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The pain passed to you can affect your children—even when you are determined to give them something better. In this episode, I look at the stories of Mephibosheth, Joseph, and the lost coin to explore how unresolved pain moves through families and shapes the way children see themselves. More importantly, I challenge fathers to consider what protecting their children from the past might require of them today. You did not choose everything that happened to you. But with God’s help, the pain does not have to continue through you. Explore practical Christian fatherhood resources:https://fatheringourfuture.com/resources/ Listen to “Heal For You” by Lloyd Nicks:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=linKtArox_Y Support Fathering Our Future:https://fatheringourfuture.com/support/ Connect with me:[email protected]

Are timeouts bad for kids? Or does the real problem come from how parents use them? Research does not show that every properly used timeout is harmful. But there is a significant difference between a brief, intentional consequence and angrily banishing a child because their behavior has become inconvenient. In this episode, I examine timeouts through the lens of Christian parenting and biblical discipline. I challenge dads to consider what their children are actually learning when they are sent away and whether the consequence teaches better behavior or simply provides temporary relief for the parent. I also share practical alternatives to timeouts that allow us to correct behavior, preserve connection, redirect our children, and turn difficult moments into discipleship. Get Before You Correct:https://fathering-our-future.kit.com/products/before-you-correct?step=checkout Explore practical resources for dads:https://fatheringourfuture.com/resources/ Support Fathering Our Future:https://fatheringourfuture.com/support/

Children do not automatically become confident communicators as they get older. They learn by watching us, practicing with us, and being given opportunities to speak for themselves. In this episode, I explain why teaching our kids to communicate is part of discipleship—not merely preparation for school or a future career. I also share practical ways dads can help children develop confidence, clarity, eye contact, strong body language, and the ability to speak graciously with different kinds of people. The goal is not to force our kids into uncomfortable situations. It is to prepare them, practice with them, and gradually let them handle real conversations for themselves. Explore practical resources for dads:https://fatheringourfuture.com/resources/ Get Talk Time—Dads & Kids:https://fathering-our-future.kit.com/products/talk-time-dads-kids-50-simple-quest Listen to my conversation with Dr. Tim Elmore:https://fatheringourfuture.com/2026/05/18/raising-kids-in-a-world-we-never-knew-with-dr-tim-elmore/ Support Fathering Our Future:https://fatheringourfuture.com/support/

For nearly six years, I made pancakes for my children on Saturday mornings. I thought I was simply making breakfast and giving my wife a break. I did not realize how closely my children were watching. Then one Saturday morning, the routine came full circle. In this episode, I share why simple family traditions can carry far more influence than we realize. A small act of consistency can show love, give children something to anticipate, create opportunities to teach, and demonstrate what serving a family actually looks like. You’ll hear: • Why children need traditions they can depend on• How consistency gives children hope• Why visible service is an essential part of fatherhood• How children learn leadership by participating with us• What happened after my son watched this tradition for years You do not need an elaborate activity or a perfect record. Sometimes meaningful discipleship looks like a box of pancake mix, a Saturday morning, and a dad willing to keep showing up. Want the complete pancake tutorial? Email me at [email protected]. RESOURCES Fathering Our Future resources:https://fatheringourfuture.com/resources/ Related episode, Your Family Is Too Busy: 4 Routines Your Kids Need:https://fatheringourfuture.com/2026/09/14/family-routines-for-kids/ SUPPORT FATHERING OUR FUTURE Become a financial partner:https://fathering-our-future.kit.com/products/anthony-vandagriff Contact Anthony:[email protected]

Is your family always rushing from one obligation to the next? When dinner, bedtime, church, and leaving the house constantly become last-minute emergencies, our kids feel the pressure. A reel from Scot Anderson got me thinking about Ephesians 6:4 and how easily fathers can frustrate their children without intending to. But the answer goes beyond giving our kids a ten-minute warning. In this episode, I share four family routines that can create stability, strengthen communication, and make room for meaningful discipleship. I also explain why these patterns require margin, why dads must learn to say no, and why even good commitments can become harmful when they repeatedly pull us away from our families. Your family is your primary ministry. Your calendar should reflect that. RESOURCES Fathering Our Future resources:https://fatheringourfuture.com/resources/ Talk Time: Dads & Kids:https://fathering-our-future.kit.com/products/talk-time-dads-kids-50-simple-quest Nanit Sound + Light Machine:https://amzn.to/4x8NYXH (Amazon) SUPPORT FATHERING OUR FUTURE Become a financial partner:https://fathering-our-future.kit.com/products/anthony-vandagriff Contact Anthony:[email protected] As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Most parents think they need to find the right words for “the talk.” But if difficult subjects are the only time we deliberately talk with or teach our children, even the perfect script can feel strange. In this episode, I explain what needs to happen before you talk to your kids about sex. We look at why this cannot be a one-time conversation, how children learn whether Dad is safe to talk to, and how everyday communication and family discipleship prepare them for conversations about bodies, sexuality, and growing up. I also share practical tools my family has used to make talking and learning together a normal part of our home. RESOURCES MENTIONED Talk Time: Dads & Kids:https://fathering-our-future.kit.com/products/talk-time-dads-kids-50-simple-quest As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Questions for Humans: Parents and Kids Second Edition by Dr. John Delony:https://amzn.to/4zLCR9u (Amazon affiliate link) Tiny Truths children’s devotional:https://amzn.to/3SgCVNV (Amazon affiliate link) God’s Big Picture Bible Storybook by N. T. Wright:https://amzn.to/4gEaukW (Amazon affiliate link) RELATED EPISODES Talking to Your Kids About Sex Without Shame with Dr. Danny Huerta:https://fatheringourfuture.com/2025/02/03/talking-to-your-kids-about-sex-without-shame-with-dr-danny-huerta/ How to Address Pornography With Your Kids with Hadley Baker:https://fatheringourfuture.com/2025/03/03/how-to-address-pornography-with-your-kids-with-hadley-baker/ What to Know When Talking to Your Kids About Sex with Dr. John Delony:https://fatheringourfuture.com/2025/03/24/what-to-know-when-talking-to-your-kids-about-sex-with-dr-john-delony/ The Importance of Ongoing Talks About Sex and Sexuality With Your Kids with Adam and Karissa King:https://fatheringourfuture.com/2025/04/14/the-importance-of-ongoing-talks-about-sex-and-sexuality-with-your-kids-with-adam-karissa-king/ Explore more practical Christian fatherhood resources:https://fatheringourfuture.com/resources/

Should your teen get a job while still in high school? After watching a reel from parenting creator Scot Anderson arguing that teens should not work at 16, I found myself agreeing with part of his reasoning and questioning the rest. Responsibility should be taught at home. But does that mean teenagers should be kept from opportunities to practice it? In this episode, I consider what a part-time job can reveal about a teenager’s character, money habits, work ethic, and ability to navigate real-world pressure. I also explain why I would rather help my children process those experiences while they are still at home. This is not an argument that every teenager must work. It is a challenge for parents to think carefully about how responsibility becomes wisdom. Explore practical Christian fatherhood resources:https://fatheringourfuture.com/resources/

Your kids are watching you more closely than you realize. They see how you lead, how you respond, what you believe, and the kind of man you are becoming. And sometimes, they see something in you that you have a hard time seeing in yourself. In this episode, I share a personal moment with my son that reminded me just how much weight our example carries as fathers. The challenge is simple: Strive to be the dad your kids already think you are. You will not be perfect. Neither will I. But our children are learning about fatherhood, manhood, faith, integrity, and leadership by watching the way we live. So keep growing. Keep leading. Keep becoming the man your children believe you can be. For more resources to help you become a better dad, visit: fatheringourfuture.com/resources/

If you want to become a better dad, personal discipline matters more than you might think. And strangely enough, one of the best lessons I’ve learned about discipline came from watching cucumber plants grow in our garden. As the plant reaches toward the sun, it continually grabs hold of fixed points around it. Those anchors give it support as it grows and help keep one disruption from bringing the entire plant crashing down. I think dads need the same thing. In this episode of Fathering Our Future, I share three practical ways men can create those anchor points through commitments, community, and intentionally remembering what matters. I also revisit my philosophy of fatherhood through three connected areas: mission, relationships, and identity. Our mission is to disciple our children. But discipleship requires influence, and influence requires relationship. That means we have to become men of personal integrity—men our children can trust, respect, and actually want a relationship with. Being a good dad is not simply about checking boxes or providing the right things. It is about becoming the dad your child needs you to be. And that requires discipline. Motivation isn’t enough. Build anchors. Practice discipline. Become the man—and the dad—your children need. — Stop being a slave to your phone. Get From Weakness to Weapon and make your phone serve your pursuit of being a better man, husband, and father.  From Weakness to Weapon: https://fathering-our-future.kit.com/products/from-weakness-to-weapon For other resources designed to serve dads check out: https://fatheringourfuture.com/resources/

Most fathers want to be good providers. We work hard to give our children a safe home, good clothes, opportunities, experiences, and the things we believe will help them have a good life. But providing for your children is about more than giving them good things. In this episode, I talk about Jehovah-Jireh and what it actually means. Because the way God provides for us needs to shape the way we think about providing as fathers. It goes beyond the generic and it goes beyond what we may call good. You can find my fatherhood resources, including tools for communication, discipleship, and discipline, here: https://fatheringourfuture.com/resources/

No matter where you find yourself as a Christian, whether that be a faithful disciple or a full-time minister, you can never use God as an excuse to be absent from your family. That was never God’s design nor will it ever be His desire. In this episode, I talk about identity and what it really means to put God first. As Christian fathers, our first identity is as disciples of Jesus. But that should never pull us away from being faithful husbands and present fathers. If our faith is real, it should make us better men at home. I also share a personal announcement about the future rhythm of the podcast and why I am making a change for the sake of my wife, my children, and the mission God has placed in front of me. In this episode you will learn: Why your identity as a disciple should shape every other role.Why God first should never mean your family gets your leftovers.How Christian fatherhood requires faithfulness at home. This episode is fatherhood advice for dads who want to lead their families well, love their wives faithfully, and become the men God has called them to be. Get a digital copy of Following Our Father: https://fathering-our-future.kit.com/products/following-our-father-devotional Get a physical copy here: (Amazon) https://amzn.to/3SrqrT7 Support Fathering Our Future: https://fathering-our-future.kit.com/products/anthony-vandagriff

Every dad knows the pressure of a child acting out in public. The restaurant gets loud. The store gets uncomfortable. People start looking. And suddenly, you are not just dealing with your child’s behavior, you are dealing with your own reaction too. In this episode, I talk about one of the most important responsibilities we have as fathers: training our children at home for the real world. Our homes are not just places where our kids eat, sleep, and play. They are training grounds where they learn character, self-control, respect, consideration, and how to live around other people. The added twist is that home is also a place where we train ourselves. If you want your children to know how to live well in public, and you want to be prepared for the hard moments when they come, you have to faithfully train at home. Fatherhood does not pause when you get home. That is where some of the most important work begins.

Your kids may trust you completely when they are little, but will they still trust you when they grow up? In this episode, I talk about a simple moment with my youngest daughter that hit me hard. She was tired, I picked her up, and she completely relaxed in my arms. In that moment, I realized I was a safe harbor for her. But I do not want to only be that while my kids are young. I want to remain a safe place as they grow, ask harder questions, face real struggles, and need a father they can trust. This episode is a direct challenge for Christian fathers to become more stable, present, disciplined, and spiritually grounded. I talk about guarding your heart, stepping back from social media, getting outside, working with your hands, and building simple routines that reflect what matters most. In this episode you will learn Why your children need you to be emotionally and spiritually safe.How social media can quietly steal your presence at home.Why guarding your heart matters for biblical fatherhood.How simple routines help dads lead with consistency.Why integrity, discipline, and faithfulness build long-term trust with your children. If you want your kids to keep running to you as they grow older, this episode will help you think honestly about the kind of father you are becoming.

Every dad gets angry. The question is not whether anger will show up, but what we do when it does. In this episode, I talk honestly about anger in fatherhood, why it can rise so quickly, and how Christian dads can respond without damaging their children. Ephesians 4:26 says, “Be angry and do not sin,” and that verse gives fathers both permission to recognize anger and a warning not to let it control us. I share why delay matters, why angry words can leave wounds in our kids, and why the first response of a father should not just be taking a breath, but submitting to the Holy Spirit. This is not a complicated 15 step plan. It is a simple biblical parenting practice for moments when tension rises: pause, pray, and act. If you are a dad trying to lead your family well, this episode will help you slow down, seek God, and respond to your children with wisdom instead of regret.

As fathers, we cannot rely on a "been there, done that" mindset. Our children are growing up in a world shaped by smartphones, artificial intelligence, and cultural changes that many of us never experienced. If we want to lead our families well, we must keep learning. In this episode, I sit down with Dr. Tim Elmore, author, and leadership and generational expert, for one of the most insightful conversations I have ever had about fatherhood. We discuss how dads can better understand Gen Z and Gen Alpha, adapt their parenting without compromising biblical values, and build strong relationships that last into adulthood. In this episode you will learn: • Why great fathers are both timely and timeless • How to ask, listen, empathize, and guide your children • The three personality types of children and how to lead each one • Why dads should risk more, rescue less, and praise wisely • Five experiences that help children grow into mature adults • How to connect with your children so they still want to call you years from now If you want practical fatherhood advice rooted in biblical parenting and real-world wisdom, this is an episode you will want to revisit again and again. Check out Tim's newest book, The Future Begins with Z. https://amzn.to/4wwuxsR (Amazon)