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.

What are you leaving them?

Someone once remarked to Congressman Sam Rayburn that his father hadn't left him much when he died.

Rayburn was quick to correct this mistake. My father, he said, gave me my untarnished name. Harry Truman would say something

similar to his own daughter. The question today is what are you leaving to your children?

Yes, you work hard. Yes, you've put some money aside. You may even cover those life insurance

premiums. Perhaps you're really on top of it, and you and your spouse have an updated will,

which not only leaves your kids some assets, but instructions for their care.

This is all well and good, but this will be poverty compared to what Rayburn's father left

his son and what Truman left his daughter, Margaret. What matters is that you leave your kids

a legacy of a good life, of character, of living up to what you say, that you showed them how to provide for

themselves as opposed to slaving a way to try to put together some trust fund that can do it for them.

Forget a family cottage or a lakehouse deed. Focus instead on some words, some meaningful

conversations that they would never sell or trade for all the money in the world.

Leave them a name that means something.

Make them part of a family that had a tradition, that had expectations, a sense of duty and obligation.

Make them somebody.

That's the ultimate gift.

And better yet, can never be taxed or confiscated.

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