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.

From his dad, Bruce Springsteen learned about shame,

about broken pride, and struggling with demons that

you can't quite conquer. It's an all too common story, unfortunately. The lack of a strong

role model leaves a void that haunts a kid forever, even after they've left the house. And you can

hear that pain in Springsteen's songs today.

But as unlucky as Bruce was to be dealt that hand, he was also incredibly lucky, because in his mother, he had a very different example, one that taught him very different things.

In his memoir, Born to Run, Bruce writes about visiting his mom at work, Lawyers Titles, Inc.,

where she was a legal secretary,

where his dad was angry and bitter, his mom was brave and tough. He could see himself in her,

and it called him to be better. I am proud, she is proud, he wrote, recalling how it felt to see her

in her element away from the house doing her job.

We are handsome, responsible members of this one dog Berg pulling our own individual weight,

doing what has to be done. We have a place here, a reason to open our eyes at the break of day

and breathe in a life that is steady and good. Again, this is why we have to remember that our children are always watching.

This is why we have to let them see us work.

We want to teach them what it takes to survive in this world.

We want them to see us dressed up, sleeves rolled up, surrounded by people who respect and depend on us.

We want them to see us not only at our

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