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. Just go to bed. You know your kids are a mess when they don't sleep.

And that's why you follow the bedtime ritual religiously. You know your kids are a mess when they don't sleep. And that's why you follow the bedtime ritual religiously. You know that kids get into trouble at night, if left to their own devices,

and that's why your teenager has a curfew that you enforce with an iron fist. And yet here you are,

up late again, mindlessly watching TV. Here you are, tired in the morning again

because you were up late on your phone. You could have gone to bed. You know you should have gone to

bed, but you didn't. And who suffers? Your kids do. Because you're grouchy, because you don't have

the energy, because you're behind, because you have no structure, because maybe

even they sense that you're a hypocrite. If you want to be a better parent, start going to bed

earlier. Give yourself a bedtime that you honor and respect and enforce. Value sleep. Take care

of yourself. everyone will benefit.

As the children's book says, which I carry at the painted porch here in Bastrop,

go the fuck to sleep.

Sometimes you've got to read it to your kids, but I think mostly you should read it to yourself.