Grab Your Brackets! March Dadness Is Here

Summary

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All Pro Dad Podcast – Episode Summary

Episode Title: Grab Your Brackets! March Dadness Is Here
Date: March 17, 2025
Host: Ted Lowe
Co-Hosts: Bobby Lewis, BJ Foster
Theme: March Dadness – Bracket-Style Tournament of Most Popular All Pro Dad Episodes

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Main Theme and Purpose

This special episode of the All Pro Dad Podcast celebrates "March Dadness"—a playful, bracket-style competition among the 32 most-downloaded episodes of the past year. Modeled after the NCAA basketball tournament, the hosts pit episodes against each other, using listener downloads to determine the winners. With humor and honest reflection, the co-hosts reminisce about the topics and stories that resonated most with dads. The purpose is to highlight relatable parenting struggles and victories, using the bracket to spark laughter and discussion while underscoring the podcast’s mission: helping dads navigate their toughest parenting questions.

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Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. The Bracket Setup (00:46–03:41)

• The episode uses a March Madness-style bracket to rank the year's most popular podcast episodes, based on download numbers.
• Bobby: “You fill out brackets…cheering for these schools you’ve never heard of…what if we did a bracket to sift through the most popular All Pro Dad Podcast episodes?” (00:46)
• Each host filled out their own bracket; listeners are invited to play along using one in the show notes.

2. First Round Matchups and Surprises (03:41–17:55)

• The bracket introduces matchups between pairs of episodes, often revealing surprising results about what dads are most interested in.
• Notable Matchups:
  • Avoiding Parenting to Please Others vs. Fun Christmas Activities
  • How Does My Inner Critic Affect Me vs. How Can I Have Free Fun with My Kids?
  • How to Raise a Non-Judgmental Child vs. Billy Napier (Florida Gators Head Coach) Interview
  • Small Moves to Improve Your Marriage vs. Remember What Your Dad Did Right
• The hosts express surprise over “avoid parenting to please others” beating out more seasonal or celebrity-driven topics.

3. Reflecting on Notable Episodes (Throughout)

• Episodes with experts and sports figures (Billy Napier, Tony Dungy, Colt McCoy, Dan Orlovsky) are discussed, with the hosts reminiscing about memorable advice and impactful quotes.
• Bobby (on Dan Orlovsky’s parenting in sports episode): “One of the quotes I loved was, ‘I don’t care how you did. I care how you did it.’” (08:00)
• Ted (on Tony Dungy): “He was just at the Super Bowl with his kids, walking around…he is the most calming presence I have ever been in my life.” (14:29)

4. Listener Priorities and Surprises

• The bracket’s results highlight what topics dads are instinctively drawn to; practical advice and relatable struggles often outperformed celebrity interviews or specific age-group issues.
• Bobby: “Episodes on raising sons/daughters or handling specific challenges were just consistently downloaded more than big-name guests.” (10:05–10:33)
• Anxiety, handling anger, and “is it selfish to have ‘me time’ as a dad?” all feature as hot-button topics.

5. Humor, Vulnerability, and the Joys/Pitfalls of Bracketology

• The hosts take frequent jabs at each other for “bracket failures,” commiserating over surprise upsets and sharing personal stories.
• BJ: “Every year…I have tremendous hope when I start filling [my bracket] out. And by the end, I feel terrible. And this is no different.” (02:05)
• Bobby (after another incorrect guess): “Judge people, judge people.” (21:24)
• Classic parenting blunders and anxieties are recounted (e.g., BJ’s infamous “poopy diaper on the airplane” story at 26:43).

6. Emerging Finalists and The Dad Mindset

• As the bracket narrows, practical and emotionally resonant topics dominate:
  • How Can I Avoid Parenting to Please Others?
  • Seven Things a Son Needs from His Dad
  • Bad Habits Dads Need to Stop
  • What Are the Words My Kids Long to Hear?
• The co-hosts notice both “aha” and “oh no” moments as personal favorites get knocked out.
• Ted: “We constantly question ourselves…every episode we do is based on a question because we think that—we’re questioning ourselves, we want to do it well.” (32:43)

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• BJ (about March Madness): “Every year…I have tremendous hope when I start filling it out. And by the end, I feel terrible. And this is no different.” (02:05)
• Bobby (on youth sports parenting): “I don’t care how you did. I care how you did it.” (08:00)
• Ted (on Tony Dungy): “He was just at the Super Bowl with his kids, walking around…he is the most calming presence I have ever been in my life.” (14:29)
• BJ (classic dad anxiety story): “…my son is 16 now, and I guarantee on a plane, I’ll turn to him and be like, ‘Do not crap your pants. Do not throw a fit.’” (26:53)
• Bobby (reflecting on why ‘pleasing others’ won): “If we start parenting to please…instead of doing what you think is important for your family, you might start making decisions that are not in line with your values.” (28:53)
• BJ (after the bracket “champion” is revealed): “It just doesn’t seem like an interesting topic at all…It was a terrible podcast and I listened to it!” (31:57, jokingly)
• Ted (on trusting your instincts as a dad): “Trust yourselves more than maybe you do. Don’t question yourself quite as much…God gives dads kids wired that fit them, and I think dads should appreciate that wiring and trust yourself more.” (32:18)

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Bracket Highlights (Timestamps for Notable Segments)

• Bracket Introduction and Format: 00:46–03:41
• Reflections on Top Guest Episodes: 05:42–08:00 (Tony Dungy, Billy Napier, Dan Orlovsky)
• Sweet 16 Surprises & Parenting Pressure: 18:21–19:41 (pleasing others v. free fun)
• Classic All Pro Dad Storytelling:
  • “Poopy diaper on the airplane” – 26:43
  • “My son taught himself to tell time to catch me for me time” – 16:13
• Final Four & The Big Reveal:
  • Finalists discussed – 29:39–31:39
  • Winner revealed (“How can I avoid parenting to please others?”) – 31:33–31:40
  • Reflection on what this means for dads – 32:18–32:43

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Key Takeaways and “Pro Moves”

• Pressure to Please Others: The most downloaded episode was about resisting the urge to parent for others’ approval—emphasizing that dads everywhere feel judged and seek validation that it’s okay to parent by their own values.
• Desire for Practical Guidance: Dads crave straightforward ideas (“the 7 things your son or daughter needs”; the right words to say; habits to drop and pick up).
• Connection Trumps Celebrity: While big-name guests are great, the episodes listeners returned to most were deeply practical, relatable, or gave direct steps to love kids well.
• Humor and Humility Matter: No one gets parenting “brackets” perfect—but being open, vulnerable, and ready to learn (and even laugh at yourself) matters most.

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Listen to the All Pro Dad Podcast for weekly encouragement and practical strategies for dads at every stage.

Transcript

[A]

As dads, some days we feel like we have all the answers, and some days we feel like we don't have a clue. If that describes you, you're at the right place. This is the All Pro Dad Podcast. Hey, welcome to the All Pro Dad Podcast, where each week we take a look at just one question. We talk about what the experts say, what we've gotten wrong, mostly occasionally, what we've gotten right. And we leave you with one simple, easy, but powerful pro move. I'm your host, Ted Lowe, and today I'm excited. I am joined by my co host, Mr. Bobby Lewis.

[B]

Hey, man, what's going on?

[A]

Mr. BJ Foster. Hey, there. Glad you guys are here. I'm excited. This episode's a little bit different today. And Bobby, this was your idea when you came up with it. I thought, this is a lot of fun.

[B]

I love college basketball. I don't know about you guys. I think the best sports day of the year is the first day of the NCAA tournament because it's just kind of this neat thing. You fill out brackets. You're like, I've never heard of Saint Bonaventure, but go team. You know, you're like cheering for these schools. You've never heard of these players because it's just passion. It's fun. And I thought, what if we did a bracket to kind of sift through what the most popular All Pro Dad Podcast episodes have been this year? Let's make it fun. And so that's what we're gonna do today.

[A]

I love it. So we're calling it March Dadness. March Dadness. So our producers did this incredible thing where she's created a bracket for us. And if you guys wanna play along at home, we suggest you pause this and go to your show notes. There you will find your very own bracket. And we're gon take a look at 32 of the top episodes so far. And we don't know. We don't know the results. We have not seen any of the analytics on this, and we've each filled out our bracket. And again, we would love for you to play along so you can pause and go play along as well.

[B]

And we're defining top episodes as which ones received the most downloads. So not necessarily which one was the most impactful to you personally, but which one had the most people listening. And it's about the top half because we're around 60 or so episodes now. So we're. We're talking the top half of all episodes for All Pro Dad.

[C]

All right, can I just Tell you, every year, I do a bracket, and just like you, Bobby, like March Madness Day one is like Christmas day today. And every year, I fill out a bracket, and I have tremendous hope when I start filling it out. And by the end, I feel terrible. And this is no different.

[B]

Halfway through the first day, you're like, oh, terrible.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

Yeah. Well, it's fun, though. You know, what's funny is, in a previous career, I was a sports reporter, and so I covered the NCAA tournament, and I would, you know, go to these opening round games, and it's just so fun. Like, the crowd is unlike any other sporting event. I've been to NFL games, you know, Final Four games, Major League Baseball and NHL, all these different things, but there's something different about, like, just the passion of college basketball. And so sitting in the arena is just kind of neat. You're just. You find yourself, like, wanting to hug the guy next to you. You have no idea. You'll never see the guy again. You're like, I. I love your team, man. It's just. It's so fun.

[A]

It's just like being in the stands, your kids, soccer games, you're with a guy. No, it's not anything like that. Well, that note, we are excited. Here's what's the. What's the stakes here of who wins today between the three of us?

[B]

I'm actually just curious to see which episodes people love the most. I am, too, because I have my favorites that we've done, and maybe my favorite was because it touched on a personal story from my life. Or maybe this episode was just really fun, but I'm just curious to see which ones people downloaded the most.

[A]

I love that.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Okay, so this takes us to the question of the week. Which is which? All Pro dad podcast episode was the most popular, according to the audience download.

[B]

We're going to run through these. We're going to start with 32. Pare it down to 16. 8. 4. Just like a regular basketball tournament. It's going to be fun. So you guys got your brackets, got the brackets, I got mine. Here's our first matchup. You ready? How can I avoid parenting to please others against what are fun Christmas activities with my kids? Which one do you think was more highly downloaded?

[C]

I have Christmas activities.

[A]

I have. How can we avoid parenting to please others?

[B]

Ted's right. Pleasing others was more popular than Christmas activities.

[C]

It's always eerily familiar to all of my.

[B]

March Madness started off on the wrong foot already. All right, here we go. We got another one.

[C]

Saint Bonaventure over Kentucky.

[B]

Yeah, Kentucky beats you again. There you go. All right, here's this one. How does my inner critic affect me as a dad versus how can I have free fun with my kids?

[C]

I have free fun.

[A]

I have inner critic.

[B]

Okay, you guys disagree again. But free fun wins. All those cheap kids out there, a bunch of frugal dads wanting to have some free fun.

[A]

That's how I feel.

[B]

Okay, here we go. How do I realistically help my kids believe in themselves? That was fun because we talked about, you know, how many dads are, you know, thinking their kids are going to be pro athletes. And it was like something like 40% of dads. Yeah. Like in the stands, like my kids going to the NBA, you know? So we got that one against. What do I wish I had known sooner as a dad? Which one do you think was more popular?

[C]

Well, you go first. This one.

[A]

Realistically, how do we help our kids realistically?

[B]

Yeah, that was it.

[A]

Yeah. Was that it?

[B]

Yeah, that was more popular, which surprised me a little bit.

[C]

We didn't get what BJ said the opposite.

[A]

You were wrong again.

[B]

Stop picking those 12 seeds. I understand. I think that was interesting because what do I wish I'd known sooner as a dad? I kind of find that to be an interesting episode because I think we all are introspective as dads and we all learn as we go along. I thought that was a good one.

[C]

I agree.

[B]

I know.

[A]

I so wanted to go back to myself for years and go, buddy, let's sit down. Let's try again.

[B]

It was a good episode. It just wasn't as popular as the other ones.

[C]

Which one? What was the one?

[B]

What do I wish I had known sooner as a dad? It's a good episode. Go check it out if you haven't heard that one. All right, next up, how is your phone use affecting your kid? That was the RO episode with Joey Odom. Super interesting. And then what are some good habits? Dads need to start.

[C]

I had good habits on that one.

[A]

I don't know. What did I have? Oh, you know what I had? We agreed I had good habits.

[B]

Good habits. You guys went with good habits. And you are both correct. Good habits. Which surprised me because the one with Joey Odom was fascinating.

[A]

It was my favorite episode. Or top two. Three, for sure. If you have not listened to that, we'll put in the show notes.

[B]

Well, and what's cool about a lot of these is when we talk about which one is the most popular. It's simple downloads. It doesn't mean, it's the most impactful for you. So someone who has a kid who's 4 is probably not gonna be listening to the smartphone episode with Joey Odom, but someone who's got a kid who's 16 may be really interested in that one. So it doesn't necessarily mean that Joey Odom's or the other episodes that didn't win weren't interesting. It's just different phases of life. I would recommend that one because I've got a kid who's kind of in that phase of life now, wants to do the texting, wants to do the FaceTime calls. That one with Joey is great. But the winner was Good habits. I like that. Moving on. How can raise a non judgmental child versus the episode with Billy Napier, head coach of the Florida Gators football team?

[A]

I went with Billy Napier.

[B]

Billy.

[C]

That was a hard one. I went with. I went with a non judgmental on that one.

[B]

Non judgmental one. Yeah. No offense to Billy, but non judgmental was more popular that particular day. And Billy's was great. This was another good one. We had a lot of influencers on the podcast this year. We mentioned Billy. Also Tony Dungy. We're going to talk about him. Colt McCoy, NFL quarterback and also Dan Orlovsky of ESPN. He's spokesman for All Pro dad, writes a lot of articles for us. He was on the podcast talking about how dads should behave in the bleachers. That episode is up against how can I stop labeling my kids?

[C]

I went with Orlovsky on this one. I just think he's so popular.

[A]

I do too. And I think everybody ought to be required to listen to this. That has kids that if you're a dad in the stands. This was one of the most powerful episodes because we've all seen dads losing their mind. And so this was such a great.

[B]

I've thought back to that episode multiple times because my son plays youth sports. He plays hockey. And one of the quotes from Dan in that episode I loved was, I don't care how you did. I care how you did it. And I haven't forgotten that. And so I've incorporated that into my own parenting conversations. And yet that one didn't win. It was the labeling. The labeling episode was more popular. So we all lost. That was fun.

[C]

Which wasn't that based on one of your articles?

[B]

10?

[A]

Well, as a matter of fact.

[B]

Way to go. Ted Low.

[A]

Nice.

[B]

I love that.

[A]

Not one of your 7,000?

[C]

No, please.

[A]

How many articles have you written? B.J.

[C]

a good amount.

[A]

You write really Good. Next time. I ask you that each time. Next time. We need a number.

[B]

Yeah. 40 articles a week for 10 years. That's right. Something like that. Okay. All right. What's the key to raising a happy kid up against? How to. How can dads build healthy habits?

[A]

Said raising happy kids.

[C]

Happy kid.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

Dads don't want to be healthy. Dads want to eat junk food and hang out and watch football. Yeah.

[C]

According to that episode, they're not healthy.

[A]

They're not healthy. And you can't raise happy kids if you're grouchy not eating the food you want.

[C]

Right.

[A]

So let's go straight to happy kids.

[B]

We're going strong so far. Only a couple of upsets at this point. Next matchup. How can I stop being so controlling? Ooh, tension. And what are seven things a daughter needs from her dad? Daughter, daughter, daughter. That one was absolutely the winner. There's something about that relationship that is just different. And that. That was a good episode. We did another one about sons and dads, but this one, hands down, was more popular than be controlling. Dads love to be controlling, apparently. All right, let's. We'll flip to the other side of the round of 32 bracket. We're on the other side of the bracket on the right side now. And I just mentioned it. What are the seven things that sons need from dads up against? What do I do when I get angry with my kids?

[C]

To me, anger is such a big thing with dads, and so I went with anger, but I am kind of regretting.

[A]

Yeah. And I went with seven things for sons, and I'm kind of regretting that because of the whole anger thing.

[B]

Well, the son's article or not article. The son's podcast was more popular, and here's why I think it was. And the same thing with the daughters. The articles that we have on Allprodad.com, which kind of inspired those two podcast discussions, are some of the most popular articles that have ever been written in all pro dad in 30 years. The articles about what does a daughter need from her dad and what does a son need from her dad? Are far and away high performing. You know, you see that the content stuff, people really resonate with that. So it doesn't surprise me that the podcast.

[C]

That was a really tough matchup, by the way. That was a. That was a really hard one for me to choose.

[B]

What made this fair is we just randomized. We found the top 32 in terms of downloads and then randomly seeded them just to avoid any kind of funny business with the brackets, which happens sometimes. You know, Kentucky ends up getting the easy route every year. Is that how it works?

[A]

It is.

[C]

They lose every year.

[B]

Okay, well, that bad.

[A]

We love you.

[B]

Sorry, Kentucky.

[C]

They know.

[B]

That's right. All right, here we go. How do we overcome challenges in our marriage, the first marriage one that we've talked about? And how can I help my anxious kid?

[A]

I did the marriage one.

[B]

Okay.

[C]

I went with anxiety because I I. Anxiety is such a hot topic.

[B]

It is. Anxiety is such a big one. And that was more popular than the marriage one. No offense to marriages out there, but the anxious topic really grabbed dad's attention.

[C]

I'm not surprised you picked marriage, though.

[A]

You're a marriage guy. Well, priorities. Yeah.

[B]

Yeah. Well, marriage is not going well. Your kids get anxious. So maybe. Maybe that's all connected.

[A]

We need to have a dual episode there.

[B]

All right, so next matchup, what are three lies men believe versus what are the things my kids secretly wish I knew,

[A]

Secretly wish I knew, Secretly wish I knew.

[B]

I can see why your brackets trash every year. Bj, you've gotten wrong again.

[C]

Everything is wrong.

[B]

Gosh, three lies men believe was more popular. Yeah, that was a good one.

[C]

I'm really starting to question my whole being involved in any kind of.

[B]

You know, it's funny, we actually, in the fall during the NFL season, through family first year, we kind of do NFL pick them, and we go through and we kind of pick, oh, who's going to win this match and who's winning this matchup. And there are some women in the office who get quite a few of them right by basically picking mascots against mascots. And that maybe would have been a good strategy, Odds are about to say, and it works out every, every time. All right, next matchup, how do I parent in a social media world? And then what are the words my kids long to hear?

[C]

Words.

[A]

Words.

[B]

See, I picked social media because social media just scares the crap out of me when it comes to children. And so I'm like, maybe dads are like me. Maybe they're like, TikTok is. Is evil. And we'll want to listen to that. But I was wrong and you guys were right. Words, kids. Like, nice job.

[A]

Wait, do that one more time. Bj, that was, like, afraid and funny, all this.

[B]

This was based on an article that I think you wrote as well. Bj, what are the words my kids long to hear? And that. That was a very popular and I

[A]

think for dads, too, just working with marriage for a long time and even working with dads, I think dads, a lot of times they'll say, I will do what you tell me to do. Just tell me what. I don't need you to live up in the clouds. I just want you to tell me what to do. And I think that's why that one resonated so much, is dads have good hearts, but sometimes they have bad habits and they want to have better habits. And so that one, I think they were like, okay, what are the words that they long to hear?

[B]

And I think the truth of it is, you know, this particular title. What are the words my kids long to hear? Long is the word I circle in this one. They really want to connect with dad. They really want to have those deep conversations. Sometimes they don't even know how to approach the topic. They don't know how to, like, prompt the conversation. So if we can learn as dads what kids want to hear from us. Yeah, it's better off. We can. We can go to them. We can start the conversation, which is really good. All right, a couple more in the round of 32. What small moves can improve your marriage? That was a good one. And why is it important to remember what your dad did? Right.

[A]

I definitely went with marriage once again. I wanted to win.

[B]

I wanted marriage to succeed.

[C]

I did the small moves as well.

[B]

Marriage.

[C]

Yeah.

[B]

Hey, we got a marriage winner. Very good. All right, Tony Dungy's episode. Tony did a couple with us, but Tony's episode is work life balance even possible. Mark Merrill was on that as well. That was a really, really interesting episode. Tony talked about how people were just stunned to see him walking around with his family the weekend of the Super Bowl. He was just at the. The super bowl event with his kids, walking around.

[C]

The one he was coaching.

[B]

The one he was coaching? Yeah.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

Like, the next day, he was coaching the super bowl, and he's walking around with his kids, and people are like, why is he here? And he' it's family night. You know, I called my wife after

[A]

that episode, and I said, he's like sitting next to a Valium. It is the most calming presence I have ever been in my life. He shares a story about how his. He was making a smoothie, and he's got his hand down in there, and one of his. He has a lot of kids, right? Pushes the on button to the blender, and he goes. And I just remember my dad when I hooked him in the air with, you know, a fishing line, and he was so calm. So I said, buddy, let's not do that again. If my kid pushes a button, the amygdala is going to fire. That's all I get. But he was so great, and it was just his presence on and off the field is just something to be.

[B]

He's just incredible wealth of knowledge when it comes to parenting, when it comes to marriage. Really solid guy. And he was up against what are dad's biggest fears? So which one of those two we had Tony. And we had. What are dad's biggest fears? Which do you think was better?

[C]

That's a hard one. I always love hearing from Tony. I'm gonna go with fears. I just kind of think that jumps out to dads.

[A]

Tony.

[B]

BJ's right.

[C]

It was fears.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

And that's not to say that Tony wasn't interested. He was a fascinating discussion, but I do think there's something about fears that dads really want to play into that. So two more matchups here. Is it selfish for me to have me time? I was on this one, and I remember talking about how it's hard to find time for yourself as a d. That was an interesting conversation. Up against Colt McCoy, who was talking about having a game plan for your family.

[A]

I voted for.

[B]

For Colt.

[A]

Anybody that will be on a podcast interview with his hat around backwards, I'm voting for that guy. Like, what age is it that you go? You can't pull that off. So let's think we're.

[C]

I'm gonna go.

[B]

I still wear it. I still wear the backwards hat.

[A]

Yeah, Yeah, I think you can pull that off. I don't think I can pull it off.

[C]

If Colt wasn't wearing that Texas shirt, I might have gone that way, but he wore that Texas shirt. It was an easy decision for me time.

[B]

Mr. Sooner chose me time. And you were correct. It was me time. Me time as a dad was a very popular episode, and I think that makes sense because as a dad, you have a finite amount of time, and you do have things that you want to do for yourself. You have your own hobbies, but that butts up against what do your kids want to do? My son, like I've shared on the podcast, he taught himself how to tell time. So he knew when I was done working for the day, and I was like, well, that stinks. I was kind of banking on the fact that I could squeeze in 10 minutes of me time.

[A]

I wonder if we have stats on the one forward, mostly to wives. I bet you this is the one. Is it okay for me have me time? They said yes.

[B]

Yeah, yeah, yeah, sweetie. I Think this is something you should listen to. This is a wonderful episode of All Pro Dads podcast. Yeah. All right, last matchup of the first round here. I want to see what you guys say about this. How do I know when to correct my kid? And what are some bad habits dads need to stop?

[A]

Bad habits.

[C]

Bad habits.

[B]

Yep.

[A]

Yep.

[B]

Bad habits. Absolutely. We. We have a lot of them, and they kind of build up over time. Normally, we don't start off with the. Just the, you know, lazy dad or whatever the habit is for you specifically. But they build and they accumulate, and if you're not paying attention, you drifted further than you mean it to. And so, you know, that's something that I think resonated with a lot of dads. So we're in Sweet 16 now. How's your bracket looking?

[A]

Terrible.

[B]

Terrible. It's very much like the first day of garbage.

[C]

It's all over.

[B]

Well, we'll redeem ourselves now next year. Well, let's start here in the sweet 16, and we'll see what you guys like between these matchups. And they may not be on your sheet because you may have gotten some wrong, but I'll read off the master sheet here. All right. How can I avoid parenting to please others? And how can I have free fun with my kids? Which one do you think was more popular?

[C]

Free fun.

[A]

Free fun.

[B]

No.

[C]

Geez.

[B]

Please others. How can I avoid parenting to please others? I remember this one. I was in that episode as well, and I told a story about how a guy yelled at me because I grabbed my daughter's arm as she was walking towards a busy road. She's like three at the time, and she was not paying attention like little kids do, just towards traffic. And I reached out and I grabbed her arm, and I said, sweetie, no, no, don't. You can't do that. And some random guy I'd never met before walked up and said, I just need you to know you grabbed her arm a little too hard. I was like, buddy, she was walking towards the street. You know, it was interesting. Had I been more concerned with pleasing this stranger, would my daughter have walked in the road, you know, if I wasn't as alert and forceful? That was a fun fact.

[C]

And then Bobby took the kids, the guy's dog, and threw it out in the street and said, let's see what you do about it, everybody.

[A]

That went really dark, really quick. I did.

[B]

I walked to. I wanted to.

[C]

If that guy's little dog was started to sprint toward the street, I think he'd probably grab it. By the collar.

[B]

So leash your kids. Is that what you're telling me? Leash your kids.

[A]

Thanks for. We actually are going to talk about that on another episode, leashing your kids, which I'm a firm believer in.

[B]

Yeah, yeah. The shorter the better. All right, all right. Here's another Sweet 16 matchup. How do I realistically help my kids believe in themselves versus good habits for dads?

[C]

Habits, Habits.

[B]

Yeah. Good habits for dads. That was a good one. And I think the realistically believe in myself was a good conversation. But I think dads who are especially dads listening to the All Pro dad podcast, they want to be their best for their families. They want to be good dads. They want to be good husbands in the marriage episodes. And so it doesn't surprise me that if you're listening to the All Pro dad podcast, you want to be the best dad you can be. And so you're looking for those good habits. Right. So that's a good episode to check out if you haven't heard it. All right, next matchup. How can I raise a non judgmental child? And how can I stop labeling my kids?

[C]

Oh, geez.

[A]

Where are we?

[C]

I had.

[B]

We're right here.

[C]

I would say how can non judgmental versus what?

[B]

So Ted's looking at his bracket. Where are we? That's because you got both the first round matchups wrong.

[A]

That's why I'm Stop looking at my.

[B]

Don't look at that one. That one's garbage.

[C]

It was non judgmental versus labeling your kids. Labeling, labeling.

[A]

I'm going to jump out there with non judgmental Ted for the win.

[B]

How can I raise a non judgmental child? BJ's getting like, I love bracket PTSD over here. You know what?

[C]

You know what? I'm glad I'm here because you guys are doing the wrong thing and I'm here to explain to you how to do it right.

[B]

No, it's not even right and wrong. It's just these are topics that resonated with dads more profoundly. And I don't know, maybe dads really do value not having a judgmental child.

[A]

Well, I love that just given the climate of what's going on and people. I mean, it's so polarized. People are very judgmental. Like, and I love that dads are going, hey, is they're striking some kind of balance with this.

[C]

Well, I'm feeling judged right now.

[B]

Well,

[A]

judge people. Judge people.

[B]

You're bad at guessing. Judge people. Judge people.

[A]

That's funny.

[B]

All right, so this one I'm Curious to see what you have to say because I probably would have gotten this one wrong. What is the key to raising a happy kid? What are the seven things that a daughter needs from her dad?

[A]

I'm gonna go with daughter because I think dads just tell me what to do.

[B]

Yep.

[C]

Happy kid.

[B]

Happy kid. It's the daughter one. And it's basically.

[C]

Let's wrap this episode up.

[B]

Can we be done with this? No, I. I just. It goes back to that article was super popular, so it doesn't surprise me that the podcast was popular. So the Daughters seven, the seven things a daughter needs from her dad was super popular, and that one advanced there. We're going to the other side. The suns. We talk about the suns article. Article. What are the things sons need against? How can I help my anxious kid? This is an interesting one because both of those are really hot button topics.

[A]

What do you think?

[C]

I had anxious, but I'm sure it's the sun one.

[B]

Are you changing your mind because of your track record?

[C]

Yeah, pretty much. Now I'm just figuring that I'm wrong on everyone.

[B]

So your hunch. Go with the opposite.

[C]

That's what you're saying? Go with the opposite.

[A]

I think the anxious one was the episode where I talked about my daughter's panic attacks. And that's the thing. I've personally got the most response for people, but I picked the seven things my son needs instead.

[B]

Yeah, that was more popular than the anxious one, which does surprise me.

[C]

Oh, I'm shocked.

[B]

Well, no, you got it right, bj. You listen to your heart and you switched and you got it right. You went against everything that you believe and now you're correct. So good job.

[C]

I hate this game.

[B]

Hey, there's only a few more, and I think these are good ones. What are the three lies men believe and what are the words my kids long to hear?

[C]

Words is what I had the words.

[B]

Lies. See, we're rounding the corner here. BJ's gotten to that one section of the bracket where he did really well. Like, the other three sections of the bracket are just red ink everywhere. But you're doing great on this side. Way to go. The correct one was what are the words my kids long to hear? More popular than the other one. So now we've got these. What are the dad's biggest fears? So that one, it's first round. Match up against what small moves can improve your marriage. This is our only marriage one on the board.

[A]

I'm gonna go out there with marriage.

[B]

Okay.

[A]

Fears.

[B]

The answer was. Sorry, BJ. Marriage. And I actually find this interesting because we only did a handful of marriage episodes the first year of the All Purdab podcast. And so there's something about this particular marriage, one that made it stand out.

[A]

The small move thing has been huge as I've worked with married couples for a long time. Just what is that small move? I'm very passionate about that because it's not the big vacations, it's not those big ticket items. That was true. Celebrities would have fantastic marriages. So I love it that it is the small moves.

[B]

Yeah. I remember railing against the Bachelor in that episode, saying, the Bachelor is the worst show on TV because it, like, paints this weird picture of, like, Tuesdays are supposed to include helicopter rides with your loved one, you know, or we're gonna ride horses on the beach after lunch on a Thursday. Like, no, that's not what life is. It's the little things here and there, you know?

[A]

But you gotta watch. We never watched that until the Golden Bachelor. There's something about that episode that was. I was like. It was like a train wreck that I had to watch my w. I watch it, like, in a ball. So watch the Golden Bachelor.

[B]

Golden Bachelor. Okay.

[C]

I'll put it older. That's like the 80 or like the 70.

[A]

Yeah. But let me tell you something. Those folks have been worked on, and they have been under the knife. They're looking good, too. They look like. They look young, but just not human. You know what I mean?

[B]

All program paws need love, too. That's for sure. All right, how about this matchup? Is it selfish for me to have me time? This one might have been my favorite of the year. Honestly, against. What are some bad habits. Dads need to stop

[C]

Bad habits.

[A]

Me time.

[B]

You.

[C]

You are going to go with me. You don't even know what I'm doing. You are going to go with bad habits. And then you saw what I chose, and then you switched it.

[B]

Well, this is tricky for us.

[A]

I think you're doing so poorly. Bj, Help me out.

[B]

Well, this. I think it's tricky for us because we've been a part of a lot of these, and so we remember specific conversations that we had. And like, oh, man, that really helped. Whatever Rodney said or whatever Jeremy said or someone else who was on the podcast. Jason had this great story. Like, it sticks in our mind. And we're like, man, that really helped me in some way. And I hope that Dad's listening had a similar impact with these podcast episodes. So when we're listening, we remember specific things. But maybe it just overall wasn't as popular. What one would you like to know?

[A]

Yes.

[B]

Okay. Bad habits. Bad habits. Dads need to stop. There you go.

[C]

Boom. Maybe go with BJ a couple times.

[B]

So we've only got eight left. The eight most popular episodes are left. We're gonna find a champion here soon. Here we go. We're going to guess these. And it's getting harder now because these were all very close. I was looking at the final numbers, and these were. These were highly downloaded. So this Elite eight matchup, how can I avoid parenting to please others versus good habits? Dads need to start

[A]

parenting.

[B]

Go with whatever you think is. Go against what you think is right.

[C]

I know. What did you choose?

[A]

Parenting to please others.

[C]

So, like, I'm leaning towards good habits because I'm like, oh, it's very practical.

[A]

Yeah.

[C]

But I'm. I guarantee it's please others.

[B]

It is.

[C]

Oh, come on. What is the matter with you guys? Why are you guys trying to please others so much?

[B]

This was one of the things that resonated with that.

[C]

I think that was the episode I talked about being on an airplane.

[B]

Yeah, it was. It was your story about changing a poopy diaper in the airplane and everyone wanted to punch you because it smelled horrible.

[C]

Still, I. I'm still scarred from like, even my son is 16 now.

[B]

Yeah.

[C]

And. And I'm going to be on a plane with him on Saturday, and I guarantee, I turn to him and I'm like, do not crap your pants. Do not throw a fit if you're. My son's just like, why would I crap my pants?

[A]

I think that, you know, you get a dollar. I think that would be. Get a dollar play on that. Because I'm telling you that people have mentioned that a lot. Oh, B.J. and the whole poop in the pants.

[B]

It's probably my favorite story of all time.

[A]

It's for sure.

[B]

He's woken up in cold sweats for 15 years over that.

[C]

It's one of the worst things that's ever happen.

[B]

That's why people.

[A]

Easy. Your life has been back to you.

[C]

Oh, my gosh.

[B]

So here's the thing.

[C]

I will walk off this podcast.

[B]

I guarantee somebody listen to that and said, man, this poop story is funny. I'm gonna share it with my wife. And they just shared this thing over and over again. That's why it's so popular.

[A]

That's good.

[B]

All right, another Elite eight matchup here. How can I raise a non judgmental child? And what are the seven things my daughter Needs to hear daughter again.

[C]

I'd go with daughter.

[B]

Yeah, yeah. Daughter.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

So. So there's the matchup in the final four. On that side. How can I avoid parenting to please others? And what are the seven things a daughter needs from her dad? You want to guess now?

[A]

Daughter. Daughter.

[B]

No, dude.

[C]

Come on, guys.

[B]

Nope. On this side. The most popular episode on this side of the bracket was how can I avoid parenting to please others?

[C]

Oh, my gosh.

[B]

Why do you think that's such a popular thing with dads?

[A]

I think it is the constant thing at parties, at baseball games, at in laws, being with. There's all these different people that are speaking into this that have so many opinions. And when your kid acts out a certain way, I think it's tied to our pride. Sometimes I think it's also tied to our fears of, gosh, I don't want my kid to respond this way because if he keeps acting like this, he's going to have no friends. And so I think we are tied. Wanting to figure out how to. How to balance out, wanting the best for our kids and drowning out the noise.

[B]

I remember Jason Hood, who runs the all pro dad chapter program. He was on that episode, and he talked about how kids are in for better or worse. They are kind of a reflection on your parenting. And so if your kid's acting up, people are judging you, or if your kid is not listening, they're judging you. And so, you know, I think that's maybe why that was such an important thing, because if we start parenting to please, you know, Susie's dad or Jimmy's dad, instead of. Of pleasing, you know, or doing what you think is important to your family, then you might start making decisions that are not in line with your values. So that's not surprising to me. It surprises the heck out of bj, but it doesn't surprise me. Good point.

[C]

You guys are coming? Yeah, I'm coming around to it.

[B]

All right. All right, so here we go. We have a lead eight on the other side. Seven things a son needs from his dad and the words kids long to hear. Sons, go with your opposite gut.

[C]

I know. I can't. I got to go with words. I got to go with I got to go with words. Because it's so practical.

[B]

BJ is never going to be on this podcast again. He's going to walk off the set. No. Seven things a son needs to hear from his dad. Yeah, I get that. That's why Small moves in your marriage. So we're got team marriage over here against bad Habits dads need to stop. Is it marriage or bad habits?

[A]

Marriage.

[B]

Yeah.

[C]

Small moves.

[B]

No, it's bad. Bad habits. Bad habits is more popular than. Than the marriage. But I mean, honestly, I think this is. This says something about the topic because this was the only marriage when we had here, and it made it all the way to Elite 8. People really wanted to learn about marriage, and I think that, you know, maybe that means we should start incorporating some more marriage conversations into our all Pro dad podcast rundown, because people clearly want to hear it, you know, so here's your. Your final four matchup. It is the seven things a son needs from dad and the bad habits dads need to stop.

[A]

Seven things. Yeah.

[B]

Seven things a son needs from dad. So the championship round here.

[A]

He didn't let you play that tone.

[C]

I. I'm glad you did not.

[B]

I had a feeling he was going to guess. We. We'll let BJ guess first on the. On the championship guess here. We have to. The most popular All Pro dad podcast episode is between.

[A]

Of all time. Of all time in the history of pro podcast.

[B]

Yep. Okay. All right, here we go. How can I avoid parenting to please others Versus what are the seven things a son needs from his dad had? What was the most popular episode of the year? Bj, Knowing you wrote one of the articles.

[C]

I did not.

[A]

I did. You wrote one. I wrote one. That's what we're down to.

[B]

I think so. Yeah.

[A]

Yeah.

[C]

I did not write. I did not write the Sun.

[B]

You didn't write the sun one?

[C]

No, I did not write the sun one, but I'd go with the sun one.

[A]

I'm gonna go with sun one.

[B]

The most popular episode of all time. How can I avoid parenting to please others?

[C]

Oh, come on.

[A]

What?

[B]

It was. It was the most popular episod episode.

[A]

Wow.

[B]

You're stunned. I can see.

[C]

Yeah, I'm stunned.

[A]

You're the king of content. Why are you having a problem with it? Article?

[C]

I'm not having a problem with it, but here's the different, like, surprising to me that it just doesn't seem like an interesting topic at all.

[B]

It's not that it's a different meaning.

[C]

It was a terrible podcast and I listened to it.

[A]

It was.

[B]

No, it was really interesting, but it points to, like, readers want to read some things, viewers want to watch some things, listeners want to listen to some things. And podcast audience thought that this was the most important thing. So I. I find it fasc. Knitting. Because that's not the one I picked. I did not think that was going to be the most popular one.

[A]

Yeah. I think it speaks to also saying to dads, you know, trust, you know, trust yourselves more than maybe you do. Don't question yourself quite as much. You know, I personally believe that God gives dad's kids wired. That fits them. And so I think dads to appreciate that wiring and to trust yourself more. Because we constantly question ourselves.

[B]

Right.

[A]

Like, in fact, every episode we do is based on a question because we think that we're questioning ourselves, we want to do it well, and we're saying, what? What am I doing? And so I think maybe it speaks to that.

[C]

Yeah, I think it's like, you know, I. When my kids were young, particularly like I'm thinking about the airplane and stuff, it was a constant, like, are my kids bothering anybody else? Yes, like that was. And particularly when we'd be in restaurants, public places. That's why going to parks was so great. It's go. You can just do whatever you want. But I had a lot of internal anxiety around are my kids disturbing other people?

[B]

Yeah. I think that as a dad, our number one priority. Well, I would say our top priority is to the Lord. Second priority would be to our wife. And our third priority should be to our children. And nowhere above the number three point. Our children are strangers. It doesn't mean that strangers aren't important. It doesn't mean the people that we interact with at school even are more important, but they don't take priority over our kids. And so I think when we elevate someone else's head, happiness or someone else's comfort over our kids, that's where we as dads fall short. And so maybe that's why this was so popular. I think it's super interesting that that's what resonated with dads.

[A]

You guys, thanks for hanging out with me today. Absolutely. And thanks to you for hanging out with us today. Could you do us a favor? Could you go and rate and review this podcast on your favorite platform? Also, if you want to find out more about how to be on top of your dad game, you can go and check out our LinkedIn profiles, which are in the show notes. But most of all, we want to say thank you for listening. We know that you and your kids will be glad that you did. Thanks for listening to the All Pro dad podcast. All Pro dad is the fatherhood program of the nonprofit Family first, along with our motherhood program imom we exist to help you love your family. Well, subscribe to our daily email. The AllPro Dad Play of the Day by going to AllProdad.com subscribe subscribe and get daily powerful and practical fatherhood tips in your inbox. The All Pro Dad Podcast is hosted by me, Ted Lowe, produced by Bobby Lewis.