📕 DAD WISDOM 

Grading Your Own Paper

We've all had that moment. Maybe it's after losing your cool over spilled milk. Or when you realize you missed the science fair because of a work call. The parenting guilt creeps in, and suddenly you're mentally tallying all the ways you're failing.

In our Q+A last week with former CrossFit champion and business owner Jason Khalipa, he said: Take a regular check-in to ask yourself, 'How am I doing?' If you do that regularly, the likelihood of waking up one day thinking you've done a terrible job parenting will be slim."

Here's the truth: fatherhood doesn't come with performance reviews. Nobody's handing out quarterly evaluations or gold stars for getting it right. The pressure to be perfect is real, but it's also self-imposed.

Those regular check-ins aren't about beating yourself up. They're about honest assessment - seeing both where you're crushing it and where you could use some work. Being intentional about asking the question means you're already ahead of the game.

Between the endless advice and your own expectations, it's easy to lose perspective. But your kids don't need a perfect dad. They need a present one who's willing to learn as he goes.

So take a minute. How are you doing? Really?

BADASS DAD 

Eric Davis

Eric Davis spent years in the most elite military unit in the world. The retired Navy SEAL turned his experience surviving BUD/S training and combat operations into a blueprint for raising resilient kids in his book "Raising Men."

His philosophy cuts through the typical parenting noise: "It's so important that you as a father are living the kind of life you want your kids to live." No hypocrisy allowed. No "do as I say, not as I do." Because in Davis's world, your example isn't just important - it's everything.

While most parenting books focus on the kids, Davis flips the script: "Are you as happy and healthy as you want your son to be?" The question hits hard because it forces us to look in the mirror first. The same discipline that kept him alive in combat now drives his approach to fatherhood.

For Davis, there's no distinction between high-stakes missions and raising children: "Many parents don't realize that the actions and abilities they embody are a matter of life and death, just as much as they are on a typical SEAL mission." It's a reminder that what we're doing as dads isn't just important - it's essential.

→ Follow Eric here

DAD TOYS 

Your Unsung Travel Companion

I know this isn't the sexiest thing to feature, but when it comes to functionality, LL Bean's hanging toiletry bag is a must-have. After one too many hotel sink disasters, this has become my travel MVP.

The built-in hook allows you to hang it anywhere, freeing up counter space in those Airbnb bathrooms clearly designed by people who've never packed more than chapstick.

→ Grab one at LL Bean

DAD BOD 

A Baseline Fitness Test

Looking to test your fitness without destroying your will to live? This CrossFit conditioning test for beginners is effective without being brutal (we see you Fran - IYKYK).

The beauty is in its simplicity: 500m row, 40 air squats, 30 sit-ups, 20 push-ups, and 10 pull-ups. No fancy equipment, no complicated moves - just a clear picture of where you stand.

The goal isn't to crush yourself; it's to establish a baseline you can improve on.

See standards of movements here.

JUNK DRAWER 

DAD HUMOR