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.

This is their language. It doesn't matter how old your kids are. It doesn't matter where you're from

or how many tutors you've hired for them. It doesn't matter if they've gone to therapy. It doesn't

matter if you have the most connected and open relationship. Doesn't matter if they're in college

studying language. The primary language of children is behavior, not words. As we say, actions speak louder

than words. And the younger your kids are, the more likely they are to speak with actions

instead of words. And this is for one simple, undeniable reason. They don't have the words yet.

On top of that, kids also don't understand their

feelings, the physical ones or emotional ones. Quite often, they don't even know they're feeling them.

Watch an 18-month-old with an earache. There are no words. There is only discomfort and pawing at the

sides of their head. They're screaming. There's lack of sleep. Watch an eight-year-old with

anxiety. There are no words. There are only stomach aches and panic, wet beds. Could you at seven or

11 or even 21 have expressed depression or on wee or doubts about your worth or your sexuality?

That is, if you even understood that something connected to those emotions was going on

inside of you. No, you couldn't. And that's why we need to listen to our kids in more ways than just

the obvious literal way. You have to watch them. We have to be patient. We have to understand that a

tantrum, even if it's screaming about the iPad, is almost certainly about something else.

We have to understand that lethargy or sliding grades are statements.

It's your child speaking to you through behavior.

The question is, will you hear them?

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