There is a crisis of fatherless households in the United States. "According to data from 2022, there are approximately 18.3 million children across America who live without a father in the home, comprising about 1 in 4 children (U.S. Census Bureau, 2022)." - Source: America First Policy Institute. One reason why Jordan Peterson reached such levels of popularity in 2017 was due to a phenomenon of being a kind of "internet dad", who told young people to clean up their act, clean their room, not to apologize if they don't mean it, not to feel bad for their own ambitions, that they have something singular and unique to contribute to the world, to slay the dragon as a meaningful path in life on a hero's journey, to adopt responsibility as an antidote to the suffering that is always part of life (and thereby making the inevitable suffering of life tolerable and meaningful), and not to interrupt children who are skateboarding, among other pieces of advice. So why not formalize the collective advice of dads who have been there and done most of what's generally required in life, which is too broad to make into a list. Suffice it to say, this group is an attempt to discuss the important aspects, and the fun aspects of how to make life easier, more profitable, and generally the way it should go.

When we started this group, we wanted to be able to share our experiences as fathers, learn from one another, and gain confidence in leading our kids. Confidence has to come from within, so I see this as a fitting first post for me on the platform. Coming from a broken homes, when my wife and I decided to have children, the number one wish we had was for healthy babies. Breaking the cycle of negativity we both experienced as kids was a close second. I make a conscious effort to tell my children positive qualities they have daily. “You are so smart, son..”. “Wow, that’s a great question..”. “Sweetheart you are so cute..”. It started to become almost a daily affirmation to our son and daughter. When headed to school in the morning, we tell our kids how athletic, handsome, beautiful, intelligent, caring, loving, and kind they are. We kind of set up their day with positive vibes if that makes sense. I truly believe instilling confidence in your kids makes them stronger and better humans. Of course you have to have confidence in yourself first to instill it in others. I work to keep this confidence up daily, because my main mission is to prepare these children I love for success when I’m no longer around. Some of this comes from my background in the military, however most is the desire to get it right and prepare these kids to be kind, confident, successful human beings. Coach your kids athletic sports, take the extra time to show them an answer to their question, pull over for ice cream after school on a whim. I’m spiritual, so there is always that aspect of daily life I instill in our kids as well. In short, I try to create an atmosphere of encouragement and enthusiasm with our children daily. You get out as much as you put in. I encourage you to try this and make a conscious effort to do a little extra for your kids daily. I know there are good and bad days, however like a good investor, I always strive for overall up and to the right. Think outside the box, get creative, zig when you should zag. I truly believe leaving the earth a little better than you had it is 100% in your offspring.