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.

If you want your children to turn out well, it's easy to think that money is the solution to most

of the problems of parenting. After all, we remember our own childhood and the things that money

could have provided us. If only we could have had invisaline instead of those awkward braces.

If only we could have lived in a better neighborhood. If only mom and dad hadn't been so stressed,

if only we could have afforded coaches or tutors, we could have gone pro or gotten into Harvard.

It's true money does make some things better. It's certainly better to have it than not have it,

and Seneca was right when he called wealth a preferred indifferent, not good or bad, but nice to have.

But it's a mistake to think that money will

magically create a magical childhood for your kids. It's not true that money will guarantee them a

good life or prevent them from feeling pain or loss. It's not true, as we have written, that money is

even high on their list of needs. What kids actually want is you. What kids actually need is dad.

As Dear Abby quite brilliantly put in a column back in the 1950s, if you want your children to

turn out well, spend twice as much time with them and half as much money. You can't pay someone

to be there for your kids. You can't pay someone to do the job

only you can do. Sure, money can make things easier, but there's no substitute for quality time

or garbage time. It will never be as important as what you can provide them by being hands-on,

by being a good example, by showing them you care for them

and value them. And the proof of this is how many people, including you in your own childhood,

...