Our 848th Dad in the Limelight is Phil of TheBadDaddy.com. I want to thank Phil for being a part of this series. It has been great getting connected with him and now sharing Phil with all of you.
1) Tell me about yourself (as well as how you are in the limelight for my readers knowledge)
I’m Phil, a.k.a. BadDaddy, from TheBadDaddy.com, unconventional wisdom for free-thinking parents in America. We just had our one-year anniversary, and it’s been a huge (unexpected) hit.
We launched BadDaddy to cut through the bull, provide real insights, and chuckle at the absurdity, for parents willing to take the red pill. Families are force-fed so much wrongheaded claptrap from all angles of media, marketers, and government, it’s hard to keep your breakfast down in the morning.
I like helping families survive and thrive by learning from history, for example explaining what’s happening (and why) with the college debt bubble or teaching them about the doomed paper money system, but my wife and readers love it most when we poke fun at life with newborns.
We try not to get pigeonholed, and will tackle any topic that can help families provide for a healthy, happy family in the face of widespread, institutionalized incompetence, misdirection, and graft.
2) Tell me about your family
I married the most beautiful girl in the world (as I told her when we met), Ashley, who became the most beautiful woman. We have four crazy kids, Mia (9), Ryder (7), and newborn twins, River and Finn.
3) What has been the largest challenge you have had in being a father?
I’ve argued the biggest challenge is raising disciplined, well-mannered kids. It’s easier to bring up brats, simply by picking up after them (who would have guessed it’s much easier to do everything for your kids than to make sure they do it themselves?). Ashley hates that I had to devise a point system to solve this problem – dreaded “external motivators” – but I need it for clarity and consistency.
What is even more challenging though is to watch it all go by so quickly, without finding time for everything you want to do while your kids are little. So, we just keep having more kids!
4) What advice would you give to other fathers?
Don’t do it! Just kidding.
I would say when it comes to babies, trust your wife’s instinct. Ignore the noise from the media, your parents, and even your pediatrician, and just trust your wife. Everything you need to provide a safe, loving home, is right there inside of her. Once the kids are 3-5 years old, you can start trusting your own instincts too. Whatever you do, don’t blindly trust the government TLA’s (three-letter acronyms).
5) How have you come to balance parenthood and outside life?
This may be the hardest part. I turned 40 this year, and can’t help but feel like I’m wasting too much time. But duty calls, and providing for a family is a tough gig. As providers, we work.
6) What have you learned from the fathers that you have interacted with?
That none of us really know what we’re doing. By the time you get good at it, everything changes. Ages and stages move quickly, and all you can do is show up with a good attitude. Your kids will learn more from that, who you are, how you face challenges, and what you do, than anything you say.
7) What else would you share regarding your experiences as a father thus far?
For those dealing with behavioral problems in young boys, don’t overlook diet. We dodged a bullet thanks to my wife’s intuition, which led us to understand the Gut-Brain Connection. Make sure to consider this closely before blindly trusting your school administrators, pediatrician, or big pharma.
8) What have been the most memorable experiences that you have had thus far as a parent?
The biggest epiphany was when I realized what is most important for our children is not that they learn to obey me (as it often feels, especially when they’re acting like monkeys in public), but that they learn to think for themselves, and question authority. We’re trying to raise thoughtful, independent people, who can take care of themselves, stand up for what’s right, recognize deception, and identify and ride big trends. As parents, we’re not dog-trainers, nor should we be sheep ourselves. We have a much bigger responsibility to our children. The last thing we need is more bad information.
Feel free to check out TheBadDaddy.com, and join our list if it suits you. You can also sign up for a 25% chance to win a free copy of my upcoming book, Where Does Money Come From? And whatever you do, always, always, question authority.
If you have any questions for Phil, please leave a comment here and I will make sure that he gets them so that he may be able to respond!
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