Dear Old Dads
Hey kids, get ON our lawn! Dear old Dads is a podcast examining and deconstructing all things Dad. From parenting to patriarchy; manning the grill to manning up; Dear Old Dads asks – what even is a dad anyway? What does it mean to be a good man in today's world? What should it mean? Listen along as we definitely find the correct, concise answers to all these questions and more! Featuring Eli Bosnick, Thomas Smith, and Tom Curry!
DOD209: My Kids Stopped Talking To Me for NO Reason
Thomas stumbled on an article called "The Missing Missing Reasons." It explores Estranged Parents online forums and points out a strikingly consistent theme, and it is as hilarious as it is infuriating.
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DOD208: H.A.G.S.! KIT.!
The school year is officially over, but will the Dads Have A Great Summer? Is this a Three Bears (TM) situation?
Then, in the story JUST FOR PATRONS, Eli recounts Max's absolutely adorable preschool graduation ceremony. Will there be a 4-year old valedictorian who isn't afraid of calling out racial injustice like at Finn's high school graduation? How far away did Eli have to park? Only patrons can seek these answers.
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DOD207: THE BOYS ARE BACK IN TOWN
We've got a very focused topic today because our dear Tom has some huge non-neck related news to share! It's like the 2nd or 3rd good news Tom has ever had!
Then in the patron only story, Eli shares an emotional story about Max's birthday party.
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DOD206: Is Parenting Joyful?
Oh boy, this is a big and important conversation all sparked by a listener email. That's right - you can launch incredible conversations like this one by sending your questions to our email (see below)! Today, the dads talk joy/lack of joy in parenting, and understanding that "just" loving our kids is not usually enough to fix when our kids go through something tough. Lots of real talk in this one; don't miss it!
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DOD205: Why Do Men Think They Can Fight Every Wild Animal?!
Another day, another wild animal that men think they can beat up. The dads discuss the latest trending animal fight - man v. gorilla...and spend a lot of time making monkey noises. Be sure and stay to hear all of those outtakes at the end!
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DOD204: A Poopy Pants Mother's Day
Attention all poopy pants boys, it was Mother's Day somewhat recently and the dads have stories to tell. Also Eli had another dad snuggle trip but this time it was more intimate. Maybe too intimate.
DOD203: Tom Is Gen X but His Neck Is From the Lost Generation
We all know Tom is old as shit. But did we know just how old? No. He's so old we're not sure they have a generation name for him. How does the generation we were born into shape our lives and perceptions?
DOD202: Does Society Tell Boys They're Bad?
A viral tweet made its way into the Dads Facebook group, so the dudes bring it onto the show to discuss. How hard is it to be a boy these days, and are folks like Andrew Tate successful just because they're swooping in to offer a different message than "boys are bad"?
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DOD201: Would You Let Your Kid Be a YouTuber?
The dads answer a listener email - what should you do if your kid's friends have a YouTube channel and you're worried they might put your kid in some of their videos?
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DOD200: We Absolutely Did Not Realize It Was Episode 200! WOOOO!
The dads discuss dieting with or without your partner. Is it ok to eat bad crap in front of them? Also GLP-1s.
Oh also sorry this was late, the Smith household got COVID and it suuuuuucks
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DOD199: The Smiths Take Manhattan
Thomas has returned from a family "vacation" to New York City, which was simultaneously wonderful and insane. Also, Eli aka Mary Poppins aka Mrs. Doubtfire aka Pilsbury Doughboy (???) watched ALL of the Smith children one night and has stories to share.
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DOD198: The (Worst) Humans of New York
A shocking Humans of New York profile sparked today's episode. Don't want to say much more and spoil it. Each sentence was more insane than the last. These people walk among us and, indeed, outnumber us.
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DOD197: Loyalty Testers - Are the Monoggos ok?
All of the dads are back to chat about a concept called loyalty testers, what that means for the relationships that are being "tested", and what it says about the partner that employs the tester, the partner that is being tested, and the individual that does the testing. There's apparently an entire industry around this really terrible idea.
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This c...
DOD196: Breaking the Pattern
We're a dad down this episode, but that doesn't stop us from having a really thoughtful discussion sparked by a listener email. The dad duo touch on learning to parent better than how they were parented, and share vulnerabilities about how they still might be messing up.
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DOD195: Representation Matters
The dads (yes, all of them - Eli FINALLY got his act together to join for an episode) got an interesting listener email about representation in media, and how it has come a long way but also has far to go. They discuss the successes and missteps in specific shows, and discover some surprising media consumption facts about several of the hosts!
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DOD194: Men Should Be Dangerous, According to Noted Badass Jordan Peterson
Eli is out this week, but the Toms discuss a clip from Jordan Peterson with John Stossel, opining on the importance of men being...dangerous?! What in the world is he talking about?! Stossel should just stick with the mustaches.
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DOD193: A Thirst Trap Trap
The dads tackle a couple of listener questions about sharing bad or weird behavior of a loved one's partner, and managing taking care of yourself and your relationship while being full-time parents and full-time employees with barely enough hours leftover in the day to sleep. But first - some ranting about Elon Musk and how much he SUCKS.
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DOD192: Funding Your Kid's "Lifestyle"
Tom brings a story from someone at work with adult children who...stilly really rely on their parents. The dads discuss their upbringing in this respect, and how they're approaching that support structure - housing, finances, etc. - with their kiddos. But first! A vasectomy update!
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DOD191: This Is Your Parents on Drugs
After probably the WILDEST intro in Dear Old Dads' history, the dudes answer a listener email about recreational drug usage after becoming a dad, and provide advice to another listener wanting to provide for their partner more financial and social independence.
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DOD190: Anatomy of a Not Cash Money Experience
Content Note: This episode includes discussion of sexual assault and issues of consent in intimate experiences.
Thomas's friend recently had a "not cash money" experience with a date, and the dads discuss consent when someone changes their mind over the course of the evening, the societal failure to support vulnerability when reflecting on your own missteps in those "gray" situations, and whether or not it's tough to evaluate enthusiasm with a potential intimate partner.
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DOD189: Pushing for a Push Present
We've got an Am I the Asshole (AITH) post this week that made the dads (and the whole internet) laugh a hearty chuckle. It's more like a This Guy Is The Asshole (TGITA). But then, two of the dads are revealed to be poopy pantses. Only one dad's pants are clean. But whose? Find out.
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DOD188: Mind the Age Gap
We got a listener email that Eli wants Tom to read us on the air for the first time. There's a detail in it that completely isn't the point, but is absolutely the point.
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DOD187: Sleepovers!
Phoebe had her first sleepover. The dads talk about that, what their rules are around sleepovers, and at what age they let their kids go on them. Spoiler: for Tom it's the age of 93!
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DOD186: Who Can Fix the Men?
Content Note: This episode includes some discussion of the treatment of marginalized communities under the Trump administration.
After reading a post from Reddit, the dads dive into a deep discussion on how men can change men's minds (and if we should even bother) regarding masculinity, the patriarchy, feminism, and politics. Have we already lost to the red-pilled man-o-sphere, or can we still reach people? I think we might have a three bears situation on our hands!
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DOD185: "My Partner Won't Get Help and I Feel Stuck..."
The dads do their best to help a listener with a tough marriage/parenting problem. Their partner behaves terribly both with them and with the kids, but blames it on self-diagnosed mental health issues. Where is the line between accommodating and being taken advantage of?
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DOD184: Justin Baldoni's TED Talk, Part 2
Part 2 of 2.
The Dads take on the rest of Justin Baldoni's TED Talk. This takes some WILD turns, and you're going to want to listen for Eli's mental breakdown.
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DOD183: We Watched Justin Baldoni's TED Talk...
Part 1 of 2.
Now that he has been outed as a crap and a fake feminist, we wanted to watch Justin Baldoni's TED Talk from 2017 out of morbid curiosity and/or to see if maybe he had made any good points. So was this foreseeable? How would we have looked at this TED talk at the time, not knowing anything about him?
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DOD182: But Will Gentle Parenting Leave My Kid Unprepared?
Eli shares TikTok contraband to kick off a discussion on gentle parenting's applicability beyond childhood, and the balance between what Eli refers to as the "musts" and the "oughts".
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January 2025 Bonus!
Due to a clerical error, the dads recorded a normal episode instead of a monthly bonus. So... everyone gets the bonus!!! It is brought to you by a listicle from Upworthy. The dads go through the 17-item list of Advice that Teens (allegedly) Aren't Ready to Hear. In the patron-only bonus, Eli recounts a truly insane encounter in his neighborhood. Like for real, you cannot miss this one.
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DOD181: Let's Talk about Neil Gaiman...
Recently, disturbing allegations of abuse by Neil Gaiman were reported on by Vulture. The dudes discuss the issues involved, from kink and the porn industry to relationships with fans to scientology...? In our bonus story (exclusively for patrons!), Eli takes us through an experience he had with that is AN EMOTIONAL JOURNEY. You won't want to miss it!
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DOD180: Do Men Have a Duty To Protect?
The dads gather to chat about expectations of men in potentially dangerous situations, and whether or not it reflects on your "manliness" if you leave the conflict to your girlfriend to handle. The dads agree that it makes you a bad partner and person, but does it mean you're less of a man too? Also, patrons hear some breaking news that is freaking the guys out a bit.
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DOD179: Just in it for the Money
After some talk about playing the lottery, the dads discuss marrying for looks and marrying for money. Also, is Tom capable of dying? Thomas and Eli have a comprehensive debate.
You reallllly don't want to miss the Patreon extended edition of this one in which Eli accidentally reveals the extent of his ignorance of how any technology works.
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DOD178: I Think You Gave Me the Wrong Kid
Thomas brings us an impossible conundrum that was shared in an article recently: two couples were undergoing IVF, their samples were mixed up, and they unknowingly gave birth to the other's baby. Would you let your genetic offspring go and continue your family with the baby you've already been raising and loving for a year, or would you want to reunite with your biological child?
But the question Lydia knows you've all been waiting for...did the dads remember to rip into it this week?
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DOD177: Don’t Punish the Behavior You Want to See
The Toms would like to talk about some of the greatest parenting advice they ever saw. And it's a meme. Or like, a tweet or something. But it's that good.
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DOD176: Someone Named “Tom” Is Here and Says He Used to Be On the Podcast?
No idea if we're being scammed or not but assuming it's real, he's got a lot to tell us about his horrific Christmas.
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DOD175: What If Our Kids Don't Want Kids?
Lydia joins Thomas and Eli to talk about a recent NYT article about the hidden grief of not becoming a grandparent. How would we feel if our children decided they didn't want kids?
(Fingers crossed, this should hopefully be the last of the no-Tom episodes!)
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DOD174: Bad Mojo Dojo
Lydia and Heath are with us as we tackle a listener question about a situation regarding their child's karate class, and we discuss what makes a coach good or bad. We're releasing the patron version for everyone because the bonus story just needs to be heard. It features t
And yes, the audio still sucks since this was the same recording session. Last one!
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DOD173: Free-Range Parenting - Good Idea? Or Eli's Nightmare. Or Both.
We were not able to locate the actor who normally plays Tom so in this episode he has been replaced by the combined forces of Lydia Smith and Heath Enright. The 4 of us discuss an article about a free-range parenting experiment.
Note: I (Thomas) made a blunder in the recording of this podcast and had to use backup audio which combines Lydia and I. As a result, the quality is a little sub-optimal to a degree that may even be noticeable to normal human people. I could apologize, but no one is more upset about it than...
DOD172: The Bad Influence Friend
Eli had an interesting situation come up with Max involving another kid being potentially a bad influence. What should we do in this situation? And then he realizes he has never told us his infamous "Pot Party" story...
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DOD171: Crashing Your Ex's Vacation
Tom shares a post from Reddit's Am I the Asshole and the dads debate the asshole-ranking of all of the characters involved.
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