"Don't make me come back there!"

-Any Dad from Anywhere

Your child is experiencing everything in life for the first time right in front of you. By default, this means that if they don't know what to do in a situation, they will rely on what they saw you do. If you are reading this, then there is no one around you. You can take a moment to yourself. Consider the example you have been setting. Is that something you are proud of? Are you just passing generational reactions down to your kids?

I'm going to keep this simple. We all have made mistakes. That doesn't mean that we can't recover. Let's talk about emotional throttling. At some point in your life or the life of your kids (especially if you have sons), you or your child was excited about going somewhere. You -or them- was probably bouncing off the wall and being ridiculous in the car. Chances are your probably heard -or said - "If you don't settle down, I'll turn this car around and we will go home."

The problem with that is that you are setting a threshold for how to act when we are excited, happy, or experiencing pure, unadulterated joy. We are creating limits.

Now, what about this one...

"Better dry it up, or I'll give you something to cry about." Kids cry. They don't understand their emotions and feelings. Tears are natural. By telling them they can't cry without a clear understanding the reason for the crying, we are limiting what acceptable sad behavior.

Being a man means that you can protect and provide. Protection includes the emotional and mental state of your child. Emotions aren't weak, but they get backburnered because they have the stigma of weakness.

Check out the episode for a more in-depth breakdown.