on how to raise curious, grateful, resilient, and self-sufficient teenagers in today's fast-paced world. Hand around after the interview to hear Adam share a recent Instant Regret.

Episode 114 of Modern Dadhood opens with a quick chat between Marc and Adam about gratitude. Adam shares a story about his 7 year old daughter receiving a gratitude award at school, and the guys talk about modeling thankfulness to their kids. The guys transition to Adam's recent conversation with inspirational speaker Ed Gerety who has built an impressive career visiting middle schools, high schools, and companies to inspire kindness, leadership, empathy, and more. The conversation touches on topics such as:

• The significance of being truly present parents
• Creating a list of family values to guide your decisions
• Communication strategies for teenagers who don't want to talk
• The value of fostering curiosity in our kids
• Modeling empathy and vulnerability by admitting your mistakes
• Debunking myths about entitlement
• Separating behavior from identity
• And more!

Listen to the end to hear Adam try to talk his way out of explaining something wholly inappropriate to his 10 year old kid in a new installment of Instant Regrets.

LINKS
Ed Gerety (official)
Shine Your Light (Ed's new book)
Ed on Instagram
Ed on LinkedIn
Caspar Babypants
Spencer Albee
Modern Dadhood (website)
AdamFlaherty.tv
Stuffed Animal (Marc's kids' music)
MD (Instagram)
MD (Facebook)
MD (YouTube)
MD (TikTok)

#moderndadhood #fatherhood #parenthood #parenting #parentingpodcast #dadding #dadpodcast

Every new parent stumbles and bumbles their way through learning the responsibilities of their new job, and adapting to their new lifestyle. Most of the "what to expect" books for dads seem to focus on swaddling and potty training, when what we really need is resources for loneliness or advice on how to keep your cool when you're totally overwhelmed. Today's guest, Joe Gidjunis, spent so much time contemplating fatherhood, that he decided to produce a documentary series about it... and PBS loved it so much, they made it available to millions of people. A father of one and former journalist, Joe opens up about his show Grown Up Dad, and how he hopes it will help new dads find joy in being present and in control. Listen to the end for an uproarious (and disgusting) installment of Did I Just Say That Out Loud?

The guys open Episode 113 of Modern Dadhood with a quick catch-up on the 2nd Annual Checket Family Halloween Party before welcoming Joe Gidjunis into the conversation. Joe is the creator and host of Grown Up Dad, a documentary series airing on PBS that explores many of the same topics that this podcast explores. Joe shares about his early ideas for a film exploring fatherhood, and how he landed on a docuseries which has found him traveling the globe, meeting dads, and diving deep on the value of present fatherhood.

After the interview, Marc shares an installment of Did I Just Say That Out Loud? that has Adam splitting a gut.

LINKS:
Grown Up Dad (official)
Grown Up Dad (PBS)
Grown Up Dad (Instagram)
Joe Gidjunis (Instagram)
Grown Up Dad (Facebook)
Grown Up Dad (LinkedIn)
Caspar Babypants
Spencer Albee
Modern Dadhood (website)
AdamFlaherty.tv
Stuffed Animal (Marc's kids' music)
MD (Instagram)
MD (Facebook)
MD (YouTube)
MD (TikTok)

#moderndadhood #fatherhood #parenthood #parenting #parentingpodcast #dadding #dadpodcast