We have to be brave. We have to care. We have to stand up and do what's right for “our kids,” the ones within our family, yes, but also our community, our country and our world. .

The secret to happiness, Epictetus said, was to not to wish for things to happen a certain way but for them to happen the way they will. Another formula for the Stoics was to focus on what you already have instead of what you hope to get.

Who hasn’t had their algorithm wrecked by a kid’s obsession with Frozen or Cocomelon? It’s annoying—but worth it for a quiet car and their joy. One day, that song will hit you like a memory bomb. So let it play. You’ll miss it more than you know.

You are finally settled. You are an adult, no longer a vagabond. You have people who love you, people to care for—and those who care for you in return. There's no need to search or purpose and fulfillment; you've found your place. It's a place called home. It's called family.

Marcus Aurelius lost 9 children. Faced wars, plagues, a failing body. The Romans must’ve pitied him. But he never gave in. “It’s fortunate this happened—and I’ve remained unharmed by it,” he wrote. “True fortune is good character, good intentions, good actions.”.

We don’t control the hand we’re dealt. Our biology isn’t up to us, nor is our place in the world (geographically or socioeconomically). But our kids (or families) decide how we play that hand. We decide what we do about it. We decide whether we give it our all.

Stop worrying and start focusing on what you control. Raise resilient kids. Raise kids who ask for help. Raise kids who know their limits. Raise kids who make good decisions. Raise kids who can live their own life.

Life’s busy, messy, overwhelming. We chase success, fall, compare ourselves. Then a kid runs to us at pickup. Calls from college. Falls asleep on our shoulder. “These are the moments,” Scott Galloway said, “when I’ve felt, ‘This is enough.’”. Imperfect, fleeting, beautiful.

Let your kids see you step up. Let them see you embrace the struggle, wrestle with it, and grow stronger. Show them that challenges aren’t something to fear—they’re opportunities to grow.

This moment you have right now, even if it’s stressful, or exhausting…it won’t feel that forever. So why are you rushing through it? Why are you acting like it’s a burden?. You have what you wish for right now. You have what you’re going to miss later. Act like it.

“It’s all about loving them, no matter who they are, what they decide to do. If you don’t support them, who’s going to support them and love them?” — Dwayne Wade.

These are crazy times. Crazy people are in charge. Crazy things are happening. It’s enough to terrify any parent and discourage the most hopeful person. But you don’t get to be scared. You don’t get to be discouraged. And most importantly, you don’t get to be crazy either.

Cherish every moment. Life can change in an instant. Tragedy could strike without warning. And even in the best case—when children grow up and move away, when we age and eventually leave this world—nothing lasts forever. That’s why we must appreciate this while we still have it.

Be who you needed when you were younger @bradmontaguen

Slow down. Pause. Take a breath. Because one day, they’ll stop asking for stories. They’ll pack their own bags. They’ll sit down for dinner without you. And the rushing you thought was so urgent will seem so small compared to the moments you missed.

Parenthood doesn’t just change how we feel—it compels us to act. It demands that we confront painful truths and it challenges us to meet them with the same courage as those heroes, fictional and real, who came before us.

In 1 day, join thousands of other parents and Stoics in The @dailystoic 10 Day Daily Stoic Spring Forward challenge at or at the link in bio before it begins on March 20th!

Your job is not to raise an obedient child. Your job is to raise a child who becomes a strong, confident adult. Remember that. Then parent accordingly.

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This is the worst thing you can do for your athletic child. @stevemagness @paintedporchbookshop @dailystoicpodcast