Welcome to the Daily Dad podcast where we provide one lesson every day to help you

with your most important job being a dad. These are lessons inspired by ancient philosophy,

by practical wisdom, and insights from dads all over the world.

Thank you for listening, and we hope this helps.

Give them space. If you're not careful, their whole lives get filled up.

Soccer practice, school, cello lessons,

chores at home. After all, you don't want them in front of screens all day. You want them to make

something of themselves. You don't want them to waste their life or fall behind. But again,

you have to be careful. We look back and judge past generations who used children as labor. Meanwhile,

we've turned an entire generation of kids into unpaid interns to increase their chances of getting

into a good college. Even 2,000 years ago, Plutarch was warning parents who over-schedule

and over-plan their kids' lives. Children must be given some breathing

space from continued tasks, he wrote, for we must bear in mind that our whole life is divided

between relaxation and application. Do you do your best work when you're exhausted and stretched

too thin? Are you happy when your calendar is full? Aren't you tired of running them

from place to place? Imagine how they feel. Remember, it's hard to be a kid. They don't even fully

understand what stress is, what burnout is. So it's incumbent upon you to protect them from it.

Give them space. Give them the opportunity to relax. That's your job.

Hey, thank you for listening to The Daily Dad Podcast. Leave us a review in iTunes. It helps a

great deal. Really appreciate it. And of course, if you know any other dads who could benefit

from these messages, please let them know.