What Influenced Who I am as a Father and Husband – American Dad Podcast

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“Was a great show when it was two interesting guys and a douche.  The two interesting guys left.” This was a recent comment and review left on iTunes.  The reviewer waited for the podcast to change before leaving a review which was a bit of a bummer.  This comment fired me up quite a bit.  It doesn’t make me mad but it showed me what the current audience of the podcast was looking for or was accustom to.  Folks, the podcast will not return to the previous humor unless the hosts return and I don’t see that happening in the foreseeable future.  To be completely honest, hosting a podcast alone is a tough gig.  It is much easier to have banter back and forth between two people then to hear one person talk at the listener.

I figured I should break down who your host of the podcast is going forward.  Who I am and how I produce the show going forward will not be for everyone.  I can’t pretend to be someone that I am not.  I can’t fake my humor or my perspective on life or parenting.  My thoughts on some things will resonate with many and be a turn off to the rest.  I understand that and I except it.  I am the “douche” that you will either love or be totally uninterested in.

So who am I?

I think a better question is where did I come from?  Not a physical location but rather what helped influence me.  Well if you have listened to the podcast you have probably realized I am a bit more reserved in many regards.  It may be due to my age or my experiences in life that have developed who I am today. I am not a perfect parent, husband or person in general.

The Early Years

I grew up with great parents.  My father was and is a very hard worker and was the primary income earner for my family. My mother was hard working as well and balanced work and being a mother throughout my childhood.  She managed to always be able to take me to school and be home when I got home from school.  When my dad wasn’t working he was typically home with the family.  He protected his family, wasn’t a real big drinker of alcohol but loved Diet Pepsi (and does to this day).  My dad didn’t talk crude around his family or others (to the best of my knowledge).  My mom taught me to be sensitive and compassionate growing up and this has carried on throughout my life.

I was raised as a Christian.  I think I asked God/Jesus to come into my heart when I was 7 or 8.  I remember asking this several times to make sure I was doing it right and that it worked. My mother was the driving force in making sure we went to church on Sunday.  I think at the time my father went in support of my mother but he was always skeptical of religion/Christianity in general.  As a child I really didn’t care for the churches we went to for some reason.  And if my memory serves me correctly I think I found some way to get out of going to church for awhile but my mom continued to go.

As my teenage years approached my mom found a church that was based out of an elementary school.  A couple that went to church there started a small youth group.  There was like 4 of us in it and we met at their home weekly for our youth group meetings.  This is where I really started learning about Christianity and getting excited about it.  We later switched churches and I got involved deeply with the youth group and the church in general.  My dad eventually started coming to church and I think he eventually asked God/Jesus in to his heart.  At this point I think the foundation was being poured as to the type of person I would be.  To make a long story short I eventually faded away from the church and became more interested in girls and being independent.

In 1998 I joined the Army after a heart to heart conversation with my father after essentially wasting my first 3 years of life out of high school. Or you can say he gave me three options and I choose the military.  It was there that I sowed my oats, partied, met my life-long friends and learned quite a bit about myself.  More importantly I think I had dated enough during my 4 years in the Army to know exactly the type of wife I wanted and exactly what I didn’t want.

How I Met My Wife 

About 3 years in to my career in the Army I was at my parent’s home in California playing a game of hearts on Yahoo.  A girl started chatting with me during the game.  Little did I know that this girl would be my wife roughly 2 years later.  Yeah that is right, I met my wife on the internet before it was the cool thing to do.  I believe that it was truly meant to be when I found my wife and I have been blessed more than I could have ever imagined throughout our marriage.

Ten years after marrying my wife, having two amazing kids, moving from California to Washington I still have an amazing, blessed life.

So my sense of humor for the most part is not crude.  My wife and children are an audience to my humor everyday and are probably the biggest fans of my humor (or at least they act like it).  Typically when people first meet me they think I am a turd or look at me and just don’t like me.  Then they get to know me and find out who I am, what I stand for and what I am all about and their opinions change.

Being a Christian doesn’t make me perfect.  I think the fact that I am broadcasting that I am a Christian will make my faults stand out even more.  The bible says Christians are not supposed to judge others.  I find myself making judgments on things or people daily. Maybe a better word to use is “analyzing” situations and people.  I have opinions just like anyone else on issues and situations. The opinions I share might not be very popular but everyone has opinions.  The only difference between my opinions and yours is that I am sharing them on a podcast.  So you can either tune in to the show or tune me out.

Raising my Children

I think I am a bit of an overprotective parent.  I am not raising my children exactly like I was raised.  I think I try to take the best of my upbringing and add onto it to make it better for my kids.  I have been influenced as how to raise my children by my own parents, by other parents (what to do and what not to do), my faith and learning from the mistakes I make along the way.  My wife and I are enjoying the parenting journey and are doing our best as parents.

You will likely hear me talk about things I think I am screwing up as a dad or husband because like I said earlier I am not perfect.

For those who continue to listen to the show I would love to hear your feedback.

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