Looking at Problems With Perspective | Ben Feller on Fatherhood, Empathy, Problem Solving

Modern Dadhood | Unpacking Fatherhood + Parenting for Dads (and Moms!)

It's easy to get frustrated when your kid loses their mind over something that you know is inconsequential. The old adage "don't sweat the small stuff" doesn't really apply when they don't have enough life experience to know what the "small stuff" even is. As parents, with decades of life experience under our belts, it's our job to help them examine the actual magnitude of their problems. (And if we're lucky, maybe the next problem they encounter will involve less theatrics.) Ben Feller, former Chief White House Correspondent and father to 10-year-old Sam, joins us to shed some light on how best to approach putting problems into perspective with our kids... and how they can surprise us with their wisdom, too.

Episode 67 of Modern Dadhood opens with a rather shocking discovery around anagrams of Adam's and Marc's names. The guys chat about a new milestone for the 4-year-old Checket twins: verbal altercation. The guys use the example of Marc's boys new found communication style to transition into a chat about problems and perspective. They welcome Ben Feller, former Chief White House Correspondent for the Associated Press, Father of a ten-year-old son, and author of "Big Problems, Little Problems" into the conversation. Ben talks about the inspiration for writing his book, the value of helping your kids understand the true impact of their problems, and how they too, can help us as dads understand that our problems may not be as big as we sometimes feel they are. Conversation topics include:

• The importance of slowing down and listening to your kid
• How to help your child understand the actual impact of their problem
• The importance of a single father/son dynamic in a children's book
• How Ben dealt with a stressful problem aboard Air Force One
• And more!
The guys conclude the episode with a soul-bearing series of Confessions.

LINKS:
Big Problems, Little Problems (official book website)
Ben Feller (Instagram)
Red Vault Audio
Caspar Babypants
Spencer Albee
Stuffed Animal

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