The Daily Dad11 Mar 2020

Raise Them To Be a “Why” Child

In one of F. Scott Fitzerald’s funniest short stories, “Head and Shoulders,” a certifiable genius falls in love with a showgirl. The plot and moral of the story aren’t relevant for today’s email—though the story is highly recommended—instead there is a little passage in it that introduces a concept that is worth thinking about:

“I was a ‘why child. I wanted to see the wheels go around. My father was a young economics professor at Princeton. He brought me up on the system of answering every question I asked him to the best of his ability.”

A “why child”—what a delightful phrase! Isn’t that what we’re trying to raise? We’ve talked about raising a child who knows how to “figure things out” but this is part and parcel of that. A why child isn’t content to take things at face value, or simple explanations. They not only want to see the wheels go round, they want to know why, they want to know how, they want to know where they came from in the first place.

Can this be annoying? Absolutely. It can even get them in trouble (isn’t that the whole message of the Curious George series?). But curious is better than complacent, annoying is better than ignorant.

You must seed this habit. You must make sure you water it too—and do your best never to stamp it out, just because you’re tired, or just because the question is inappropriate. The more questions they ask the better. Not just to their parents, but for their whole life.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Denne episoden er hentet fra en åpen RSS-feed og er ikke publisert av Podme. Den kan derfor inneholde annonser.

Episoder(2115)

Let Them Learn

We have to make them understand that they have what it takes to do this on their own and if they don’t, the best way to get it is to develop it by experience, by curiosity and exploration. Our Luctor ...

15 Okt 3min

You Don’t Need The Third Thing

Praise is always nice, but it’s sort of pathetic how desperately we want it…for doing our job. Give yourself the ultimate gift of parenting tools, structure, and community. Join The Daily Dad Society ...

14 Okt 2min

Don’t Let The Wall Win

There’s a wall—a wall between you and your feelings, a wall between you and other people, a wall between you and this present moment.Give yourself the ultimate gift of parenting tools, structure, and ...

13 Okt 2min

Not Everyone Can Afford This (But You Can)

You could choose to be around more. You just won’t. You could choose to be more active, more aware, more involved…Give yourself the ultimate gift of parenting tools, structure, and community. Join The...

12 Okt 2min

Did Our Wedding Vows Cover the Goats?

Ryan says he didn’t sign up for goats in the house, but Sam has the wedding vows to prove otherwise. Between looking back on ten years of The Daily Stoic and debating which animals belong in the house...

10 Okt 13min

Don’t Wish Away A Minute of Their Life

Don’t wish it away, no matter how frustrating this phase or this bedtime or this age is. 📚 Book mentiond: Travels with EpicurusThe new 10th Anniversary Edition of The Daily Stoic is out NOW! 👉 Grab ...

9 Okt 2min

You’re Going To Wish You Hadn’t

Be here for it. Even the difficult parts. The new 10th Anniversary Edition of The Daily Stoic is out NOW! 👉 Grab your copy here: https://store.dailystoic.com/pages/the-daily-stoic-10Give yourself the...

8 Okt 2min

BONUS | Who Listens to an Audiobook Like That?

Between audiobook speeds and gym habits, Ryan and Sam have a few questions about how the other person operates.📚 Join the Quarterly Classics Book Club | https://the-painted-porch-book-club.mn.co/land...

7 Okt 4min