Welcome to the Daily Dad podcast, where we provide one lesson every single day to help you with your most important job, being a parent.

I'm Ryan Holiday, and I draw these lessons from ancient philosophy, modern psychology, practical wisdom, and insights from

parents just like you all over the world. Thank you for listening, and we hope this helps.

A child's life should be good, not easy.

The Stoic philosopher Seneca got a front row seat to one of the worst parenting jobs in history.

In 49 AD, he was recalled from exile to tutor a 12-year-old named Nero.

The ancient historian Cassius Dio, the Empress Agrippina, had the entire empire under her thumb

and used her power to make sure that her boy never had to struggle for anything.

She indulged his every whim.

She cleared every obstacle out of his path.

She amassed a fortune for him.

She banished those who didn't express their full devotion to him.

While Nero was being advanced, Dio writes, nothing else received honor nor care.

Agrippina was what we would call today a snowplow parent. And in clearing the path of every

conceivable impediment and obstacle, Nero's behavior began to absolutely insensitate.

Agrippina created a monster, one of the worst human beings in history.

It's a little mystery why we see Seneca write over and over again about the importance of

struggling with and overcoming adversity. Today, we have mountains of research about what happens to kids when

they are spoiled or coddled. But even back then, it was obvious to Seneca that a person who has

never had to face difficulty is destined to be a tragic figure. The more children are indulged,

he writes, the more they are corrupted. What is a parent to do? The job of a good parent,

Seneca says, out of love for the child, they act as a trainer, endlessly manufacturing trials for

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