Practical advice for modern dads

June 18, 2026

AI Summary

5 min read

“I’m a single dad raising a five-year-old daughter, and I find myself wrestling with questions about what should I teach her about men.” That question, from a listener named Roger, opens a Father’s Day mailbag episode of Life Kit that takes the conversation about the mental load—usually centered on mothers—and turns it toward dads. Host Mariel Segata and reporter Andy Tagle spoke with two experts: Kevin McGuire, author of The New Fatherhood, and clinical psychologist David Defoe. The episode emerged after a previous story on the mental load drew feedback from men who felt excluded from the conversation. The research backs them up: one recent study found American dads are spending more time on household and childrearing activities than in the previous two decades. The episode covers four practical topics: raising daughters with a healthy view of men, building dad friendships, managing anger, and navigating high-stress parenting moments with a partner.

Raising daughters without fear

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What you'll learn

1 (00:16) **Episode Introduction** - Hosts Mariel Segata and Andy Tegle introduce the topic of the mental load and its typical association with women and moms.
2 (06:17) **Teaching a Daughter About Men** - Listener Roger, a single dad raising a five-year-old daughter, asks how to teach her to feel safe and strong without fearing all men.
3 (09:23) **Building Dad Friendships & Community** - A listener notes the abundance of mom meetups but few options for fathers and asks how to find a support group.
4 (13:04) **Navigating Anger and Emotional Vocabulary** - The hosts discuss why men often struggle to express feelings, especially anger, and how to be better emotional role models for kids.
5 (16:18) **Handling Stressful Parenting with Your Partner** - Listener Andres asks for strategies to quickly get on the same page with a partner when improvising during high-stress parenting situations, like a child's sleep regression.
6 (20:30) **Episode Recap & Closing** - Andy summarizes the key takeaways for modern dads.
7 Standout Quotes

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Show Notes

We often talk about the mental load of parenting as something mothers carry. But active, involved dads have questions, too, and not many places to ask them. In this episode, Kevin Maguire, author of The New Fatherhood, and clinical psychologist David Defoe answer listener questions from dads.

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