Earlier this week I asked a question here about my son’s behavior, and I wanted to reflect on it now that I’ve had some space. What I’m realizing is that it isn’t just “bad behavior.” It’s a storm of things coming together. His actions, his emotional regulation, the way excitement can tip him past the point of self-control, our expectations as parents, and the explanation we hear a lot: “I wasn’t thinking.” And here’s where I’m landing. “I wasn’t thinking” can be an explanation, but it can’t be the end of the conversation. It isn’t an excuse. At first, it feels like progress just getting to that awareness. Okay, we know this happens when you’re overstimulated or overly excited. But the next step matters. The next step is asking why the situation got there in the first place. Why were you in that position? Why were you close enough, involved enough, unchecked enough for this to happen? Those questions are harder to answer, especially when shame shows up. I can see that in him. He feels bad. But I’d rather him sit with a little discomfort around honesty now, if it helps him build awareness and do better next time. This hits close to home for me. I was diagnosed with ADHD young. I’ve been medicated, unmedicated, all of it. I don’t love making it a defining identity, even though I recognize it shapes how my brain works. I actually believe it can be a strength when you build the right systems around it. What I’ve always struggled with is when it’s used as an excuse instead of an explanation. Saying “I can’t do this because I have ADHD” feels very different to me than saying “This takes me longer, and here’s how my process works.” One avoids responsibility. The other owns it. I see the same tension with my son. I understand “I wasn’t thinking.” I’ve been there. I still end up there sometimes. But I don’t want him to stop there. I want him to learn how to recognize patterns, put guardrails in place, and be better than I was at that age. That’s where discipline gets complicated. I don’t believe consequences alone teach someone like us how to regulate or reflect. But I also believe consequences have to exist, because life will hand them out regardless.

...I don’t fully know what’s next. I don’t know exactly what this group is going to become. I don’t know what the “final form” looks like yet. And it would be easy to label that as being lost. But honestly? I don’t feel lost in a bad way. I feel like I’m choosing my next move. One thing I do know, across improv, business, work, and fatherhood, is that everything keeps coming back to the same question: What game am I playing right now? As fathers, I think we get tripped up when we’re juggling multiple games at once and forget to name which one matters most in the moment. Provider. Partner. Leader. Playmate. Student. Builder. Sometimes we’re exhausted not because we’re failing but because we’re switching games without realizing it. This past week drove that home for me. Big wins at work. Real learning moments as a dad. Some situations that required instinct, restraint, and humility. The kind of stuff you don’t get a manual for. And that’s part of why I’m grateful this space exists; even if it’s still evolving. Sometimes it’s a place to think things through. Sometimes it’s a place to rant. Sometimes it’s just a place to drop a dumb meme and breathe for a second. I don’t have all the answers yet but I am here. And I want this to be a space where you feel like you can be too. Which brings me to something I want your help with. A group can exist and be “nice”… but for it to really matter, there has to be something you’re moving toward. Some kind of transformation, engagement, or intrigue that makes you want to show up, not out of obligation, but because it actually helps. So I’ll ask you directly: What would need to change in your life for this group to be worth participating in? What do you want more clarity on? What game are you trying to play better right now? Drop a comment. One sentence is enough. I’m listening because I want to build this with you, not just for you.

Merry Christmas legends, sent whilst sat on the throne so not taking time out away from the family to send this, don’t worry! I hope you all have a grand day dadding and seeing the magic in your kids eyes as I have this morning too. Seeing his footprints and presents by the tree.

Dads, I had a humbling moment with my boy today. I showed him a product online and he said he would buy it for me but they "only make it in the summer". An adorable detail that my four year old made up. I immediately went into a rant saying things like "where'd you get that from?" "Who told you that?" etc. All for a laugh, we had fun with it. But it was when he chose to do an impression of me and I saw his hands that I realized culture isn't handed down like gifts at Christmas. No. Culture is observed and shared like behavior. How do I know this? Well during his impression he did the same hand gestures as me. Among other things I'm a NY Italian. So what did I see at the end of my son's wrists? ..."🤌🤌🤌"

It's not about want, fear, or running out of time, so that nothing pulls on you. Humans feel restless because bodies age, desires persist, and choices have costs. That tension creates ambition, meaning, and care. The contentment you’re drawn to isn’t found by becoming less human...it comes from wanting fewer things at once, with clarity.