How To Change Your Family With Intentional Parenting And Daddy Saturdays | Justin Batt | Episode 87

A parent’s job includes teaching our children and sharing our values with them. But how do we do that, especially in our crazy, busy world? One helpful strategy is to create closer connection. However, the question remains, how do we do that? One of the answers includes intentional parenting. Justin Batt discovered this as he created Daddy Saturdays in his family. Now he joins Mighty Parenting podcast host Sandy Fowler to discuss the lessons he learned. He’ll share his insights on intentional parenting and how that can help you connect with your children while teaching them the lessons and skills they need in life. 

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A Favorite Quote from the Show: 

“You can create micro moments. Micro moments add up over time and build your Dad resume.”

“The pressure on fathers has never been greater than it is in this moment.”

High Points of Our Discussion on Intentional Parenting and Daddy Saturdays:

We have an epidemic in this country of absent fathers and it is harming our children. But there’s another problem. We have an over abundance of fathers who are physically present but emotionally absent which hurts our children as well.

Dads are disengaged with their kids. They are worn out from work. They are busy and pulled away by technology.

This impacts our children because “far more is caught than taught”. That means we are teaching our children by example so a disengaged dad teaches their child to not engage and not be present with the people they care about. It means kids aren’t learning the traits we want them to have because dad isn’t exemplifying those when he is with them.

The pressure on fathers has never been greater than it is right at this moment. Fathers have these demands placed on their shoulders to keep up with the Joneses, advance their career, have a place in societyand it’s an immense weight. We’ve come to this precipice where we have a decision to make as dads and it’s going to change our society. 

It’s about the father being intentional and fully engaged with the kids.

This doesn’t mean you have to spend all day, every day with your children. You can create micro moments. Micro moments add up over time and build your Dad resume.

The father’s role is not to be a hero to his child but to be a guide.

An intentional parent plans ahead and has a game plan for spending time with their child. This allows you to be prepared, free of distractions, and gives you a way of engaging with them. It also shows your child they are important to you, that you took the time to plan something with them and are spending this time with them.

There’s a story in our heads telling us our teens don’t want this, they don’t want or need to spend time with their dad anymore. This is not true. It may take a little time for them to be fully on board or to believe you really mean it, but if you consistently show up they will come around. One way to get or keep teens interested is to invite them into the planning.

Watch out for your expectations; they can sabotage your day.

Get rid of your expectations about how the time should play out or what will happen during your time together. Make your plans, get everyone together, then let things unfold naturally and pivot when you need to. Some of Justin’s kids’ favorite Daddy Saturdays are the ones when Dad failed. 

We expect our kids to have values they haven’t developed yet, things like gratitude and appreciation. If we see they aren’t showing these values then we need to get curious as to why—is something happening in their life to stop it or have you not modeled it enough for them to learn it?

G+A=A   Gratitude + Attitude = Altitude (success in life)

If Dad’s away from home a lot, such as on deployment or traveling extensively for work, try to create a consistent time to talk via phone or Facetime, etc. Most of the call can be spouse and family but carve out a little 1-on-1 time for each child, perhaps on a rotating basis. You can also plan ahead for when you come home. Have some family time as well as some 1-on-1 time with each child.

Wives, mothers, and daughters can encourage and support dads as they take this step toward intentional parenting. If you know a dad who needs this, introduce it gently. Perhaps mention this interview, the book or the website for Daddy Saturday.

Resources Mentioned in Show:

Daddy Saturday: How to Be an Intentional Dad to Raise Good Kids Who Become Great Adults

Our Guest Justin Blatt:

Justin Batt is one of the fortunate people who found the collision of their calling and passion in life.  He is passionate about disrupting fatherhood by encouraging and equipping fathers to be intentional parents who raise good kids that become great adults.  Justin is a healthcare innovator and works in the B2B sector with the largest biopharmaceutical and life science companies in the world.  Justin is a prolific entrepreneur with several startups across technology, retail and real estate.  He is an author, international and TEDx speaker, host of multiple podcasts and OCR athlete.

Justin Batt aims to disrupt fatherhood with intentionality, by creating intentional fathers who raise good kids who become great adults. He founded Daddy Saturday in his own backyard with his four children, and it’s grown into a national movement engaging fathers across multiple channels, including YouTube, social media, the Daddy Saturday book, an Alexa skill, a podcast, merchandise, live events, and a 501(c)(3) foundation, through which Justin plans to impact 10 million fathers in the next 10 years.

In addition, Justin is a highly sought after healthcare consultant and a successful serial entrepreneur, as well as a TEDx and international public speaker, a multi-published author, and a regular guest on multiple podcasts. When not at work, Justin can be found helping his wife, Heather, run her bridal enterprise, and spending time with his four children and the family’s Bernedoodle, Weekend.

To learn more or connect with our guest visit https://daddysaturday.com