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.

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

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

helps. You've got to cut them some slack. You just got home from work. You've had a long day, Now you've got to make dinner. You've got to get them to practice. You have to clean up the house. You'd love to squeeze a workout in. And already tomorrow, where you have to do it all over again, is looming over you. So it's frustrating that you've got to call them down to the table six times, that they're fighting with their brother, that they won't get in a bath, that they've got an attitude. You know they're not giving their all to their homework. But one thing you've got to remember when you have misbehaving kids at home in the afternoon and the evening is this. They just spent all day behaving. They spent all day being bossed around by teachers and bus drivers and PE coaches. They spent all day

packed in a room with maybe one window if they're lucky. They were picked on. They were bored. They missed you.

It's hard to be a kid, as we've said many, many times. It's hard to make transitions between worlds.

It's hard to come home after a long day of behaving and not misbehave. They want personal

space. They want some freedom. What they need is some empathy and understanding. You want and need

those things. And you're an adult who has a lot more practice, who has a lot more resources and a

lot more maturity. So relax. Be kind. Be patient. They're not bad kids. You're not a bad parent.

They're acting out because your house is safe to them, because they trust you, because

this is a totally reasonable and expected response to the pressure cooker that is childhood.

Cut them some slack and cut yourself some too.

Hey, you're listening to the Daily Dad podcast, one meditation a day inspired to help you do

your most important job, which is be a great father.

These are meditations inspired by ancient wisdom, psychological research, and just great strategies from normal dads just like you.

Thanks for listening.