Happy Friday. Summer officially ends next Tuesday, so get after it this weekend. The marquee college football matchup appears to be LSU vs. Ole Miss — 7:30pm ET, Saturday.
See ya Monday.
If you’re new here, we mix it up on Fridays with a quick recap from the week and a few extra gems to head into the weekend right.
"Forever is composed of nows."
THE DIGEST
Wisdom of the Week: We can make being a good dad pretty dang complicated sometimes. A much simpler way of looking at it: be there.
Most Clicked: 8 Things Your Kids Might Actually Remember
Gear of the Week: Red Wing’s Classic Moc
For the Kids: Self-Launching Motorized Air Rocket
Read, Watch, Eat, Listen
A few things to get into this weekend if you have a moment
📕 Read: Greenlights | Matthew McConaughey
📺 Watch: Slow Horses (Apple TV) New Season | Why Do More Reps
🍔 Eat/Drink: The Best Dang Quesadillas You've Ever Had
🎧 Listen: 50 Marathons in 50 States in 24 Days | Rich Roll Podcast
IN THE TRENCHES
We asked how often you actually sit down and have dinner as a family.
This one wasn't particularly close. Almost every night ran away with it.
The comments made it clear that for a lot of dads, dinner has become one of those parts of the day worth protecting. Breakfast is chaos. Everyone scatters for school and work. But dinner is a chance to get everybody back in the same place for a minute.
Of course, "family dinner" looks different depending on the house.
Some are phone-free around the table every night. Some are eating around the kitchen island while mom and dad stand. Toddlers are taking three bites and wandering off. Sports families are eating in shifts. One dad said his toddler eats before them...and then again with them.
A few dads called it a non-negotiable. Others said they know sports and activities will eventually make it harder, so they're taking advantage of it while the kids are young.
One line probably summed up why so many guys make the effort:
"It's a must. Only time we really sit down together all day."
Everybody in roughly the same place, eating roughly at the same time, seems to count.
PROJECTS
Show us your space or something you’re working on…
This guy turned his yard corner into a corner bar. Cheers to him.🍻
WEEKEND BURNER
Set a timer for 40 seconds of work, 20 seconds of rest and run through these five moves for 4 rounds:
Bodyweight squats
Push-ups
Reverse lunges
Mountain climbers
Plank shoulder taps
ONE LAST THING
🍻 Weekend Assignment: Teach your kid something completely useless. How to skip a rock. Flip a coin off your thumb. Make a paper airplane. Whistle with two fingers. Important life skills.
🧠 Worth Knowing: The Dodgers got their name from Brooklyn pedestrians who had to dodge the city’s trolley cars. They became known as “Trolley Dodgers,” eventually shortened to Dodgers. The name followed the team to LA in 1958.
dad shower thoughts: When did checking the weather stop being practical and become entertainment?