Dad's job
The Ally
Let them know and feel that you have their back.
Most of the time they don't need your answer. They need you to hear them out, have their back, and stay close when you can't fix a damn thing. The job changes when they're grown, but being in their corner doesn't.
How The Ally opens in the book
I always knew I’d love my kids. What I wasn’t so sure of was whether we’d actually like each other when they grew up.
For the first eighteen years or so, they didn’t have much choice about spending time with me. I was everywhere. Making breakfast, driving the car, showing up at their games, telling them what to do, and occasionally repeating myself at a volume that suggested nobody had heard me the first six times.
…
From the book
5 true stories in The Ally.
- The 37 Seconds
- Why Buscemi?
- The Handoff
- The Phone Call
- The Second Eulogy
Find out what happened in the book.
Preorder on Amazon →Sh!t we wish we'd known
#39 Argue Their Case, Not Yours
When your kid says an adult treated them unfairly, hear them out and get the facts. If the decision doesn’t hold up, show up and question it. But don’t turn their problem into your crusade. Let them help decide what making it right looks like, even if it isn’t the win you wanted.
- #38
- #40
- #41
- #42
4 more for The Ally. We're not giving away all 44 on a website. Feb 16, 2027.
Be The Ally this weekend.
Things to try with your kid, from strongerKIDS.org.
Blind Taste Test
Ten foods. Blindfold on. Ten guesses. Keep score. Repeat next week.
Bury A Time Capsule
A tin box. A list of favorite things. A letter to your future self. Bury it deep.
Cardboard Box Spaceship
Find the biggest box you can. Cut a hatch. Fly to a planet of your choice.
One dad. Eight jobs.
The trick is knowing which one your kid needs right now.
On sale February 16, 2027 ·
Dads Who Give a Sh!t
44 Things We Wish We'd Known While Raising Kids
Drew Klonsky and Brent Hieggelke · Skyhorse Publishing
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