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.

Don't be like this. His daughter was hungry. He was busy. She wanted to cook some beans. He wanted her to

figure out how to do it on her own. As he worked on a jigsaw puzzle, she struggled with opening the

can and the can opener. She struggled and struggled and struggled. Will you just open the can?

She said. He wouldn't, wanting this to be a lesson. She kept trying. He kept She struggled and struggled and struggled. Will you just open the can, she said?

He wouldn't, wanting this to be a lesson.

She kept trying.

He kept making suggestions and tweeting about it. And this went on and on and on for six hours until she finally opened the can of baked beans.

You might remember this on social media and how Bean Dad was rightfully criticized

for totally missing the point on how to teach kids stuff. You might think you could be

forgiven for thinking that he was doing, what he was doing was in line with the Latin expression

Lector et Emergo, which we've been talking about. But in fact, this couldn't be further off. There's a

difference between being a supportive parent and being a bean dad. There's a difference between

letting your kid wrestle with difficulty so they can be better for it and letting them fumble

with a can so you can tweet a story. Yes, it's good to let our kids figure things out for themselves.

No, our job isn't to open every can for them, nor is it to let them struggle in the dark for six

hours. Step in, show them how it's done the first time. Start the can for them the first time.

Don't be a bean dad. As parents who want the best for their kids,

we all need a reminder, something tangible to remind us. Difficulty is forging our kids who they're

meant to be. We have to be there for them and encourage them and believe in them. Of course,

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