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The Daily Dad

The Debt Is Paid Forward

The Daily Dad

Daily Dad

Society & Culture, Dads, Relationships, Parenting, Self-improvement, Kids & Family, Ryan Holiday, Wisdom, Education, Fatherhood

4.8602 Ratings

🗓️ 27 December 2023

⏱️ 3 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

We do so much for our kids. We drive them around. We provide for them. We entertain them. And of course, there are parents who do even more. Parents who packed up and moved across the world for a better life for their kids. Parents who gave their lives for their kids.

How much do children understand these sacrifices? How much do they appreciate it? Not fully, that’s for sure. But that’s OK—because it’s not theirs to understand, it’s not theirs to appreciate. As we’ve said before, we owe our kids everything. We’re the ones that brought them into this world. They don’t owe us anything except to be themselves.

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Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0

Welcome to the Daily Dad podcast, where we provide one lesson every single day to help you with your most important job, being a parent.

0:15.9

I'm Ryan Holiday, and I draw these lessons from ancient philosophy, modern psychology, practical wisdom,

0:23.4

and insights from parents just like you all over the world. Thank you for listening,

0:29.6

and we hope this helps. The debt is paid forward. We do so much for our kids. You know,

0:36.2

we drive them around, we provide for them,

0:38.0

we entertain them, and of course, there are also parents who do even more, parents who packed up

0:42.4

and moved across the world for a better life for their kids, parents who gave their lives

0:46.3

for their kids. How much do our children understand these sacrifices? How much do they appreciate

0:51.4

it? Not fully, that's for sure. But that's okay because it's not

0:55.1

theirs to understand. It's not theirs to appreciate. As we've said before, we owe our kids everything.

1:00.8

We're the ones who brought them into this world. They don't owe us anything except to be themselves.

1:05.9

In his biography of the physicist Richard Feynman, the author James Gleek, writes about the sacrifices of generations

1:12.1

of Jewish parents who had immigrated, who had worked factory jobs, who went hungry so their kids

1:17.1

could eat, so they could send them to college, and they set them up to be successful without

1:21.3

so much as a thanks. Ultimately for the sacrifices of his parents, he explains of their philosophy,

1:27.4

or rather the debt is paid to his own children in turn.

1:31.3

This is the perfect way to think about it.

1:32.9

We give our kids unconditional love and support with one little tiny expectation attached, that they do the same to their kids.

1:40.9

They don't have to pay us back for anything.

1:42.7

They only have to pay it forward.

1:44.8

And on and on and on.

1:56.8

When I'm on the phone, I'm walking, in the mornings I take my walk. I'm just always moving,

...

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