The Daily Dad

366 Meditations on Parenting, Love, and Raising Great Kids

By: Ryan Holiday

Narrated by: Ryan Holiday

“Life is short. Do not forget about the most important things in our life, living for other people and doing good for them.”—Marcus Aurelius

Becoming a parent is more than just a biological process—it’s a lifelong commitment to sacrifice, service, and most importantly, love. It’s a challenge to get up every day and put your kids first. You will experience moments of heroic compassion and humiliating failure, sometimes within the same day.

But you don’t have to do it alone. From Ryan Holiday, #1 New York Times bestselling author of the smash hit The Daily Stoic, The Daily Dad provides 366 timeless meditations on parenting in a few manageable paragraphs a day—useful for even the most sleep deprived new parent.

Drawing on his own experience as a father of two as well as lessons from the lives of legends such as Theodore Roosevelt, Bruce Springsteen, Queen Elizabeth II, Marcus Aurelius, and Toni Morrison, this daily devotional provides wisdom and guidance on being the role model your child needs. Whether you’re expecting your first or already a grandparent, The Daily Dad offers encouragement, perspective, and practical advice for every stage of your child’s life.

©2023 Ryan Holiday (P)2023 Penguin Audio

Critic reviews

"Make this book a morning ritual.” – Matthew McConaughey

"Parenting can be hard. We all want to do right by our kids, but it's easy to get lost in the moment. This book is a simple way to ground us, to force a reflection on the choices we're making, and the ones we want to make. And it's not just for dads." – Emily Oster, bestselling author of Expecting Better and The Family Firm

"Effective parenting often comes down to poignant, memorable moments that shape your child’s thinking. This book has the recipe for creating these kinds of moments on the regular, and making the most of them." – Scott Galloway, NYU Stern professor and bestselling author of Adrift

Tremendously Positive, Great Advice on Fathership

This is perhaps the best book that I have listened to on Audible and my library contains close to 500 titles. I have re-listened to it several times now and I have been taking the time to bookmark my favorite clips.

It is full of positive, great advice on what is most important in being a father. I have implemented many of his ideas and plan on many more.

As a grandfather and great uncle now, I appreciated Ryan Holiday’s advice that “it’s never to late”. This was achieved in such a positive way and without assigning any guilt to the past.

I have listened to several of Ryan Holiday’s books and he is such an amazing talent. I would love to go to his bookstore in Texas one day and personally thank him for teaching me new things about how to be an even better father and person.

Thank you so much Ryan Holiday and Happy Father’s Day to you!!!!

Loved it!!

So encouraging and assertive. Book full of wisdom and perspective. I definitely recommend it to any parent

Excellent reminders and wisdom for keeping course.

Great advice and enjoyable layout, The Daily Dad has thought provoking stories and lessons that remind you of what's really important throughout the journey of parenting.

Great messages, but lacks humility

The messages and takeaways in this book are excellent. While I am sure it is unintentional, it is a shame that the author often writes in a condescending and arrogant tone. Questions are more intriguing than directions or orders.

Took me a while to get into, but highly worth it!

Subjects change with the flip of a calendar page and it took a while for my mind to catch up. SO many topics covered here that I sometimes had to go back to a certain date (like my birthday, my kids' birthdays, my grandkids' birthdays). Such a treasure trove of ideas and ways to connect to my family. Great book!

Not just for Dads

This book is a must for any parent especially soon to be parents. Great book.

Phenomenal!

Any parent should get this book!
It truly makes you reflect on how not to take any moment for granted with your loved ones. Tomorrow is never promised, be there for your children.

Great Read

this book is a great read as always Ryan Holiday always puts things into perspective with the stoic mindset behind it. A couple of short years ago I discovered Ryan Holliday on accident while looking for something new and philosophical as well as relatable he never ceases to surprise me on how good all of his books really are, his entire collection is definitely a must read and this is just one more notch in his belt. Great great author.

I like how it’s just not another how to but overall how to feel and be the best parent you can be

I love the stories about the parents in the book not just quotes but history of other parents how they reacted and felt

How to change your parenting perspective

Being stubborn, I’ve never read any self-help or parenting books before, but thought of giving a try after seeing the author on The Daily Show and was a very down to earth, humble person. This book full of relatable stories/paraboles was just what I needed to change to change my perspective on how to really be in the moment and appreciate all the time I have with my 6 year old daughter. I’ve even gifted the audible to some of my friends because we can all learn from this. Can’t recommend this more, great work.