Thanks for listening to my call of the day podcast. You can hear my live radio program Monday through Friday from two to five PM Eastern time on serious XM triumph 11.

Hey mom and Zidane. Is that quick pronunciation, sir? Okay. Yeah, Zidane. Zidane. Okay. What language is that from?

I think that's I think I don't know where that's from the soccer player. Zidane. I see. Okay. Do you play soccer or did they just anticipate you would? No, I actually I play hockey. Okay.

All right. You run around. What can I do for you, Zidane?

Well, my question is that my dad's like always on the phone and whenever I ask him something, he's never actually like really present or there. He's all like social media and texting people.

Well, mom. That's really something you should be handling, don't you think?

Are she talking to me? Sorry. I'm talking to whoever is called mom. I mean, there's not much. Yeah, there's not much Zidane can do about an negligent dad. This is something that's you need to deal with.

Well, no, no, I understand that him and his dad and I are not together. His dad lives in Egypt, but comes quite a bit. He comes every two months. He's here for two weeks.

And and Zidane goes over to Egypt for, I don't know, a month in the summertime. So there's a lot of contact. So I mean, we're a very good term.

I mean, he does the same thing to me. It's difficult because he's fully consumed with his phone all the time. So, you know, Zidane's always asking you that question and I try and get him off the phone, but it doesn't go well. So he doesn't you all the time. So he called.

Okay, thank you. Zidane. Yeah, is it worth traveling to Egypt to see your dad? Or would you like to tell him it isn't worth it because you're not with me, you're with your phone? I mean, is it worth it to you to confront it like that?

I would say it's worth going to Egypt because I also have my brother there. So I love spending time with them. But yeah, when I'm there, he's like paying attention to his phone and stuff. I'm morcing them than him. And they feel the same as well.

Well, that's the point I'm making. You still would like to go because you have brothers and it's fun to be in Egypt, I guess. So you'd rather go even if you know for the rest of your life, he'll always be on the phone.

My brothers were there, probably I would just stay in here and play my sports and stuff. Okay, yeah, I hate to have you miss out on your sports. Okay, but what I'm asking you is it is it worth it for you to go there knowing you're not going to interact with your dad.

It's not really visitation with him. It's being with the rest of the family. Are you okay being with the rest of the family? Okay, so when he comes here, are you still living in your house with your mother when he comes here to visit?

Yeah, my dad stays in the house with you. Yeah, with me.

Got it. Okay. So what I'd like you to do is drop your expectation. You see the only way we can be disappointed is if we have an expectation that does not match reality.

And I'm sorry if your mom made a little goof marrying this guy. This is what we got. It's not going to change. So when he comes to visit you, go see your friends.

Yeah, go play ball with your friends. Go to the movies with your friends. Go do stuff with your friends. And when he says, I came here to see you say when you're willing to put down the phone, I'll hang until then I'm going to be with my friends.

Okay, do you think do you think you do you think you have the courage to do that? Yeah.

Good because then your dad will have the option of if he wants an hour with you for an hour, the phone has to be off. Now if he says yes, I won't be on the phone.

And then he picks it up, leave the house and go over a friend's house, go take a bike ride, do anything so that he recognizes that you're not tolerating it anymore.

...