The Daily Dad14 Apr 2020

It’s Your Fault They’re This Way

F. Scott Fitzgerald knew the long term damage of being spoiled rotten. Not only was he a prime and painful example himself—as we’ve written about—but as he observed and studied the rich men and women of the Jazz Age, he saw how indulgent people quickly became the “careless” monsters that he portrayed in The Great Gatsby.

In Fitzgerald’s stories, the rich are always expecting life to be easy, expecting their money to exempt them from consequences; they’re selfish, naive, insufferable, and superficial. As the subjects of his stories, this makes them fascinating heroes and anti-heroes, but Fitzgerald also wanted us to know who the real villains were: the parents and the families that raised them. As he depicts in one memorable exchange in The Offshore Pirate, a story about a young, beautiful girl who refused to listen to her guardians:

“You’ve grown unbearable! Your disposition—”

“You’ve made me that way! No child ever had a bad disposition unless it’s her family’s fault! Whatever I am, you did it.”

This truth applies to all of us, not just fathers and families whose incomes put them in the 1%. We must blame ourselves or no one, remember? If our kid’s not a hard worker, that’s on us. If our kid’s a bully or acts like they have an advanced degree from “dick school,” that’s on us. If our kid has an attitude or gets into trouble, that’s on us. They’re kids. It’s our fault for not teaching them better… and it’s even less excusable if we throw up our hands and say, “That’s just the way they turned out.”No, whatever they are, we did it. And it’s not too late to make improvements.

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