Raising Emotionally Intelligent Sons in Today's World ft. Ethan Hagner

The Dad Edge Podcast

Larry Hagner

Health & Fitness, Education, Self-improvement

4.8 • 1.6K Ratings

🗓️ 17 September 2025

⏱️ 49 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

In this heart-to-heart episode of the Dad Edge Podcast, I sit down with my 19-year-old son, Ethan Hagner, for a raw and honest conversation about growing up, gaining independence, and building strong family bonds in the process. Together, we explore what it means to transition from teenager to young adult while still staying connected to family values, respect, and open communication.

We dive into how to respectfully disagree with parents, how to manage emotions in a healthy way, and the importance of creating space without disconnection. Ethan shares his personal experiences—from turning down college parties to navigating long-distance relationships—and how he's developed healthy coping mechanisms like ice baths, workouts, and prayer.

This episode isn't just for parents of teens. It's for any father who wants to lead his family with grace, patience, and intention—and raise young men of character in a chaotic world.

TIMELINE SUMMARY

[0:00] - Welcome to the Dad Edge movement

[1:01] - Raising independent, critical-thinking kids

[2:12] - Respectful disagreements with parents and communication

[3:02] - Pumpkin spice protein ice cream (yes, seriously)

[5:03] - The scary truth about a Starbucks PSL's sugar content

[6:42] - Why protein-first choices matter for men's health

[9:34] - Introducing today's topic: family ties and independence

[10:02] - Life after high school: structure vs. freedom

[11:52] - Taking initiative as a young adult

[13:35] - Visiting college friends and choosing not to party

[15:12] - Why making different choices matters to dads

[16:13] - Navigating peer pressure and honoring your values

[17:02] - "Liquor is poison in a fancy bottle" – a mindset shift

[18:01] - Recognizing alcohol for what it is: a toxin

[21:03] - Creating safe space for respectful disagreements

[23:04] - How to make kids feel seen, heard, and understood

[25:21] - All emotions are welcome, not all behaviors are

[26:26] - Ethan's favorite stress relief tool: beating up "Bob"

[27:37] - Navigating long-distance relationships as a teen

[29:13] - Classical music, cards, and healthy distraction

[30:23] - Coping mechanisms that actually improve your life

[32:05] - Ice plunges and dopamine boosts

[34:20] - Why saunas win over cold plunges for dad

[36:26] - A reminder: every man needs a list of positive go-to's

[37:15] - The highs and fears of new independence

[39:17] - What scares Ethan most about his future path

[40:02] - Why dad feels the clock ticking at age 50

[42:25] - Book launch: The Pursuit of Legendary Fatherhood

[43:17] - Two free bonus courses for a limited time

[44:15] - Why this father-son podcast is one-of-a-kind

[46:00] - Temptation and faith: how Ethan calls on God

[48:01] - God always provides a way out of temptation

5 KEY TAKEAWAYS

1. Independence Comes With Responsibility

Growing up means more than freedom—it means taking ownership of your time, habits, and health.

2. All Emotions Are Welcome—Not All Behaviors Are

Feeling anger, sadness, or frustration is normal. Acting with intention is what matters.

3. Respectful Disagreements Build Connection

When parents create space for respectful pushback, kids learn how to think critically while staying connected.

4. Healthy Coping Mechanisms Are Essential

From ice baths and workouts to music and prayer, having go-to tools keeps stress from taking control.

5. Faith and Intention Defeat Temptation

Whether it's porn, partying, or self-doubt, Ethan reminds us that calling on God in moments of weakness gives us strength to choose better.

LINKS & RESOURCES

Order the new book: The Pursuit of Legendary Fatherhood:

https://thedadedge.com/legendarybook

Free Courses for a Limited Time:

Creating More Patience
Creating an Extraordinary Marriage

Episode page: https://thedadedge.com/1376

First Phorm Pumpkin Spice Protein:

Only available for a limited time — https://1stphorm.com/collections/pumpkin-spice

James Swanwick's Alcohol-Free Program: https://www.jamesswanwick.com

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0	Welcome to the Dad Edge podcast. The Dad Edge movement creates leaders of men, leaders of families, and leaders of communities. We will not only impact this generation of fathers, but the next generation as well. The kids we are raising will have better chances and odds stacked in their favor because of the amazing example
0:21.2	that their fathers emulated for them. We are here to change the world. We are here to change
0:27.6	relationships. We are here to positively disrupt this generation of fathers so no man goes to their
0:33.6	grave with regret. We disrupt the drift of busyness and replace it with razor-focused intention,
0:40.3	passion, purpose, and direction.
0:43.7	We are the Dad Edge,
0:45.7	and we're here to change the game.
0:47.8	We're here to change the game.
1:12.6	I don't know. All right. So when we're navigating raising kids and we're navigating independence, we want our kids to be independent thinkers. We want them to be critical thinkers.
1:18.9	We want them to go out and do life on their own. But there's a lot of things that happen, especially as they grow up, especially like during the teenage years, you know, like, and then
1:24.8	there's navigating the parents the conversations the arguments the
1:29.9	disagreements siblings sibling rivalry there's a lot of different things that are happening so it's
1:35.9	like what we're going to be talking about today is what it's like being 19 years old or actually
1:40.8	aging up to 19 years old and then carving your own path but still being still being a part of the family.
1:48.9	I'm going to be reflecting upon like things that I've seen Ethan do and how he's operated over the past, you know, through his childhood.
1:56.8	And I'm also going to be talking about mine, how I navigated mine, how you kind of grow up, you know, because it's kind of like this, I think anybody out there listening, you know, why is this, why is today's show important? It's important. No matter if it doesn't matter if you have an adult child or not, because they're going to get to this age at some point. And it's really, how do we navigate, you know, getting them to this age, the dynamics, but still creating
2:19.6	like this really, really good connection, right?
2:22.1	Ethan's going to talk a little bit on how to disagree with your parents, but doing it
2:27.0	respectfully, not blowing up.
2:29.5	We're also going to be talking about the importance of that, the respect, the importance
2:32.9	of respect communication and giving kids space as they grow up.
2:37.7	Enough space, but not too much space. So it's kind of like the Goldilocks space. So,
	...

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