Welcome to Biscuits and Jam from Southern Living. I'm your host, Sid Evans, and today I'm talking with someone who's thought a lot about what it takes to be both a father and a son.

Today's show co-host Craig Melvin grew up in Columbia, South Carolina, in a diverse neighborhood he loved, but a

household that had its challenges. His 2021 memoir, Pops, learning to be a son and a father,

dealt with his experiences living with a dad who was an alcoholic and a gambling addict, and writing

the book ultimately helped him overcome the past and salvage the relationship.

Now he's written a new children's book called I'm Proud of You that explores the important

role parents play in raising confident kids.

We'll talk about all that, plus his mother, Betty Joe's mac and cheese, the best advice he's gotten

from other dads about being a father and why he's already planning a second children's book

on this week's Biscuits and Jam.

Craig Melvin, welcome to Biscuits and Jam.

I love biscuits. I love Jam. I love Southern Living, Sid, so I'm happy to be here.

Well, it's great to see you. Great to have you here. First things first, I've got to ask, how's

Betty Joe?

I'm surprised how many people start with that.

Mom is doing fantastic.

She's doing better than fantastic.

I saw her two weekends in a row.

She came up to Connecticut where we live.

One weekend, she came just to sort of hang out.

And then dad came back with her the very next weekend because our daughter was getting baptized.

And it was Easter.

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