Our guest today is Anna Seewald, M. Ed, a wife, a mom, an author, a speaker, a photographer, a podcaster, an educator, a lifelong learner and the founder of Authentic Parenting. Authentic Parenting is her business and podcast and it's all about parenting from the heart.

Anna lost her mother in a severe earthquake in Armenia in 1988 when she was only 13, and her father became her sole caregiver. She always had a great relationship with her father who was very emotional, encouraging, and understanding, but through this tragedy, they grew even closer.

Anna came to America when she was 27 with her father's full blessing, after receiving a scholarship from the U.S. State Department. Her father remains a supportive champion in her life to this day.

She described her father's parenting style as authentic and from him and through her studies and casework Anna developed her business and podcast, Authentic Parenting, where she is a divorce mediator who also teaches parenting classes, both selective and court-ordered.

Links:

Authentic Parenting with Anna Seewald

Anna Seewald and Authentic Parenting on Instagram

Our guest today is Robert Bullock. Robert grew up on the Gulf Coast of Mississippi giving him his southern roots.  At an early age, Robert possessed a strong interest in anything fashion related and with his drive and passion he became a successful designer, with an expertise in draping, pattern making, and sewing. His current company, Robert Bullock Bride, has been his most fulfilling business to date, both personally as well as professionally. Robert has lived in NYC for the past 30 years. He is an activist for human rights and equality. He also volunteers at Best Friends Animal Shelter, being an advocate for the animals who need him to fight for their rights as well.

Jonathan and Robert discuss the unusual and amazing connection between the death of Robert's father and his future son. After his father's passing, Robert was looking for a place to just relax and have a few minutes by himself. It was at a local restaurant where Robert met Oscar, who would later become his son.

They discuss how Oscar showed up in New York City and how he and Robert developed a father/son relationship that has changed his life in so many ways. Not thinking he would ever be a father before this, Robert has embraced the fortuitous gift he was given after telling his father (to the sky), "Old man, you better do me right from the other side."

Links:

Robert Bullock Bride

Robert Bullock Bride on Instagram

Our guest today is Karen Lock Kolp, a child development expert, and parent coach. Her podcast, We Turned Out Okay, has been downloaded more than 300,000 times by parents who just want to know that, really, everything is going to be alright. Jonathan and Karen talk about her upbringing and the role her father played in her life. They also talk about modern parenting and how we adopt some of the traits of our parents while simultaneously learning to trust our own instincts. Karen opens up about a difficult childhood memory, her own chronic illness, and how almost losing her father helped bring even more perspective to her life.

Links:

Karen's podcast, We Turned Out Okay

Karen's YouTube Channel

Karen's Twitter, @weturnedoutokay

Karen's Instagram, @weturnoutokay

We Turned Okay on Facebook

This week we get a more up close and personal glimpse into our host Jonathan’s life.  He shares his background as a son and father, the passion behind this podcast, and why he wanted to pay homage to his own parents and open up the discussion to encompass all aspects of fatherhood, family life, and even difficult topics such as loss and grief. He shares how fatherhood compares to his expectations and visions of how it would be, and the differences between how he grew up and the way he is raising his own children.

Key Takeaways

[1:31] Dads are more than welcome to enjoy the podcast of course, but this show is not just for men or fathers. It’s an exploration of the meaning of parenthood, loss, expectations and much more, and the guests will range from mothers, daughters, fathers, grandfathers, etc.

[1:58] Jonathan is the single father of two teenagers — one 16-year-old son and a 14-year-old daughter. He is now working full-time as a writer and podcaster and enjoys the freedom of a flexible schedule.

[9:22] Jonathan has always wanted to be a father and still looks at his teens with amazement that he was one half of creating them.

[12:16] One of Jonathan’s favorite things about being a parent is giving and receiving unconditional love.

[17:00] Jonathan’s favorite piece of his advice from his father was to not rush life and miss the special moments in front of you.

[21:39] Really listening to our children can sometimes be a lost art. Practice putting the phone away, turning off the laptop and giving them your undivided attention.

[27:30] Jonathan recaps the past six episodes and their individual running themes and takeaways. He also gives us a tease of the guests in upcoming episodes.

Quotes:

- “What does fatherhood mean to me? Everything.”

- “My dad was an unbelievable friend, and unbelievable father and I hope I provide that to my children.”

- “If you want to have a conversation with your kid and your phone is out, that’s not a conversation.”

Mentioned in this Episode:

Jonathan Greene on Medium

Today’s guest is Craig Johnson, an old camp buddy of Jonathan’s. Craig has an extremely busy and full life; he and his wife Liz have been married for 20 years and are both attorneys. Together they have three children — Ben, 16; Sam, 13; and Lucy, 8. Craig shares the lessons he has learned from coaching his own kids, how his career experience as an attorney, lobbyist, and State Senator has shaped his approach towards parenting, the challenge of balance and enjoyment of his kids’ success and the evolution of Craig’s own father as a grandfather. The guys also admit to being a little overeager when texting their kids, and why they can’t be too upset when there is empty ice cream in the fridge.

Key Takeaways:

[1:24] Jonathan and Craig met at Camp Taconic. Here they learned a lot about independence (for both the children and the parents) and he now sends his own kids to camp.

[3:20] He and his wife Liz have been married for 20 years and he is very grateful for their partnership both as husband and wife and as co-parents. They are both attorneys, with Craig in lobbying and public policy, and Liz in the courtroom as a defense attorney and former prosecutor. And yes, Craig loses all the arguments in the house. Craig was a former State Senator in New York from 2007-2010.

[4:49] Craig and Jonathan both have sons named Ben who are teens learning to drive while terrifying their parents.

[8:37] Craig finds coaching a rewarding experience and found a great way to bond with his kids while taking part in something they love.

[19:16] Both Jonathan and Craig allow their kids to use phones and social media apps, but monitor them to make sure there isn’t any shady business going on. Craig’s wife Liz teaches a class for parents to help them understand and deal with their children using social technology.

[27:35] Bar and Bat Mitzvah season is underway, and while it can get expensive and time-consuming, it’s an amazing accomplishment and Craig is extremely proud of how much his sons’ bar mitzvahs got their family together.

[36:28] Craig’s dad lives in the very same house that he grew up in, only about a mile and a half away. He had the model attitude as a grandfather where he was there if Craig needed him but trusted him to make the right decisions and learn on his own.

[43:31] Craig finds one of the biggest challenges is balancing his dedication to being a father, a husband, and to his career.

[45:02] The best part of parenting for Craig is sharing in their successes, whether it’s something big, such as a sports team win or an everyday moment of them memorizing a vocabulary word.

[51:29] Karma has come back around for all the years that Craig left an empty ice cream container in the fridge, as his kids to that to him now.

[55:47] Both dads are puzzled why their sons don’t have the same rush of getting their driver's license as they did as teens.

[58:52] Craig has a lot of interesting work in his pipeline, including Uber, AirBnB, and cryptocurrency.

[59:42] Craig is extremely appreciative of his wife’s ability to be a stand out counselor, lawyer, and mother. She is a fantastic example of showing his children the importance of work and responsibility.

Links:

Camp Taconic

Dentons Law Firm

Quotes:

• “I’m almost in tears when I drop off my kids at high school! I mean that’s good about us, but what’s wrong with us?!”
• “My son wrote a one-page essay on why he should watch Dexter and I read it and was like ‘okay you could watch it because that was so good.’”
• “We can’t always be there for them, and we have to let them make those mistakes.”
• “They each have different jealousies and different desires and it’s just a moving puzzle that changes every day.”
• “I’ve become a better listener as a parent. You have to listen to your kids and let them talk. They can educate you.”

Today’s guest is Rob Schiffmann, actor, improviser, musician and most importantly - father. Rob and Jonathan grew up together and reminisce about their Tuesday baseball games and what it taught them to be great fathers of their own. They also talk about the unique path Rob had growing up with two great parents and stepparents, and examine the relationship of weekend parenting. Rob now has two daughters and they examine the delicate balance between staying involved and letting your children have space to do their own thing.

Key Takeaways:

[2:07] Jonathan and Rob reminisce about their Tuesday baseball at Plaza Park. One of the staples of the recurring meet-up was watching the dads (and sometimes moms) participating.

[5:33] Rob’s parents went through a divorce, but it resulted in him having two great stepparents, and his parents remaining good friends.

[12:46] Even in his 80’s, Rob’s dad is constantly learning and is very interested in arts, continued education and current events.

[13:25] They explore the dad’s side of having the kids only on the weekend. Both remember the activities way more than the actual homes.

[16:13] Rob’s stepfather Larry was a kind and gentle soul, and did not impose himself on the family, rather he was present and showed love. He credits Larry with helping him develop a gentle approach in life, and isn’t afraid to show his soft side.

[18:36] Rob and his wife Annie have been married for 10 years, and they have two daughters, Abby, age 7 and Penny, age 4. As the dad of two young daughters he laughs a lot, and his daughter Penny loves to take on different characters and role play til her heart’s content. Abby is a great older sister and joins in on all the fun escapades.

[24:40] Rob never thought he would follow in the footsteps of his mother and lick his finger to clean food off his daughters face as it drove him crazy, but now he does it all the time.

[27:49] Staying involved while giving your children room to be themselves and grow and learn on their own is of utmost importance to both Rob and Jonathan.

[31:31] The irony of parenting is that you raise your children as best you can, to have them leave and live their best life on their own.

[38:34] Our kids are little versions of us, so showing them how to communicate, apologize and share their emotions is one of the joys of fatherhood.

[39:33] Watching his own parents interact with his daughters is amazing to Rob. They are engaged grandparents and his children adore them. This is a peek into his own past and he experiences nostalgia remembering his own time with his dad.

[41:12] There is a renaissance of fatherhood now with grandfathers, as things are more open now than when most of us were growing up.

[45:37] You can check out one of the many projects Rob is currently working on at: Broadway’s Next Hit Musical.

Mentioned in This Episode:

Broadway’s Next Hit Musical

RobSchiffman

Quotes:

• “I scored in the parent and stepparent market. I had two role models and two big influences on who I became as a father and as a man. They paved an interesting and different path.”
• “My dad is intimidatingly intelligent.”
• “I feel like I have these two little pals that I get to take care of. We just have fun.”
• “I don’t care if they are 7 or 47, I never want to blur the lines where I’m just a friend and not their parent. We are here to serve them.”
• “They don’t need to peek through the scenes and see the neurotic dude that I am. They just need me to take care of them.”

This week’s episode features father of two, husband, and City Dads co-founder Lance Somerfeld. Lance frequently contributes to the conversation about modern fatherhood and has appeared on local and national television, including CNN, Fox News, Today, and Katie. Lance talks about living in New York City as a father, how he went from public school teacher to a stay-at-home dad, the formation, growth, and purpose of City Dads and how they are single-handedly helping thousands of men become more confident and involved fathers.

Key Takeaways:

[1:50] Lance Somerfeld shares the background of how he went from public school teacher to stay-at-home dad. He and co-founder Matt Schneider started City Dads in November 2008 and it has been going strong for 10 years with 34 cities in the U.S. and nearly 11,000 members. They wanted a place for dads to go to feel welcome and able to connect with other fathers and kids in a fun and meaningful way.

[18:02] City Dads works with brands in a long-lasting personal relationship on campaigns and products crafted from the perspective on dads. They have worked with Dove on the messaging for their March Madness NCAA Tournament ad and partnered with Britax to help dads learn all about using car seats correctly.

[24:34] Lance has been married for almost 14 years, and together they have a 9-year-old son and 2-year-old daughter. City Dads not only provides great opportunities for the dads but gives the kids another great group of friends outside of their school.

[34:56] As both an active parent and son, Lance found it interesting to see his dad and stepdad as modern grandfathers as they learn and adapt to the times today.

[39:11] Lance found the biggest challenge of fatherhood early on was learning to navigate a life where you had to plan and saying goodbye to a lot of spontaneity and free personal time!

[43:16] One perk of City Dads is new fathers learning from those who have already been through it and made it out of the other side.

Mentioned in This Episode:

City Dads

info@citydadsgroup.com

The Modern Dads Podcast

Quotes:

• “Everything I had done during the course of my life, like going to school and college, was preparing me for my career. Nothing that I had done previously ever really prepared me to be a dad.”
• “When I became a parent I couldn’t believe that I had to dictate orders to my parents on how to handle my own child.”
• “I think it’s a very exciting time to be a dad right now, on so many levels.”

Today we jump back in with Part 2 of Jonathan’s conversation with Alison Donnelly. Alison is a stay-at-home mom living in Brooklyn and is married to one of Jonathan’s long-time best friends Dan. She and Jonathan talk about what it is like to lose a parent, compare end-of-life stories of their parents and any regrets they may still have, the mixed emotions of watching your children grow up and even slip in the best Barbie cake story you may ever hear!

Key Takeaways:

[1:11] Alison tells the story of getting the tough phone calls during her father’s death. Jonathan waited almost a full year before he talked to his friends about his mom’s death and finds technology a useful tool when dealing with breaking the news to people.

[14:21] Alison’s number-one memory of her dad is the help and work he did for her school. Her second one involves an odd incident with a Barbie cake at her eighth birthday.

[23:21] Most people find themselves repeating the exact same mannerisms and sayings that annoyed them most about their parents.

[44:24] It’s true unconditional love between parent and child and one thing that can help fill the gap when we lose a parent is transferring our love and attention to our children.

Mentioned in This Episode:

Formerly Fat Mom

Jonathan Greene Medium Page

Quotes:

• “I think you have the only dad that motorboated a Barbie at an under-10 birthday party.”
• “It’s not going to be perfect and it’s going to be a hot mess but that’s called being a parent.”