1 00:00:00,440 --> 00:00:04,600 Speaker 1: I am exactly who I am because of my father. 2 00:00:05,559 --> 00:00:12,520 Speaker 1: Dead ass. Hey, I'm Cadine and we're the Ellises. You 3 00:00:12,520 --> 00:00:15,280 Speaker 1: may know us for posting funny videos without boys and 4 00:00:15,600 --> 00:00:19,560 Speaker 1: reading each other publicly as a form of wait are 5 00:00:19,600 --> 00:00:23,640 Speaker 1: making me derby most days. Oh and one more important 6 00:00:23,640 --> 00:00:26,439 Speaker 1: thing to mention, we're married. Yes, so we are. We 7 00:00:26,520 --> 00:00:29,560 Speaker 1: created this podcast to open dialogue about some of life's 8 00:00:29,600 --> 00:00:33,120 Speaker 1: most taboo topics, things most folks don't want to talk 9 00:00:33,159 --> 00:00:35,440 Speaker 1: about through the lens of a millennial married couple. Dead 10 00:00:35,479 --> 00:00:37,640 Speaker 1: ass is the term that we say every day. So 11 00:00:37,680 --> 00:00:41,120 Speaker 1: when we say dead ass, we're actually saying fast on 12 00:00:42,200 --> 00:00:44,680 Speaker 1: the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. 13 00:00:44,880 --> 00:00:47,360 Speaker 1: We're about to take pillow talk to a whole new level. 14 00:00:49,560 --> 00:01:03,080 Speaker 1: Dead ad starts right now. Story time. I remember being 15 00:01:04,240 --> 00:01:09,839 Speaker 1: seventeen years old and honestly feeling like my father didn't 16 00:01:09,880 --> 00:01:14,240 Speaker 1: like me. Like I knew that he loved me, but 17 00:01:14,280 --> 00:01:17,080 Speaker 1: I remember saying to myself, my father doesn't like me much. 18 00:01:17,520 --> 00:01:19,720 Speaker 1: And I remember saying to myself, like, damn, what did 19 00:01:19,760 --> 00:01:22,840 Speaker 1: I do that my father doesn't like me? Because I 20 00:01:22,840 --> 00:01:24,560 Speaker 1: felt like I was my whole life, I had tried 21 00:01:24,560 --> 00:01:26,960 Speaker 1: to do everything I can to make my father proud. 22 00:01:27,720 --> 00:01:29,840 Speaker 1: So at that point in seventeen, I said, I'm tired 23 00:01:29,840 --> 00:01:31,520 Speaker 1: of trying to make my father proud. I'm just gonna 24 00:01:31,520 --> 00:01:33,640 Speaker 1: do what I want. And that's when I started to 25 00:01:33,680 --> 00:01:35,880 Speaker 1: rebel a little bit. I started to talk back a 26 00:01:35,880 --> 00:01:38,720 Speaker 1: lot and just make my own decisions. And when I 27 00:01:38,800 --> 00:01:42,040 Speaker 1: left to go to college, I was so excited about 28 00:01:42,080 --> 00:01:46,720 Speaker 1: being out the house until I was gone. And then 29 00:01:46,760 --> 00:01:48,680 Speaker 1: it was in that moment when I got to college 30 00:01:48,680 --> 00:01:50,880 Speaker 1: and everything my father was trying to teach me and 31 00:01:50,880 --> 00:01:54,000 Speaker 1: instilling me hit me like a ton of bricks, and 32 00:01:54,040 --> 00:01:58,840 Speaker 1: I realized, Damn, that's why he was the way he was. 33 00:01:59,320 --> 00:02:04,440 Speaker 1: All Right, it's karaoke time. I got my brothers in here, right, 34 00:02:05,120 --> 00:02:09,160 Speaker 1: so I'm actually gonna sing the song Brothers with my brothers. 35 00:02:09,560 --> 00:02:11,520 Speaker 1: I'm gonna need you all to join in with me, 36 00:02:11,600 --> 00:02:15,200 Speaker 1: all right, from the Best Man soundtrack, if y'all remember this, alright, 37 00:02:15,240 --> 00:02:20,480 Speaker 1: So we're gonna start from the verse, alright, ready, one, two, three? 38 00:02:21,280 --> 00:02:27,079 Speaker 1: What can a brother do for me? He can help 39 00:02:27,200 --> 00:02:30,959 Speaker 1: you up when you ut down. What can a brother 40 00:02:31,760 --> 00:02:37,360 Speaker 1: do for me? He can be my eyes when you 41 00:02:37,440 --> 00:02:43,119 Speaker 1: can't see. What can a brother do for me? He 42 00:02:43,160 --> 00:02:47,840 Speaker 1: can help you be either best man, I can't. I 43 00:02:47,919 --> 00:02:52,600 Speaker 1: can be, I can be, I can be, can be, 44 00:02:53,040 --> 00:02:57,320 Speaker 1: I can be. Help you bet up, best man, I 45 00:02:57,960 --> 00:03:06,360 Speaker 1: can't be. That was terrible. Oh man, I think I 46 00:03:06,440 --> 00:03:09,600 Speaker 1: drowned you all out. But welcome, Welcome, guys, Welcome man. 47 00:03:10,080 --> 00:03:13,000 Speaker 1: So I'm gonna introduce you all to this very special 48 00:03:13,040 --> 00:03:16,480 Speaker 1: group of guys here because this group here became my 49 00:03:16,919 --> 00:03:19,880 Speaker 1: clan here in California when I moved out here. All right, 50 00:03:19,960 --> 00:03:22,240 Speaker 1: I'm gonna go in order as the people are watching 51 00:03:22,240 --> 00:03:24,359 Speaker 1: me here, so we're gonna go to my left, we're 52 00:03:24,360 --> 00:03:28,520 Speaker 1: gonna go to Solving. Naim. Solving actually put me in 53 00:03:28,560 --> 00:03:33,400 Speaker 1: my first film. Oh. He's an award winning producer, director, actor, 54 00:03:33,919 --> 00:03:39,280 Speaker 1: rapper does everything father, husband, got a son now X 55 00:03:39,440 --> 00:03:42,640 Speaker 1: shout out, shout out, thank you for joining us, Solving. 56 00:03:42,680 --> 00:03:47,840 Speaker 1: I appreciate you. Brother to his left, it's my man, 57 00:03:47,960 --> 00:03:54,440 Speaker 1: Serbifo shout out. Brooklyn Coney Island photographer. He's worked on 58 00:03:54,760 --> 00:03:58,600 Speaker 1: the Lakers, the charges would bet Will Smith. I mean 59 00:03:58,600 --> 00:04:00,240 Speaker 1: you've you've done a lot of work with a lot 60 00:04:00,240 --> 00:04:02,480 Speaker 1: of people, bro, a lot of work. You got out 61 00:04:02,480 --> 00:04:04,760 Speaker 1: here first. You told me years ago. He was like, Yo, 62 00:04:04,800 --> 00:04:06,760 Speaker 1: d R D you want to make it. You gotta 63 00:04:06,760 --> 00:04:08,960 Speaker 1: come out of Hollywood. I'm gonna Solomon told me the 64 00:04:09,000 --> 00:04:14,200 Speaker 1: same thing, so sir bole, I appreciate you going yes 65 00:04:14,240 --> 00:04:16,320 Speaker 1: and to his left and last was certainly not least. 66 00:04:16,680 --> 00:04:19,400 Speaker 1: My new brother from another mother lives down the block 67 00:04:19,440 --> 00:04:20,839 Speaker 1: for me. I ain't gonna tell you where we lived. 68 00:04:20,839 --> 00:04:24,240 Speaker 1: I want nobody rolling up on us say it's my man. 69 00:04:24,400 --> 00:04:27,720 Speaker 1: Rob da von Butler, former NFL athlete play safety. He 70 00:04:27,800 --> 00:04:30,600 Speaker 1: liked to hit people, now works in corporate America. He's 71 00:04:30,600 --> 00:04:34,200 Speaker 1: a father, husband, also a son, we all sons, but 72 00:04:34,240 --> 00:04:37,640 Speaker 1: also father of the four beautiful children, two sons and 73 00:04:37,680 --> 00:04:40,480 Speaker 1: two girls. Rob, thank you for coming and joining us. 74 00:04:41,520 --> 00:04:44,800 Speaker 1: I had been struggling so many times with what I 75 00:04:44,839 --> 00:04:47,840 Speaker 1: was gonna do for the men's episode, because we all 76 00:04:48,080 --> 00:04:50,080 Speaker 1: kneen and I always do the podcast together. But last 77 00:04:50,120 --> 00:04:53,000 Speaker 1: year one of our biggest episodes was the guy's episode, 78 00:04:53,240 --> 00:04:55,800 Speaker 1: and we talked about dating and relationships and people love that. 79 00:04:56,040 --> 00:04:58,360 Speaker 1: But I felt like it was important, especially in today's time, 80 00:04:58,400 --> 00:05:01,680 Speaker 1: to talk about fatherhood, especially black fathers. And I think 81 00:05:01,720 --> 00:05:05,800 Speaker 1: it's important because um Rob Slack and myself we work 82 00:05:05,839 --> 00:05:08,839 Speaker 1: out every morning together, and every time we get together, 83 00:05:08,920 --> 00:05:12,200 Speaker 1: people would think as men we would be talking about asks. 84 00:05:12,800 --> 00:05:15,200 Speaker 1: You think we would be talking about women, and but 85 00:05:15,320 --> 00:05:19,520 Speaker 1: we literally sit there and talk about fatherhood. What are 86 00:05:19,560 --> 00:05:22,159 Speaker 1: we do? We ask each other because Rob has the 87 00:05:22,200 --> 00:05:24,960 Speaker 1: oldest children, he has grown children, so Slick is always 88 00:05:24,960 --> 00:05:27,040 Speaker 1: asking me questions. But I bring Jackson with me and 89 00:05:27,080 --> 00:05:28,719 Speaker 1: I'm like, yo, Rob, how do I deal with this? 90 00:05:29,279 --> 00:05:31,960 Speaker 1: And then I felt like I should bring Bafo because 91 00:05:32,240 --> 00:05:35,479 Speaker 1: Bafo was in the space where I feel like, if 92 00:05:35,560 --> 00:05:38,000 Speaker 1: I didn't have kids and I had a group of 93 00:05:38,000 --> 00:05:39,919 Speaker 1: people that could tell me what to look out for, 94 00:05:40,040 --> 00:05:43,840 Speaker 1: I could make decisions based on those things, Which is 95 00:05:43,839 --> 00:05:45,240 Speaker 1: gonna lead me to a question that I want to 96 00:05:45,240 --> 00:05:48,000 Speaker 1: know from you guys. Right in story time, I talked 97 00:05:48,000 --> 00:05:51,320 Speaker 1: about what my father was to me, and I kind 98 00:05:51,320 --> 00:05:53,000 Speaker 1: of want to hear from each of you what your 99 00:05:53,040 --> 00:05:59,200 Speaker 1: father was to you guys, Like, well, I mean I 100 00:05:59,240 --> 00:06:01,080 Speaker 1: have to really think of about that because you know, 101 00:06:01,839 --> 00:06:05,400 Speaker 1: unfortunately I didn't have a great relationship with my father 102 00:06:06,200 --> 00:06:09,520 Speaker 1: um until I got married, you know, and then my wife, 103 00:06:09,839 --> 00:06:12,039 Speaker 1: you know, brought us tried to try to mend that 104 00:06:12,120 --> 00:06:14,760 Speaker 1: relationship because she knew that that was you know, that 105 00:06:14,760 --> 00:06:17,400 Speaker 1: that needed to be needed, work needed to be done there. 106 00:06:17,960 --> 00:06:22,960 Speaker 1: So there was a large gap of years you know that, Um, 107 00:06:23,000 --> 00:06:25,920 Speaker 1: you know that we didn't really talk much or you know, 108 00:06:26,440 --> 00:06:28,800 Speaker 1: or go back and forth. So I have to kind 109 00:06:28,800 --> 00:06:31,680 Speaker 1: of go back to, you know, my very early years. 110 00:06:32,400 --> 00:06:36,520 Speaker 1: And um, I when my father was to me was 111 00:06:36,920 --> 00:06:42,880 Speaker 1: you know, disciplinary, um, hard worker though, you know, self made. 112 00:06:43,480 --> 00:06:47,760 Speaker 1: You know, he started his own company example. Yeah, yeah, yeah, 113 00:06:47,839 --> 00:06:50,560 Speaker 1: so yeah, definitely that was one thing. And then and 114 00:06:50,560 --> 00:06:53,080 Speaker 1: then just kept progressing in that, you know, so he 115 00:06:53,400 --> 00:06:58,360 Speaker 1: completely just did his own thing, you know North. Yeah, 116 00:06:59,000 --> 00:07:01,840 Speaker 1: but my father is that actually white and my mother 117 00:07:01,960 --> 00:07:06,839 Speaker 1: is Algerian. So my father came, my father came to 118 00:07:06,920 --> 00:07:10,080 Speaker 1: New York. Um before I was born. I've seen me 119 00:07:10,200 --> 00:07:12,360 Speaker 1: my mom and you know, they had me over there. 120 00:07:12,400 --> 00:07:16,400 Speaker 1: But he, um, they divorced immediately like after I was born, 121 00:07:16,720 --> 00:07:18,200 Speaker 1: you know what I mean. I don't even know how 122 00:07:18,240 --> 00:07:21,440 Speaker 1: they even got together. It's just to make me and um. 123 00:07:21,720 --> 00:07:24,800 Speaker 1: And then he went he moved to Inwood, Washington Heights, 124 00:07:24,840 --> 00:07:27,720 Speaker 1: to eleven Finish and that was the hood, that was 125 00:07:27,720 --> 00:07:31,880 Speaker 1: the Dominican hood. So you know most of my yeah, 126 00:07:31,960 --> 00:07:34,680 Speaker 1: that was I mean, that was fact for the weekend. 127 00:07:34,680 --> 00:07:41,480 Speaker 1: When he walked in from New York, I called him slip. Yeah, 128 00:07:41,480 --> 00:07:43,520 Speaker 1: I mean, that's been my life in New York, explaining 129 00:07:43,600 --> 00:07:45,760 Speaker 1: to you know, put the vegans Dominicans that I'm not. 130 00:07:47,400 --> 00:07:56,040 Speaker 1: Sometimes I gotta say in Spanish and they're like, but 131 00:07:56,280 --> 00:07:59,320 Speaker 1: um so so yeah. So so I watched him literally, 132 00:07:59,480 --> 00:08:03,040 Speaker 1: you know, from broke as how, you know, black ass 133 00:08:03,080 --> 00:08:05,520 Speaker 1: whip that was still getting broken into you know what 134 00:08:05,520 --> 00:08:08,880 Speaker 1: I mean, um to you know, to to making something 135 00:08:08,880 --> 00:08:11,440 Speaker 1: of himself and you know, being that good example for you. 136 00:08:12,040 --> 00:08:14,160 Speaker 1: You would say your father was an example more than 137 00:08:14,160 --> 00:08:16,360 Speaker 1: a presence. He was just an example. Yeah, and he 138 00:08:16,480 --> 00:08:19,960 Speaker 1: was very present in the early phase and and and 139 00:08:20,000 --> 00:08:23,520 Speaker 1: actually as a as a baby, were piste off my 140 00:08:23,520 --> 00:08:25,880 Speaker 1: mom because my mom was the worker. My mom was 141 00:08:25,880 --> 00:08:28,680 Speaker 1: working the nine to five, and my father stopped to 142 00:08:28,760 --> 00:08:31,360 Speaker 1: quit his job just to be with me as a baby. 143 00:08:32,360 --> 00:08:34,679 Speaker 1: And uh, which made my mom because now she's the 144 00:08:34,720 --> 00:08:37,440 Speaker 1: breadwinner and she's like, yeah, we got these bills or whatever. 145 00:08:37,480 --> 00:08:40,080 Speaker 1: But my my pops would finesse it pretty ill because 146 00:08:40,120 --> 00:08:43,679 Speaker 1: he was an engineer before he got into computer software 147 00:08:44,160 --> 00:08:46,200 Speaker 1: and uh, and would just be able to just do 148 00:08:46,280 --> 00:08:49,840 Speaker 1: a freelance job and make and then be like here's 149 00:08:49,840 --> 00:08:52,000 Speaker 1: the money for the for just enough, you know, for 150 00:08:52,000 --> 00:08:53,480 Speaker 1: for the bill. And I would make I would piss 151 00:08:53,520 --> 00:08:56,040 Speaker 1: my mom off even more because you can make money 152 00:08:56,040 --> 00:08:57,959 Speaker 1: and you're not doing it, you know what I mean. 153 00:08:59,160 --> 00:09:02,240 Speaker 1: It's funny think all fathers learned to finesse. My father 154 00:09:02,320 --> 00:09:04,680 Speaker 1: was a finesse, so he he got his associate's degree, 155 00:09:04,720 --> 00:09:07,120 Speaker 1: didn't go to college. After that was bouncing and they 156 00:09:07,120 --> 00:09:10,360 Speaker 1: started working for Chase Manhattan Bank and then became like 157 00:09:10,559 --> 00:09:13,400 Speaker 1: you know, he does on computer program and in mainframeing. 158 00:09:13,679 --> 00:09:14,920 Speaker 1: And I used to be like, how do you how 159 00:09:14,920 --> 00:09:18,160 Speaker 1: do you manage to make money? You don't even have 160 00:09:18,200 --> 00:09:20,240 Speaker 1: a Batchelor's degree. And he's just like, you know, it's 161 00:09:20,240 --> 00:09:22,720 Speaker 1: not what you know, it's who you know. Dads always 162 00:09:22,720 --> 00:09:27,480 Speaker 1: know how to sound like that sounds like school. Oh 163 00:09:27,520 --> 00:09:29,560 Speaker 1: my dad. My dad's pretty awesome. Actually we have a 164 00:09:29,559 --> 00:09:32,320 Speaker 1: really good relationship. Yeah. Um, growing up he was around. 165 00:09:32,400 --> 00:09:35,880 Speaker 1: He was definitely a disciplinary but I didn't I didn't 166 00:09:35,960 --> 00:09:38,880 Speaker 1: know anything away from discipline in a sense, like I 167 00:09:38,880 --> 00:09:41,000 Speaker 1: didn't know that that was wrong. I guess them is 168 00:09:41,000 --> 00:09:43,480 Speaker 1: from Ghana. Yes, my parents were from Ghana. Um. My 169 00:09:43,559 --> 00:09:46,360 Speaker 1: dad uh played he was a soccer playing Guana. Left 170 00:09:46,360 --> 00:09:50,199 Speaker 1: Ghana in the seventies by himself, came to America came 171 00:09:50,280 --> 00:09:52,520 Speaker 1: to figure out. America came to figure this out and 172 00:09:53,480 --> 00:09:59,160 Speaker 1: I'm good, Carson, Yeah, ain't gonna so yeah. So he 173 00:09:59,480 --> 00:10:02,680 Speaker 1: came to mur Um and Uh in the seventies and 174 00:10:02,880 --> 00:10:05,000 Speaker 1: just wanted to establish some sort of ground here, which 175 00:10:05,000 --> 00:10:06,640 Speaker 1: he did, and then he went back and got my 176 00:10:06,720 --> 00:10:09,120 Speaker 1: mom and my three brothers and brought him over. So 177 00:10:09,280 --> 00:10:13,200 Speaker 1: for me, um, seeing seeing that and hearing that story 178 00:10:13,400 --> 00:10:16,840 Speaker 1: growing up, I mean, I felt like this man left 179 00:10:16,840 --> 00:10:19,640 Speaker 1: the country that he was very comfortable and familiar with 180 00:10:19,720 --> 00:10:23,120 Speaker 1: to code to another country that he had nothing nobody 181 00:10:23,280 --> 00:10:27,520 Speaker 1: there um and started a space and and and started 182 00:10:27,520 --> 00:10:31,160 Speaker 1: working for himself and started to build a foundation here 183 00:10:31,200 --> 00:10:33,439 Speaker 1: in America where he's able to bring my family over. 184 00:10:33,480 --> 00:10:36,440 Speaker 1: So for me, Um, he's like a true example of like, 185 00:10:36,760 --> 00:10:38,240 Speaker 1: you know what I'm saying some shing I need to 186 00:10:38,280 --> 00:10:41,040 Speaker 1: be emulating, and how I would love for my kids 187 00:10:41,040 --> 00:10:43,760 Speaker 1: at some point to see their grandfather and know these 188 00:10:43,800 --> 00:10:46,000 Speaker 1: things about them. So yeah, it's big. So that's two 189 00:10:46,000 --> 00:10:48,719 Speaker 1: things over there. I heard. Example example Rob, you and 190 00:10:48,800 --> 00:10:50,440 Speaker 1: your phone, I met your father. He's been spending the 191 00:10:50,480 --> 00:10:52,680 Speaker 1: last week with us working out and last in the 192 00:10:52,679 --> 00:10:57,080 Speaker 1: morning seven working out with us, Young Bucks. What was 193 00:10:57,080 --> 00:10:59,760 Speaker 1: your father to you. Man, I'm sitting here reflecting as 194 00:10:59,760 --> 00:11:02,000 Speaker 1: I into my brother's a goal that went before me, 195 00:11:02,080 --> 00:11:04,200 Speaker 1: and the thing that comes to mind for me is, 196 00:11:04,400 --> 00:11:08,320 Speaker 1: you know, my dad was a role model. He occurred 197 00:11:08,320 --> 00:11:10,319 Speaker 1: for me as a role model growing up. But what 198 00:11:10,480 --> 00:11:12,480 Speaker 1: I what I came to know as a father myself 199 00:11:12,559 --> 00:11:14,400 Speaker 1: now is that he was a real model. So my 200 00:11:14,480 --> 00:11:17,520 Speaker 1: dad didn't hold no punches. He didn't hide anything from us. 201 00:11:18,120 --> 00:11:20,320 Speaker 1: Um so he showed us the good, the bad, and 202 00:11:20,360 --> 00:11:24,320 Speaker 1: the ugly, you know. So I took that by and large, 203 00:11:24,320 --> 00:11:26,200 Speaker 1: I said, man, this is not what I'm gonna do 204 00:11:26,240 --> 00:11:29,000 Speaker 1: with my kids because this team too much. But now 205 00:11:29,040 --> 00:11:31,320 Speaker 1: we're looking back on this, like everything that I got 206 00:11:31,320 --> 00:11:33,400 Speaker 1: to that you experienced as a young man, especially a 207 00:11:33,440 --> 00:11:35,920 Speaker 1: young black man going up in America, my dad put 208 00:11:35,960 --> 00:11:38,719 Speaker 1: me through it before I got to to to live 209 00:11:38,920 --> 00:11:41,080 Speaker 1: through it myself, so I kind of already had him 210 00:11:41,120 --> 00:11:43,640 Speaker 1: as a reference point. Some people would say, well, you know, 211 00:11:43,679 --> 00:11:45,480 Speaker 1: he shouldn't be doing that. You know, you shouldn't have 212 00:11:45,480 --> 00:11:47,559 Speaker 1: your first beer or your first disk, you shouldn't be 213 00:11:47,559 --> 00:11:49,720 Speaker 1: talking about sex with it. But my dad was an 214 00:11:49,720 --> 00:11:52,760 Speaker 1: open book. Aside from that, he one of the things 215 00:11:52,800 --> 00:11:54,520 Speaker 1: that stand out to me the most is that he 216 00:11:54,720 --> 00:11:57,679 Speaker 1: always pushed the envelope for more. He always he wanted 217 00:11:57,720 --> 00:12:01,000 Speaker 1: me my brothers to be better than him, and so 218 00:12:01,120 --> 00:12:03,640 Speaker 1: he was. I would get straight A's, bro, you know, 219 00:12:03,720 --> 00:12:06,840 Speaker 1: being a football player score five six seven touchdowns. He 220 00:12:07,000 --> 00:12:11,560 Speaker 1: wanted to point out the tackle that I missed. Until 221 00:12:11,600 --> 00:12:13,440 Speaker 1: your point earlier, I always felt like, yo, dude, why 222 00:12:13,480 --> 00:12:15,840 Speaker 1: are you Why? Why can't you never give me my props? Right? 223 00:12:16,400 --> 00:12:19,040 Speaker 1: And it wasn't until I was thirty years old, this 224 00:12:19,120 --> 00:12:22,000 Speaker 1: is nine years ago. We had a conversation about you know, 225 00:12:22,000 --> 00:12:23,600 Speaker 1: why would why would you ride me? How come you 226 00:12:23,600 --> 00:12:25,400 Speaker 1: never gave me out? A boy? He said, Son looked. 227 00:12:25,840 --> 00:12:27,679 Speaker 1: I always felt like you didn't like I was never 228 00:12:27,720 --> 00:12:30,320 Speaker 1: good enough for you. He said something listening. The reason 229 00:12:30,360 --> 00:12:32,600 Speaker 1: why I wrote you that way is because I saw 230 00:12:32,679 --> 00:12:37,800 Speaker 1: who you was. Straight A's was the expectation. Five six 231 00:12:37,840 --> 00:12:41,120 Speaker 1: seven touchdowns a game. That's that's who that's who you want. 232 00:12:41,200 --> 00:12:43,199 Speaker 1: So that's so when you when you felt shorter that 233 00:12:43,360 --> 00:12:44,640 Speaker 1: it was like I had a problem with it. But 234 00:12:44,640 --> 00:12:45,840 Speaker 1: when you did it, it it was like that's what I 235 00:12:45,880 --> 00:12:48,560 Speaker 1: expected out of you, and I found got I got that, 236 00:12:49,120 --> 00:12:51,679 Speaker 1: and you got that at thirty. But how did you 237 00:12:51,720 --> 00:12:54,200 Speaker 1: feel about that. I let him know how I felt 238 00:12:54,200 --> 00:12:56,320 Speaker 1: about it. I told him, I communicated to him that 239 00:12:56,400 --> 00:13:00,280 Speaker 1: I developed a complex and not being good enough. So 240 00:13:00,320 --> 00:13:01,839 Speaker 1: how that shoot showed up in the world. Was I 241 00:13:02,200 --> 00:13:06,280 Speaker 1: always strive to overachieve and was driving was this internal 242 00:13:06,400 --> 00:13:09,400 Speaker 1: diet that monologue really between me and me saying that 243 00:13:09,400 --> 00:13:11,719 Speaker 1: you're not You're not good enough? Um, so there was 244 00:13:11,760 --> 00:13:14,440 Speaker 1: an impact. So I'm glad you say that, because where 245 00:13:14,440 --> 00:13:16,960 Speaker 1: I want to take this conversation is we and in 246 00:13:17,040 --> 00:13:20,760 Speaker 1: this current culture, we hear oftentimes, you know, black men 247 00:13:20,880 --> 00:13:25,080 Speaker 1: don't defend black women, black men don't love black women, 248 00:13:25,200 --> 00:13:27,440 Speaker 1: black men don't marry black women. These are all the 249 00:13:27,480 --> 00:13:30,280 Speaker 1: things that we're hearing about black men. And I want 250 00:13:30,280 --> 00:13:33,280 Speaker 1: to have this conversation because we all had fathers in 251 00:13:33,320 --> 00:13:37,560 Speaker 1: our lives, and I want to know what happened in 252 00:13:37,600 --> 00:13:39,600 Speaker 1: our lives that made us be the way we are, 253 00:13:40,360 --> 00:13:43,160 Speaker 1: and especially in our twenties when you're in that dating process, 254 00:13:43,200 --> 00:13:45,400 Speaker 1: because when you're older and married it's easy to say now, 255 00:13:45,600 --> 00:13:47,600 Speaker 1: but we're talking about people who date near twenties, between 256 00:13:47,600 --> 00:13:50,480 Speaker 1: twenty and who were you? How do you think having 257 00:13:50,480 --> 00:13:52,000 Speaker 1: your father in your life, or if he wasn't in 258 00:13:52,000 --> 00:13:53,520 Speaker 1: your life at that time made you be who you were. 259 00:13:53,800 --> 00:13:56,439 Speaker 1: And if you were that way, would you have dated yourself? 260 00:13:56,600 --> 00:13:59,360 Speaker 1: How did your father and who he was help you 261 00:13:59,440 --> 00:14:02,320 Speaker 1: become the man you are to be a companion for 262 00:14:02,440 --> 00:14:04,319 Speaker 1: someone else? And this is open floor, this is you 263 00:14:04,320 --> 00:14:07,120 Speaker 1: don't gotta go order. I want to hear that who 264 00:14:07,120 --> 00:14:11,920 Speaker 1: were you in your twenties when you were dating? Was terrible? Um? 265 00:14:11,920 --> 00:14:15,160 Speaker 1: What I date myself in my twenties, Nah, I wouldn't. Um. 266 00:14:15,200 --> 00:14:18,800 Speaker 1: I was fun, but I wasn't serious. So depending on 267 00:14:19,120 --> 00:14:22,040 Speaker 1: you know, I guess the lady or the girl at 268 00:14:22,080 --> 00:14:24,400 Speaker 1: the time that I was dating, depending on what she wanted, 269 00:14:24,720 --> 00:14:27,680 Speaker 1: she could get fun. But I wasn't really serious. So 270 00:14:27,720 --> 00:14:30,280 Speaker 1: when it came to being serious and like I settled 271 00:14:30,280 --> 00:14:32,680 Speaker 1: down towards the back end of prior to moving to 272 00:14:32,800 --> 00:14:36,800 Speaker 1: l A, I had a girlfriend for like three years. Um, 273 00:14:36,840 --> 00:14:40,600 Speaker 1: but I myself know that like if I was a 274 00:14:40,640 --> 00:14:43,880 Speaker 1: few excuse me, if I was a lady, Um, looking 275 00:14:43,880 --> 00:14:47,200 Speaker 1: at myself at twenty, I would not have. I would 276 00:14:47,200 --> 00:14:48,760 Speaker 1: have I would gonna get me wrong, I would be 277 00:14:48,920 --> 00:14:53,640 Speaker 1: da cute, you know. But but I personally would not 278 00:14:53,760 --> 00:14:56,920 Speaker 1: date myself because I was selfish. I was very selfish. Yourself. 279 00:14:57,120 --> 00:14:59,800 Speaker 1: I was very selfish. Um I figured I was also 280 00:14:59,800 --> 00:15:02,040 Speaker 1: s which one of them, the youngest the seven, Um, 281 00:15:02,560 --> 00:15:04,640 Speaker 1: somebody was wild deep you know what I'm saying. And 282 00:15:04,680 --> 00:15:07,400 Speaker 1: I was the last one. And a few things did 283 00:15:07,520 --> 00:15:09,760 Speaker 1: kind of go my way growing up, But for the 284 00:15:09,760 --> 00:15:11,840 Speaker 1: most part, I've always felt like I had to, like 285 00:15:12,360 --> 00:15:15,680 Speaker 1: even til today, sometime like they'll be like having sibling 286 00:15:15,720 --> 00:15:18,040 Speaker 1: discussions and I might chime in and they'll blow Steve, 287 00:15:18,080 --> 00:15:21,120 Speaker 1: you're young. You know, you know you're young, you're youngs 288 00:15:21,720 --> 00:15:24,680 Speaker 1: absolutely till today. So I think I've had that complex 289 00:15:24,720 --> 00:15:28,520 Speaker 1: growing up of wanting to sit in the be the 290 00:15:28,560 --> 00:15:31,280 Speaker 1: same level when like as I got older. Now, even 291 00:15:31,280 --> 00:15:32,680 Speaker 1: when I talk to my mom, I'll be talking to 292 00:15:32,680 --> 00:15:34,320 Speaker 1: my mom she's in Ghana now, and I'll talk to 293 00:15:34,360 --> 00:15:36,480 Speaker 1: them and I'd be like, I'll be saying things to 294 00:15:36,480 --> 00:15:38,560 Speaker 1: her and I'm like, mom, you know, like I'm not 295 00:15:38,600 --> 00:15:40,760 Speaker 1: a kid, I'm grown. I'm grown now. But you gotta 296 00:15:40,800 --> 00:15:43,160 Speaker 1: let my kind of say that to kind of let 297 00:15:43,200 --> 00:15:46,720 Speaker 1: her know, like, Mom, I'm good, I'm very careful, I'm aware, 298 00:15:46,920 --> 00:15:49,600 Speaker 1: you know what I mean. So they I mean, as 299 00:15:49,640 --> 00:15:51,960 Speaker 1: they say, you know, you're gonna ever be their babies, 300 00:15:52,080 --> 00:15:54,680 Speaker 1: you know, no matter what. Um, but you're gonna ever 301 00:15:54,800 --> 00:15:57,520 Speaker 1: be their babies when you're also the youngest of many, 302 00:15:57,760 --> 00:15:59,560 Speaker 1: and so you being the youngest, that just made you 303 00:16:00,040 --> 00:16:05,120 Speaker 1: half an If you bro I would not have like 304 00:16:05,160 --> 00:16:07,160 Speaker 1: I grow I grew up in Coney Allen Brooklyn, Coney 305 00:16:07,200 --> 00:16:10,040 Speaker 1: All That's the hood, my guy. And if you would 306 00:16:10,040 --> 00:16:13,000 Speaker 1: have told me then that I lived in the hood, 307 00:16:13,400 --> 00:16:15,960 Speaker 1: I wouldn't have believed you. Because I was able to 308 00:16:15,960 --> 00:16:18,960 Speaker 1: get everything I needed and if I wanted Jordan's you 309 00:16:19,000 --> 00:16:21,880 Speaker 1: can get it right. I needed the new system school 310 00:16:21,880 --> 00:16:24,280 Speaker 1: together you had everything was kind of you know. So 311 00:16:24,360 --> 00:16:26,760 Speaker 1: it's kind of to me and like looking at it, 312 00:16:26,840 --> 00:16:29,000 Speaker 1: I'm like, I didn't realize the life that I was. 313 00:16:29,240 --> 00:16:31,360 Speaker 1: But also, like I said, I think that all contributes 314 00:16:31,360 --> 00:16:32,440 Speaker 1: to the fact that I was the last born and 315 00:16:32,520 --> 00:16:35,160 Speaker 1: just feeling this need to want to step out up 316 00:16:35,240 --> 00:16:38,760 Speaker 1: and be seen up beyond everybody else. Um. And I 317 00:16:38,760 --> 00:16:40,760 Speaker 1: think it kind of has cat like followed me into 318 00:16:40,760 --> 00:16:42,760 Speaker 1: my adult life in a way where I've taken good 319 00:16:42,760 --> 00:16:44,440 Speaker 1: out of that. I'm taking the good bits of that 320 00:16:44,520 --> 00:16:47,240 Speaker 1: in terms of like being seen and being working, working 321 00:16:47,320 --> 00:16:51,200 Speaker 1: and just not constantly trying to be better every day. 322 00:16:51,240 --> 00:16:52,920 Speaker 1: I think that was something that I carried over. I 323 00:16:52,920 --> 00:16:54,480 Speaker 1: don't know if they knew what they were instilling to 324 00:16:54,520 --> 00:16:56,520 Speaker 1: me when it when it was happening, but that ship 325 00:16:56,600 --> 00:16:58,800 Speaker 1: is in my blood. Bro I feel slick. I knew 326 00:16:58,800 --> 00:17:02,960 Speaker 1: Slack in his early twenty I hadn't seen his action. Yeah, 327 00:17:03,000 --> 00:17:06,960 Speaker 1: I mean, I definite would date myself. I mean, but 328 00:17:06,960 --> 00:17:10,520 Speaker 1: but I'm there, But I go home with myself, you know, 329 00:17:11,160 --> 00:17:13,000 Speaker 1: you know what I'm saying. Yeah, I mean, look, I 330 00:17:13,000 --> 00:17:15,280 Speaker 1: think the environment that we are, you know what I mean, 331 00:17:15,320 --> 00:17:17,360 Speaker 1: the feathers that we grew up with, you know, and 332 00:17:17,560 --> 00:17:20,399 Speaker 1: you know it's about you know how many you know 333 00:17:20,600 --> 00:17:23,679 Speaker 1: how many, how many bodies and what you could do 334 00:17:23,800 --> 00:17:27,119 Speaker 1: and you know this, it's that competition, you know right right, 335 00:17:27,240 --> 00:17:29,080 Speaker 1: It's that camaraderie that you go out and you're like, 336 00:17:29,280 --> 00:17:32,400 Speaker 1: I'm gonna get this. And then you know, on top 337 00:17:32,440 --> 00:17:35,280 Speaker 1: of that, you know, my boy Sam so I had, 338 00:17:35,320 --> 00:17:37,119 Speaker 1: I had like he's like an older brother of mine. 339 00:17:37,760 --> 00:17:41,000 Speaker 1: I was also the youngest um and uh he would 340 00:17:41,160 --> 00:17:45,600 Speaker 1: he His job was was a doorman at the biggest 341 00:17:45,640 --> 00:17:49,399 Speaker 1: clubs in New York City. In New York City, so 342 00:17:49,720 --> 00:17:52,159 Speaker 1: I was getting I was going into these clubs. But 343 00:17:52,520 --> 00:17:55,600 Speaker 1: when I was sixteen, So from sixteen by the time 344 00:17:55,640 --> 00:17:58,040 Speaker 1: I was of age, I was like it like the club. 345 00:17:58,119 --> 00:17:59,960 Speaker 1: I was like, come on, I know how to maneuver everything. 346 00:18:00,000 --> 00:18:01,679 Speaker 1: And I was he was giving me drink tickets too, 347 00:18:01,680 --> 00:18:04,119 Speaker 1: because I couldn't afford the drinks. I was like, you 348 00:18:04,119 --> 00:18:09,040 Speaker 1: know to me, like when him locked up even drink tickets, 349 00:18:09,320 --> 00:18:14,119 Speaker 1: what was saying doing right? Well, yeah, I always like 350 00:18:14,160 --> 00:18:15,959 Speaker 1: when you give me the tickets, I always feel for 351 00:18:16,000 --> 00:18:18,360 Speaker 1: the thickness of the stack, you know what. I'd be like, oh, 352 00:18:18,400 --> 00:18:21,520 Speaker 1: I gotta stack to you know what I mean? And so, 353 00:18:21,600 --> 00:18:23,600 Speaker 1: you know the thing. It was so funny too, because 354 00:18:23,600 --> 00:18:24,800 Speaker 1: you know, the girls I'll be talking to in the 355 00:18:24,840 --> 00:18:27,560 Speaker 1: club like oh, your baby, you must be like twenty two, 356 00:18:27,760 --> 00:18:30,920 Speaker 1: twenty one, and I'm like, you know, seventeen, Like yeah, 357 00:18:30,920 --> 00:18:35,240 Speaker 1: you got that right. So yeah, So so you mixed 358 00:18:35,240 --> 00:18:37,200 Speaker 1: that with you know, growing up in New York and 359 00:18:37,359 --> 00:18:39,679 Speaker 1: also my like I said, my mother was a very 360 00:18:39,720 --> 00:18:42,000 Speaker 1: home worker, so she wasn't very She wasn't home a lot, 361 00:18:42,080 --> 00:18:43,920 Speaker 1: you know what I mean, even though she was there 362 00:18:43,920 --> 00:18:46,880 Speaker 1: for me for anything I needed. So you know, I had, 363 00:18:47,280 --> 00:18:49,800 Speaker 1: you know, all of the the ingredients, you know what 364 00:18:49,880 --> 00:18:53,040 Speaker 1: I mean, to get reckless you know, um in the 365 00:18:53,119 --> 00:18:56,280 Speaker 1: city robbed. You know what I thought about. I'm thinking 366 00:18:56,320 --> 00:18:58,679 Speaker 1: about this question. Listen to my brothers. I'm gonna take 367 00:18:58,680 --> 00:19:00,720 Speaker 1: a different cut on it because you was married you 368 00:19:00,880 --> 00:19:03,760 Speaker 1: I was married and I got married at one, So 369 00:19:04,280 --> 00:19:06,920 Speaker 1: you know, at first asked, I would answer the question 370 00:19:06,920 --> 00:19:09,440 Speaker 1: the way they did. Nah. Hell no, I wouldn't date myself. 371 00:19:09,840 --> 00:19:11,960 Speaker 1: But now I think back to like the values that 372 00:19:12,000 --> 00:19:14,480 Speaker 1: my dad had instill then he had he had four fps, Dad, 373 00:19:14,520 --> 00:19:16,480 Speaker 1: forgive me, I gotta I gotta share this with the world. 374 00:19:17,320 --> 00:19:22,959 Speaker 1: Four as when it comes to girls, find him, feel him, 375 00:19:23,920 --> 00:19:27,640 Speaker 1: suck them, and forget him. I knew that, and I'm 376 00:19:27,680 --> 00:19:31,199 Speaker 1: like five, you know what I'm saying. But so so 377 00:19:31,240 --> 00:19:34,760 Speaker 1: that was that was the that was the conditioning. But 378 00:19:34,880 --> 00:19:38,480 Speaker 1: something in my spirit never felt that doesn't feel right 379 00:19:38,600 --> 00:19:41,520 Speaker 1: because it's like, if you abide by that philosophy does 380 00:19:41,520 --> 00:19:43,040 Speaker 1: not explain why you left my mom when we were 381 00:19:43,119 --> 00:19:46,280 Speaker 1: when I was two, and I didn't want that. So 382 00:19:46,359 --> 00:19:49,040 Speaker 1: I was I was a wild ball early. So I 383 00:19:49,040 --> 00:19:51,800 Speaker 1: lost my opportinity at twelve. So all the all the 384 00:19:51,800 --> 00:19:55,040 Speaker 1: buns dudes was getting in college, I was getting buns 385 00:19:55,040 --> 00:19:58,080 Speaker 1: in middle school. So you talked about being exhausted because 386 00:19:58,080 --> 00:20:00,399 Speaker 1: he was in the club early. Because I started early, 387 00:20:01,320 --> 00:20:03,520 Speaker 1: I wasn't trying to give another notch under my belt 388 00:20:03,560 --> 00:20:06,040 Speaker 1: by eighteen, nineteen and twenty. It was about the connection 389 00:20:06,080 --> 00:20:08,520 Speaker 1: and the love. So I was I wasn't. I wasn't. 390 00:20:08,800 --> 00:20:20,000 Speaker 1: I was a serial monogamous slash cheater. Okay, here's the 391 00:20:20,080 --> 00:20:22,920 Speaker 1: meeting behind it. Like every woman that I dated, I 392 00:20:23,040 --> 00:20:26,240 Speaker 1: felt like they was my woman because that's the level 393 00:20:26,280 --> 00:20:29,720 Speaker 1: of chivalry and care giving I gave him. I was 394 00:20:29,720 --> 00:20:32,400 Speaker 1: always a giver because your father was a gentleman. He 395 00:20:32,440 --> 00:20:35,400 Speaker 1: taught you to smooth. He had a gender he had 396 00:20:35,920 --> 00:20:39,480 Speaker 1: when we were talking what I'm saying, so, so I 397 00:20:39,880 --> 00:20:43,119 Speaker 1: never messed with girls to say I did that. I 398 00:20:43,160 --> 00:20:44,760 Speaker 1: messed with him to be like, I wanted to blow 399 00:20:44,760 --> 00:20:46,639 Speaker 1: their minds. I want him to love me. You know 400 00:20:46,680 --> 00:20:48,000 Speaker 1: what I'm saying. I wanted to be the best they 401 00:20:48,040 --> 00:20:51,600 Speaker 1: ever had, the whole thing. So I would definitely date 402 00:20:52,600 --> 00:20:55,440 Speaker 1: young twenty year old r dB because he was a 403 00:20:55,440 --> 00:20:57,480 Speaker 1: good He was a good dude, but you know he 404 00:20:57,560 --> 00:20:59,280 Speaker 1: had some other things he had to work out. You know, 405 00:20:59,320 --> 00:21:01,240 Speaker 1: it's crazy. I I've been I've been with Codeine since 406 00:21:01,280 --> 00:21:03,640 Speaker 1: I was eighteen. Um in my mid twenties, I would 407 00:21:03,680 --> 00:21:06,560 Speaker 1: not date young devot um. It's funny when I watched 408 00:21:06,560 --> 00:21:09,280 Speaker 1: people on social media and even on TV, they're like, oh, 409 00:21:09,320 --> 00:21:12,280 Speaker 1: this is relationship goes and I'm like, y'all see relationship 410 00:21:12,320 --> 00:21:14,720 Speaker 1: goes now. But if y're knew deval and codein in 411 00:21:14,840 --> 00:21:17,359 Speaker 1: two thousand and six two seven, you would be saying 412 00:21:17,359 --> 00:21:19,800 Speaker 1: the same thing. You know what I'm saying that necessarily 413 00:21:19,800 --> 00:21:23,240 Speaker 1: it wasn't because I was a scumbag. And this is 414 00:21:23,240 --> 00:21:25,280 Speaker 1: what you know brings me to have this conversation. I 415 00:21:25,400 --> 00:21:27,760 Speaker 1: realized that I didn't understand what it was to be 416 00:21:28,160 --> 00:21:31,200 Speaker 1: a boyfriend or fiance or a husband. I just didn't 417 00:21:31,280 --> 00:21:34,400 Speaker 1: understand because my father never had that conversation with me 418 00:21:34,840 --> 00:21:38,520 Speaker 1: about what it is to be in a monogamous relationship. 419 00:21:38,640 --> 00:21:40,520 Speaker 1: This is a conversation me and my pops had about 420 00:21:40,520 --> 00:21:45,399 Speaker 1: sex committed about so what you know, I got comums 421 00:21:45,440 --> 00:21:49,960 Speaker 1: in my drawer right said, yeah, good job, that was it, bro, 422 00:21:50,920 --> 00:21:52,960 Speaker 1: that was it. And and here's the thing. My father 423 00:21:53,240 --> 00:21:58,080 Speaker 1: was a mentor to thirty to fifty other young men 424 00:21:58,240 --> 00:22:00,280 Speaker 1: in our community. He ran the Junior aim in the 425 00:22:00,280 --> 00:22:02,800 Speaker 1: Salle Missionary Baptist Church. But he and I never had 426 00:22:02,840 --> 00:22:05,679 Speaker 1: that conversation, so you know, that left me to do 427 00:22:05,720 --> 00:22:07,359 Speaker 1: what I wanted to do my brother. My brother had 428 00:22:07,400 --> 00:22:09,679 Speaker 1: a baby at seventeen. And it's crazy because you mentor 429 00:22:09,720 --> 00:22:12,480 Speaker 1: all these other young men, but I never really felt 430 00:22:12,520 --> 00:22:14,840 Speaker 1: like my father was my mentor. So when I was 431 00:22:14,840 --> 00:22:16,720 Speaker 1: in my twenties, I was being I was being what 432 00:22:16,760 --> 00:22:18,560 Speaker 1: I thought a man was, and I learned a lot 433 00:22:18,840 --> 00:22:20,840 Speaker 1: dude watching rap videos. You know what I'm saying. You 434 00:22:21,040 --> 00:22:23,240 Speaker 1: see chickenie and nice CHICKI want to smash you back. 435 00:22:23,480 --> 00:22:25,600 Speaker 1: But I did learn from my father and my uncle 436 00:22:25,680 --> 00:22:28,680 Speaker 1: Kevin to always respect women. So I was never disrespectful. 437 00:22:29,200 --> 00:22:32,200 Speaker 1: You know what I'm saying. I was never ever disrespectful 438 00:22:32,240 --> 00:22:33,600 Speaker 1: to women. But I just didn't know how to be 439 00:22:33,680 --> 00:22:36,240 Speaker 1: monogamous even though I was trying, you know, and that 440 00:22:36,320 --> 00:22:37,760 Speaker 1: makes me want to you know, made me want to 441 00:22:37,800 --> 00:22:40,119 Speaker 1: ask this question, how do we break that if we 442 00:22:40,200 --> 00:22:43,040 Speaker 1: want to raise young men or even raise young women 443 00:22:43,840 --> 00:22:46,159 Speaker 1: to be in relationships. Because you got two daughters, and 444 00:22:46,200 --> 00:22:47,439 Speaker 1: I always say I want to have a daughter. You 445 00:22:47,440 --> 00:22:49,520 Speaker 1: don't have kids that you have a son, But what 446 00:22:49,600 --> 00:22:51,720 Speaker 1: now is father's We have to start to think about 447 00:22:51,720 --> 00:22:53,520 Speaker 1: what we didn't learn and how we act because we 448 00:22:53,680 --> 00:22:55,800 Speaker 1: just said we all said we wouldn't date out twenty 449 00:22:55,880 --> 00:22:58,520 Speaker 1: year old selves except me, except you. You said you would. 450 00:22:59,440 --> 00:23:03,040 Speaker 1: But there's women out there who are looking to date. 451 00:23:03,640 --> 00:23:05,919 Speaker 1: And there's something that I think Rob said that I 452 00:23:05,920 --> 00:23:08,359 Speaker 1: think women deal with that men don't deal with. Women 453 00:23:08,400 --> 00:23:11,920 Speaker 1: develop faster, both physically and mentally. So I remember in 454 00:23:11,960 --> 00:23:14,440 Speaker 1: high school, all the bad chicks in high school that 455 00:23:14,480 --> 00:23:17,760 Speaker 1: we went high school with the older duds, And I'm 456 00:23:17,760 --> 00:23:21,720 Speaker 1: talking about sophomores. Remember sophomores in high school. Surely you 457 00:23:21,840 --> 00:23:25,600 Speaker 1: fourteen and you would have seen it. He drives, and 458 00:23:25,800 --> 00:23:27,439 Speaker 1: you know what I'm saying. So they've been dealing with 459 00:23:27,560 --> 00:23:30,480 Speaker 1: adult issues from fourteen, So the time they get to twenty, 460 00:23:30,520 --> 00:23:33,159 Speaker 1: they're like, I'm tired of dealing with kids. But us 461 00:23:33,200 --> 00:23:36,280 Speaker 1: as men, we don't get to that point until, like 462 00:23:36,320 --> 00:23:38,480 Speaker 1: you said, were twenty five. Now I'm in that position 463 00:23:38,480 --> 00:23:40,800 Speaker 1: where I can, you know, kind of have fun, and 464 00:23:40,840 --> 00:23:42,520 Speaker 1: then women are kind of like, what I have fun 465 00:23:42,560 --> 00:23:45,280 Speaker 1: from fourteen and twenty, I'm looking for a husband. How 466 00:23:45,320 --> 00:23:47,719 Speaker 1: do we, you know, as fathers, begin to break that 467 00:23:48,000 --> 00:23:50,600 Speaker 1: for our kids, especially our boys, especially because I know 468 00:23:50,720 --> 00:23:53,320 Speaker 1: you got to you got when I got three. What 469 00:23:53,400 --> 00:23:55,840 Speaker 1: do we tell our boys. I mean personally, I feel 470 00:23:55,840 --> 00:23:58,119 Speaker 1: like they have to go through the emotions, you know 471 00:23:58,160 --> 00:24:00,359 Speaker 1: what I mean, Like I wouldn't they gotta. They have 472 00:24:00,440 --> 00:24:02,560 Speaker 1: to learn a lot on them on their own. And 473 00:24:02,960 --> 00:24:05,440 Speaker 1: I wouldn't want to deprive my I wouldn't even want 474 00:24:05,480 --> 00:24:09,560 Speaker 1: my son to be husband material at a team. That's fair. 475 00:24:09,600 --> 00:24:13,000 Speaker 1: I agree with what I'm saying. Let him, let him 476 00:24:13,040 --> 00:24:16,040 Speaker 1: go through things, and obviously, you know, respect, respecting women, 477 00:24:16,080 --> 00:24:18,600 Speaker 1: respecting everybody. You know what I'm saying That just respect 478 00:24:18,600 --> 00:24:22,679 Speaker 1: period is you know, paramount and raising him That's what 479 00:24:22,720 --> 00:24:24,800 Speaker 1: I'm gonna do. But I'm gonna let him do his thing, 480 00:24:24,840 --> 00:24:26,919 Speaker 1: you know what I mean, and until like you know, 481 00:24:27,040 --> 00:24:30,280 Speaker 1: until he starts getting serious about somebody and you know, 482 00:24:30,600 --> 00:24:33,040 Speaker 1: I feel like he's super serious about this this girl, 483 00:24:33,119 --> 00:24:34,680 Speaker 1: and then I can have a talk with him, be 484 00:24:34,720 --> 00:24:38,520 Speaker 1: like all you know, we can't put the age that something. 485 00:24:39,040 --> 00:24:41,080 Speaker 1: Is that the same approach if you have a female daughter, 486 00:24:41,160 --> 00:24:42,600 Speaker 1: Like if you have a daughter, That's what I was 487 00:24:42,640 --> 00:24:45,560 Speaker 1: gonna say, what say, the same energy you put as 488 00:24:45,600 --> 00:24:47,479 Speaker 1: far as how we feel, you know, we give let 489 00:24:47,520 --> 00:24:49,320 Speaker 1: our son just kind of do him and figure it out. 490 00:24:49,520 --> 00:24:51,800 Speaker 1: Are we taking that same angle with our daughters though 491 00:24:51,840 --> 00:24:56,600 Speaker 1: I don't know. I don't know. And here's the issue, though, 492 00:24:56,800 --> 00:24:58,760 Speaker 1: if you're telling your son figure it out, he needs 493 00:24:58,760 --> 00:25:01,040 Speaker 1: people to figure it out with. So if you're not 494 00:25:01,080 --> 00:25:04,360 Speaker 1: gonna raise your daughter to figure it out, then he's 495 00:25:04,359 --> 00:25:06,760 Speaker 1: gonna end up having to take advantage of someone's daughter 496 00:25:06,760 --> 00:25:10,840 Speaker 1: who's trying to date deliberately. So and that's where to me, 497 00:25:10,960 --> 00:25:13,119 Speaker 1: as fathers, we have to figure out what's good for 498 00:25:13,160 --> 00:25:16,200 Speaker 1: our children. Because I don't know the answer. I say 499 00:25:16,200 --> 00:25:18,159 Speaker 1: I want to daughter, right, and I say the king 500 00:25:18,200 --> 00:25:20,399 Speaker 1: all the time, and when I when we have this girl, 501 00:25:20,920 --> 00:25:22,439 Speaker 1: you're gonna have to do this because I don't know 502 00:25:22,440 --> 00:25:24,760 Speaker 1: what to say because I'm telling my boys like slick. 503 00:25:25,480 --> 00:25:27,959 Speaker 1: So listen, you can't go into life thinking I'm going 504 00:25:28,000 --> 00:25:30,600 Speaker 1: to be someone's husband until you explore a little bit. 505 00:25:31,080 --> 00:25:32,639 Speaker 1: You have to You have to know what you like 506 00:25:32,720 --> 00:25:34,600 Speaker 1: and what you don't like. Or maybe that just applies 507 00:25:34,640 --> 00:25:36,720 Speaker 1: for a women too. Maybe that just applies you have 508 00:25:36,760 --> 00:25:39,760 Speaker 1: to explore and just decide what you want. I'm cool 509 00:25:39,800 --> 00:25:41,040 Speaker 1: with it. I'm cool with it, but I don't know 510 00:25:41,119 --> 00:25:43,879 Speaker 1: if it's misogynistic for me to tell a woman to 511 00:25:43,960 --> 00:25:46,240 Speaker 1: go out there and have fun with different gods until 512 00:25:46,280 --> 00:25:48,240 Speaker 1: you figure it out. Because you know what I'm saying, 513 00:25:48,280 --> 00:25:49,840 Speaker 1: how do we how do we as fathers have that 514 00:25:49,880 --> 00:25:54,000 Speaker 1: conversation with our daughters. Oh, you're having the kids, you know. 515 00:25:54,119 --> 00:25:56,360 Speaker 1: But I personally wouldn't say go out and have fun, 516 00:25:56,400 --> 00:25:58,639 Speaker 1: even to my son, go out and just have fun. No. 517 00:25:58,800 --> 00:26:00,760 Speaker 1: I would just kind of feel like it's just own 518 00:26:00,760 --> 00:26:03,840 Speaker 1: conversation and just things that he's experienced. Hopefully I'm at 519 00:26:03,880 --> 00:26:05,880 Speaker 1: a level with my son where he's comfortable to least 520 00:26:05,960 --> 00:26:07,920 Speaker 1: just talk to me. That's the first thing it. Child 521 00:26:07,960 --> 00:26:09,200 Speaker 1: has to be able to come and want and talk 522 00:26:09,200 --> 00:26:11,400 Speaker 1: to you, you know. So if he's able to talk 523 00:26:11,440 --> 00:26:13,960 Speaker 1: to me, I feel like then I can he can 524 00:26:14,040 --> 00:26:15,879 Speaker 1: put trust in me to tell me stuff, and I 525 00:26:15,920 --> 00:26:19,480 Speaker 1: can kind of veer and guide him in the process 526 00:26:19,600 --> 00:26:21,960 Speaker 1: and not necessarily say your guard to knocked down fifty 527 00:26:21,960 --> 00:26:23,159 Speaker 1: girls and then get that out of your system and 528 00:26:23,119 --> 00:26:25,840 Speaker 1: then get married. No, no, no, no, What I mean like, 529 00:26:25,920 --> 00:26:29,160 Speaker 1: kinda put the pass a little bit for him, help 530 00:26:29,200 --> 00:26:31,640 Speaker 1: him pick that rob your daughter, But it's the relationship. 531 00:26:32,760 --> 00:26:37,840 Speaker 1: Your daughter just turned twenty one. What are those conversations? Like? Curious? 532 00:26:37,960 --> 00:26:40,840 Speaker 1: He's gonna be a good dad, bro, be a good dad. Man. 533 00:26:42,040 --> 00:26:45,159 Speaker 1: So here's the thing. Since you framed the question, I 534 00:26:45,160 --> 00:26:46,800 Speaker 1: got to think, and you asked the question, I get 535 00:26:46,800 --> 00:26:49,880 Speaker 1: to thinking about ship introspectively. Right, So there's there's there's 536 00:26:49,880 --> 00:26:54,880 Speaker 1: a difference. The conversation with my son's is twofold. On 537 00:26:54,880 --> 00:26:58,680 Speaker 1: one hand, is idealistic. Listen, sexist, for marriage is sacred. 538 00:26:59,040 --> 00:27:02,240 Speaker 1: You know that course the whole you know the ideal 539 00:27:02,640 --> 00:27:04,639 Speaker 1: and then it's okay, but let me let me, let me, 540 00:27:04,720 --> 00:27:06,680 Speaker 1: let me keep it a hunted with you. You're gonna 541 00:27:06,720 --> 00:27:09,040 Speaker 1: you're gonna get the itch. You're gonna have this dream 542 00:27:09,200 --> 00:27:11,480 Speaker 1: before the dream occurs, so that they're not taking it 543 00:27:11,480 --> 00:27:13,960 Speaker 1: back by that wake up. In this you know, you 544 00:27:14,000 --> 00:27:16,840 Speaker 1: can sol in their drawls. It's like stip dying. You know, 545 00:27:17,840 --> 00:27:21,600 Speaker 1: that's part of the process. Welcome. So I prepared them 546 00:27:21,640 --> 00:27:23,399 Speaker 1: for it. You know, we did the whole condoms in 547 00:27:23,400 --> 00:27:25,359 Speaker 1: the banana joint. Now I did it. Now I just 548 00:27:25,400 --> 00:27:29,320 Speaker 1: gotta because now you demonstrated. So there's this this duality 549 00:27:29,800 --> 00:27:32,639 Speaker 1: ideal versus reality, like the world world that I have 550 00:27:32,720 --> 00:27:35,760 Speaker 1: on my son's. Conversely with my daughter, then there was 551 00:27:35,760 --> 00:27:38,600 Speaker 1: only one part. There was there was no duality. It 552 00:27:38,680 --> 00:27:41,520 Speaker 1: was just all idealism, right, you don't give it away. 553 00:27:42,080 --> 00:27:44,520 Speaker 1: No one's worthy of it. You can get a disease, 554 00:27:44,520 --> 00:27:47,280 Speaker 1: you're gonna get pregnant, wait till you're married. At the 555 00:27:47,320 --> 00:27:52,040 Speaker 1: end of conversation, what happens is some little some little slick, 556 00:27:52,320 --> 00:27:58,280 Speaker 1: some little slick surfect kind of like a little pulls 557 00:27:58,359 --> 00:28:03,200 Speaker 1: up sweet talking move talking, you know, twelfth grade trying 558 00:28:03,200 --> 00:28:05,240 Speaker 1: to mack on my name grade daughter. And now I 559 00:28:05,240 --> 00:28:07,480 Speaker 1: got I'm forced to have the conversation before she gets 560 00:28:07,480 --> 00:28:09,480 Speaker 1: taught by the streets. And so the answer the question is, 561 00:28:09,680 --> 00:28:13,080 Speaker 1: I think for me, I would have the conversation with 562 00:28:13,119 --> 00:28:14,560 Speaker 1: my daughter in the same thing I had it with 563 00:28:14,600 --> 00:28:17,119 Speaker 1: my sons. We would have talked about birth control and 564 00:28:17,160 --> 00:28:19,600 Speaker 1: condoms and things of that nature. I'm always giving a 565 00:28:19,600 --> 00:28:24,040 Speaker 1: new would like looking back, they don't. That's traditional people. 566 00:28:24,520 --> 00:28:28,120 Speaker 1: You do not talk about sex with your daughters. That's 567 00:28:28,240 --> 00:28:31,960 Speaker 1: that's like new parents, millennial that's millennial parents. But I 568 00:28:32,040 --> 00:28:36,080 Speaker 1: understand why you would because I think, and I don't know, 569 00:28:36,680 --> 00:28:39,640 Speaker 1: is it our responsibilities as fathers or does that fall 570 00:28:39,720 --> 00:28:41,880 Speaker 1: on the mom Because I remember t I got a 571 00:28:41,880 --> 00:28:43,720 Speaker 1: lot of flak because he said that he takes his 572 00:28:43,800 --> 00:28:46,440 Speaker 1: daughter to the g y N to check and see 573 00:28:46,440 --> 00:28:48,280 Speaker 1: it from him is still in place now. I think 574 00:28:48,280 --> 00:28:50,320 Speaker 1: that there was a little bit too far. I think 575 00:28:50,360 --> 00:28:53,320 Speaker 1: certain things, especially for a teenage girl. Mom you know, 576 00:28:53,360 --> 00:28:55,360 Speaker 1: mom can do that. But I do know that that 577 00:28:55,480 --> 00:29:01,120 Speaker 1: fathers have a responsibility to be something to the arters 578 00:29:01,160 --> 00:29:03,920 Speaker 1: that is missing in society. You know what I'm saying, Like, 579 00:29:03,920 --> 00:29:06,360 Speaker 1: we have a responsibility, and I think it's unfair for 580 00:29:06,400 --> 00:29:07,800 Speaker 1: us sometimes to be like, you know what, I'm not 581 00:29:07,840 --> 00:29:10,040 Speaker 1: doing it. So I'm trying to figure out with you guys, 582 00:29:10,040 --> 00:29:11,800 Speaker 1: how do we fig about what it is. I definitely 583 00:29:11,840 --> 00:29:14,040 Speaker 1: for my daughter, I definitely want to be the thing 584 00:29:14,160 --> 00:29:19,640 Speaker 1: that um that that that fulfills her want for stuff, 585 00:29:20,040 --> 00:29:22,640 Speaker 1: so she's not wanting from somewhere else, if that makes sense. 586 00:29:22,640 --> 00:29:25,480 Speaker 1: So thats just's just her whatever whatever she needs. Because 587 00:29:25,480 --> 00:29:27,360 Speaker 1: my biggest thing even just growing up, thinking about how 588 00:29:27,360 --> 00:29:29,440 Speaker 1: many my sister grow My sister four years apart, and 589 00:29:29,480 --> 00:29:32,120 Speaker 1: there are things that she might have wanted. But because 590 00:29:32,240 --> 00:29:34,800 Speaker 1: obviously my parents are old district. Well my dad at 591 00:29:34,840 --> 00:29:37,240 Speaker 1: least he wasn't with the ships, so she wasn't gonna 592 00:29:37,240 --> 00:29:38,920 Speaker 1: go out and get it. But I could see how 593 00:29:39,400 --> 00:29:43,160 Speaker 1: if the parent is at least um kind of like 594 00:29:43,200 --> 00:29:44,920 Speaker 1: I want to say, do good and then you get 595 00:29:44,920 --> 00:29:46,720 Speaker 1: good type thing, you know what I mean to build 596 00:29:46,800 --> 00:29:49,000 Speaker 1: that relationship with my daughter at least, so now I 597 00:29:49,080 --> 00:29:51,640 Speaker 1: know that I'm able to give her things that she 598 00:29:51,720 --> 00:29:54,640 Speaker 1: doesn't necessarily that no guy can't impress her with stuff 599 00:29:54,680 --> 00:29:56,920 Speaker 1: outside of the crib type energy, you know what I mean, 600 00:29:56,960 --> 00:29:59,440 Speaker 1: Like whatever, I'm able to provide her with some things 601 00:29:59,480 --> 00:30:02,360 Speaker 1: where she's not like I'm lacking this at home, a radio. 602 00:30:02,480 --> 00:30:04,200 Speaker 1: I've never seen this, so this is new and it's 603 00:30:04,200 --> 00:30:05,760 Speaker 1: amazing to me. So therefore I got to be like 604 00:30:06,080 --> 00:30:09,920 Speaker 1: just all over this particular individual because of so for 605 00:30:10,200 --> 00:30:12,400 Speaker 1: like essay for me is just really just letting her 606 00:30:12,520 --> 00:30:18,600 Speaker 1: get familiar with having um so therefore searching for him, right, 607 00:30:20,200 --> 00:30:22,640 Speaker 1: I would add to that to me and that you 608 00:30:22,920 --> 00:30:24,720 Speaker 1: talk about, you know the role of a man and 609 00:30:24,880 --> 00:30:28,280 Speaker 1: and and rearing a daughter. I think that that every 610 00:30:28,360 --> 00:30:31,160 Speaker 1: child should have male and female energy and therefore male 611 00:30:31,200 --> 00:30:36,600 Speaker 1: and female in that rearing. So I honestly, my wife 612 00:30:36,680 --> 00:30:39,360 Speaker 1: is such an idealist that she couldn't she couldn't deal 613 00:30:39,360 --> 00:30:41,680 Speaker 1: with the real world conversation when any of any of 614 00:30:41,680 --> 00:30:43,880 Speaker 1: the kids. So then I had to be a buffer 615 00:30:43,920 --> 00:30:47,760 Speaker 1: between the ideal and in reality. So our daughter twenty 616 00:30:47,560 --> 00:30:50,479 Speaker 1: one actually should come to me first, But in an 617 00:30:50,520 --> 00:30:52,920 Speaker 1: ideal world, I think mom should be the one to 618 00:30:53,000 --> 00:30:54,680 Speaker 1: have that to keep it a hunted conversation from the 619 00:30:54,720 --> 00:30:58,040 Speaker 1: female perspective. Now I understand what you're saying, because that 620 00:30:58,120 --> 00:30:59,920 Speaker 1: leads me to my next question. We understand that there's 621 00:30:59,920 --> 00:31:02,320 Speaker 1: a duality between raising a boy and raising a girl. 622 00:31:02,760 --> 00:31:04,840 Speaker 1: But as a father, you also have to learn to defer. 623 00:31:05,240 --> 00:31:07,600 Speaker 1: Even though in my household it is a known fact 624 00:31:07,640 --> 00:31:10,720 Speaker 1: that I consider myself the leader in my household. Now 625 00:31:10,720 --> 00:31:13,080 Speaker 1: that doesn't mean as a leader I know all I 626 00:31:13,120 --> 00:31:15,680 Speaker 1: know as a leader, went to defer because my wife 627 00:31:15,840 --> 00:31:20,720 Speaker 1: knows more. Right, when do we defer to our wives 628 00:31:20,760 --> 00:31:23,280 Speaker 1: or the mother of our children with raising our boys, 629 00:31:23,320 --> 00:31:26,600 Speaker 1: because we often, as as fathers, feel like we know 630 00:31:26,640 --> 00:31:28,640 Speaker 1: how to raise boys. You don't tell me how to 631 00:31:28,720 --> 00:31:31,520 Speaker 1: raise my son. But we just made it very clear 632 00:31:31,560 --> 00:31:34,200 Speaker 1: here that there is a responsibility for a father with 633 00:31:34,280 --> 00:31:36,680 Speaker 1: raising a daughter. Should we do a better job of 634 00:31:36,760 --> 00:31:42,080 Speaker 1: having our mother's involved with raising our sons? Absolutely, you 635 00:31:42,120 --> 00:31:44,720 Speaker 1: were raised by your mom? Yeah so, And I think 636 00:31:45,560 --> 00:31:48,520 Speaker 1: it actually it goes too fold right because I feel 637 00:31:48,560 --> 00:31:52,920 Speaker 1: like when you have a daughter, if you're this role 638 00:31:52,960 --> 00:31:56,520 Speaker 1: model in this kind of you know, figure that you're 639 00:31:56,520 --> 00:31:58,600 Speaker 1: showing her what a good man is, you know what 640 00:31:58,680 --> 00:32:01,840 Speaker 1: I mean, and what a good man should be. You know, 641 00:32:03,080 --> 00:32:06,360 Speaker 1: you would think that that's what they would get attracted to, right, 642 00:32:06,440 --> 00:32:09,280 Speaker 1: because that's on the flip side, you know, that's what 643 00:32:09,440 --> 00:32:12,479 Speaker 1: my mom was. And so if I was gonna marry 644 00:32:12,520 --> 00:32:15,880 Speaker 1: some you know, I'm gonna marry someone you know, like 645 00:32:15,920 --> 00:32:19,080 Speaker 1: my mom. A boy's first question as his mom. They 646 00:32:19,120 --> 00:32:22,320 Speaker 1: say that sounds creepy, but that's the truth. Yeah, So 647 00:32:22,440 --> 00:32:24,800 Speaker 1: you know I ended up marrying and every woman with 648 00:32:25,080 --> 00:32:28,280 Speaker 1: similar principles, you know for the most part, and um, 649 00:32:28,720 --> 00:32:31,520 Speaker 1: and knowing that she's gonna she's already an amazing mother. 650 00:32:31,800 --> 00:32:33,960 Speaker 1: So I mean, those things are you know. I feel 651 00:32:33,960 --> 00:32:37,600 Speaker 1: like our you know, paramount for you know, sculpting what 652 00:32:37,800 --> 00:32:40,280 Speaker 1: your child is going to be attracted to, you know 653 00:32:40,320 --> 00:32:42,480 Speaker 1: what I mean, and end up and hopefully end up with, 654 00:32:42,640 --> 00:32:48,520 Speaker 1: you know, for for forever, Bob. Because here's my thing, 655 00:32:48,800 --> 00:32:50,440 Speaker 1: Because once we answer this question, I have a follow 656 00:32:50,520 --> 00:32:53,560 Speaker 1: up question. Now that we understand the duality to be 657 00:32:53,560 --> 00:32:57,280 Speaker 1: between raising boys and girls, we understand the importance of 658 00:32:57,280 --> 00:32:59,400 Speaker 1: having a father figure in the role of our daughters. 659 00:32:59,760 --> 00:33:02,480 Speaker 1: But as fathers often time we pushed mothers aside when 660 00:33:02,560 --> 00:33:05,040 Speaker 1: raising our sons because we feel like I'm a man, 661 00:33:05,120 --> 00:33:07,520 Speaker 1: I know how to raise a man. Speak to the 662 00:33:07,560 --> 00:33:10,680 Speaker 1: importance now that we've already discussed the importance of a 663 00:33:10,800 --> 00:33:14,240 Speaker 1: father and a daughter's life, of having a mother helped 664 00:33:14,320 --> 00:33:16,520 Speaker 1: raise your son, to be honest, and how that was 665 00:33:16,560 --> 00:33:18,840 Speaker 1: with you in your house, but being honest, I was 666 00:33:18,920 --> 00:33:22,960 Speaker 1: with my mother at the time actually, to be honest, 667 00:33:23,000 --> 00:33:25,280 Speaker 1: like my dad came home, he was gone all day 668 00:33:25,280 --> 00:33:27,560 Speaker 1: at work, he'd come home at night time. I'd see 669 00:33:27,600 --> 00:33:29,360 Speaker 1: him for the time that I was up before up 670 00:33:29,440 --> 00:33:31,640 Speaker 1: until he says time to go to bed. And that 671 00:33:31,680 --> 00:33:34,800 Speaker 1: was the relationship as far as like, uh, seeing and 672 00:33:34,840 --> 00:33:36,800 Speaker 1: just being around him all the time. Of course, he 673 00:33:36,880 --> 00:33:38,360 Speaker 1: got weekends and you know things like that, you can 674 00:33:38,480 --> 00:33:40,200 Speaker 1: hang out with one church and all other stuff. But 675 00:33:40,480 --> 00:33:43,160 Speaker 1: for the most part Monday through Friday, it was me 676 00:33:43,200 --> 00:33:45,680 Speaker 1: and mom Duke, so a lot of my stuff, like 677 00:33:45,760 --> 00:33:48,240 Speaker 1: everything that I've kind of learned, Like for example, I 678 00:33:48,320 --> 00:33:51,000 Speaker 1: never had a sex talk of my parents, never, not once. Never. 679 00:33:51,240 --> 00:33:53,560 Speaker 1: I mean it was probably just too taboo for them 680 00:33:53,600 --> 00:33:57,440 Speaker 1: even you know, because being them being foreigners, um older 681 00:33:57,480 --> 00:34:00,360 Speaker 1: foreigners from Ghana, like just to come back and be here. 682 00:34:00,680 --> 00:34:03,360 Speaker 1: I think they felt that was probably, to be honest, 683 00:34:03,400 --> 00:34:05,880 Speaker 1: maybe like a custom that was more Western, like a 684 00:34:05,920 --> 00:34:08,920 Speaker 1: Western customer conversation, right, you know what I mean? Because 685 00:34:09,320 --> 00:34:11,440 Speaker 1: um So, I never I never had that conversation with 686 00:34:11,440 --> 00:34:13,719 Speaker 1: my parents about sex period, you know, just kind of 687 00:34:13,719 --> 00:34:15,440 Speaker 1: like tryal error figured out, just make sure you wear 688 00:34:15,480 --> 00:34:18,320 Speaker 1: a condom, you know, kind of thing, just having conversations 689 00:34:18,320 --> 00:34:22,040 Speaker 1: with friends, watching things on TV. Um So, to answer 690 00:34:22,120 --> 00:34:27,160 Speaker 1: your question, Um, I think the dad's role is super important. 691 00:34:27,200 --> 00:34:29,880 Speaker 1: But in my case, my dad was there. But I 692 00:34:29,880 --> 00:34:32,800 Speaker 1: feel like I learned a lot more from my mother though, 693 00:34:33,040 --> 00:34:34,880 Speaker 1: you know, Like somebody said to me one time. He 694 00:34:34,960 --> 00:34:37,880 Speaker 1: was like, um he said, it's super important to have 695 00:34:37,960 --> 00:34:39,880 Speaker 1: like a dad around, you know, And I was like, no, absolutely. 696 00:34:39,880 --> 00:34:41,480 Speaker 1: He's like, you know, just the little things like when 697 00:34:41,520 --> 00:34:42,960 Speaker 1: you go to the bathroom and you take a piss, 698 00:34:43,000 --> 00:34:44,560 Speaker 1: you know what I mean, Like how you dangle you 699 00:34:44,640 --> 00:34:46,560 Speaker 1: dangle your dick to lit that drip. You know, just 700 00:34:46,680 --> 00:34:49,080 Speaker 1: make sure you're not putting the PISSI dick tipped in 701 00:34:49,080 --> 00:34:56,680 Speaker 1: the back of that. That's something I went and I 702 00:34:56,719 --> 00:35:00,920 Speaker 1: feel like that's something that a lady techically wouldn't know 703 00:35:01,080 --> 00:35:04,279 Speaker 1: to have to dangle the dick to right, you know, 704 00:35:04,360 --> 00:35:07,800 Speaker 1: So I don't want to stay in the US. And 705 00:35:07,800 --> 00:35:09,360 Speaker 1: in fact, then we used to way to Tidy White's 706 00:35:09,360 --> 00:35:11,880 Speaker 1: and it's all bad. But so a lot of my 707 00:35:12,040 --> 00:35:15,400 Speaker 1: learning I learned from my mother. So in addition to 708 00:35:15,480 --> 00:35:17,120 Speaker 1: learning from my mother, I also, like I said, I 709 00:35:17,120 --> 00:35:20,359 Speaker 1: had older brothers. So my older brothers who lived with 710 00:35:20,400 --> 00:35:22,200 Speaker 1: me kind of put me on game and just kind 711 00:35:22,200 --> 00:35:24,600 Speaker 1: of school me. Cousins and all that. But a lot 712 00:35:24,640 --> 00:35:28,600 Speaker 1: of my my mainly learnings, I guess I didn't really honestly. 713 00:35:28,600 --> 00:35:30,040 Speaker 1: I learned how to treat a woman, of course, and 714 00:35:30,080 --> 00:35:31,920 Speaker 1: I've seen how my dad treat my mom, so that 715 00:35:32,000 --> 00:35:34,799 Speaker 1: in itself, Like my parents been together for fifty plus years. Bro, 716 00:35:35,520 --> 00:35:38,000 Speaker 1: that is my mom's first and last you know what 717 00:35:38,040 --> 00:35:39,919 Speaker 1: I'm saying. My mom never been with no other guy 718 00:35:39,960 --> 00:35:42,600 Speaker 1: but my dad, so they've been together for ever. So 719 00:35:42,640 --> 00:35:44,480 Speaker 1: I have an older I have a brother that's fifties, 720 00:35:44,520 --> 00:35:46,680 Speaker 1: so that lets me know that they've been they've been 721 00:35:46,719 --> 00:35:49,799 Speaker 1: together even right for a minute, so I know that 722 00:35:49,840 --> 00:35:53,040 Speaker 1: they're UM. I would say their practices now that I'm older, 723 00:35:53,160 --> 00:35:55,600 Speaker 1: some of it I definitely won't. I won't practice with 724 00:35:55,680 --> 00:35:57,920 Speaker 1: my kids um, but a lot of it, a lot 725 00:35:58,000 --> 00:35:59,520 Speaker 1: of it was was good, but they were you know, 726 00:35:59,600 --> 00:36:01,080 Speaker 1: like I said, there's just some things that you just 727 00:36:01,160 --> 00:36:04,279 Speaker 1: kind of gotta bury as you get older, as far 728 00:36:04,320 --> 00:36:07,719 Speaker 1: as like um ways they might have raised you, things 729 00:36:07,719 --> 00:36:09,480 Speaker 1: they might have said while raising you just kind of 730 00:36:09,520 --> 00:36:11,400 Speaker 1: got to bury some of those and know that that's 731 00:36:11,440 --> 00:36:14,640 Speaker 1: not something that I want to um put my child 732 00:36:14,640 --> 00:36:16,480 Speaker 1: through or just you know, say to my kids when 733 00:36:16,600 --> 00:36:19,160 Speaker 1: you know when their things are going dad, or some shure. 734 00:36:19,280 --> 00:36:21,400 Speaker 1: So I have a question for Rob because you got married. 735 00:36:22,800 --> 00:36:25,759 Speaker 1: You've been with Courtney for how long? Twenty years? Right 736 00:36:26,719 --> 00:36:30,120 Speaker 1: when we were that is love when we were all 737 00:36:30,160 --> 00:36:33,680 Speaker 1: in that dating process right as now, because you weren't 738 00:36:33,680 --> 00:36:36,080 Speaker 1: father's in, were you thinking about this woman might be 739 00:36:36,120 --> 00:36:39,279 Speaker 1: the mother to my kids when you were dating going 740 00:36:39,280 --> 00:36:42,280 Speaker 1: through these process or was it just like I'm gonna 741 00:36:42,320 --> 00:36:45,920 Speaker 1: smash you knew? So my my my girl was my 742 00:36:45,960 --> 00:36:50,319 Speaker 1: friend first, we were like homies. And to your point 743 00:36:50,360 --> 00:36:53,239 Speaker 1: about you know the impact of a woman or a 744 00:36:53,320 --> 00:36:56,600 Speaker 1: mom in the life of boys, my mom was my 745 00:36:56,800 --> 00:36:59,879 Speaker 1: model for womanhood, just because my dad was my model 746 00:36:59,920 --> 00:37:04,200 Speaker 1: for madness. So in my mind, a woman worked, a 747 00:37:04,280 --> 00:37:08,239 Speaker 1: woman still cooked and still cleaned, and still tended to 748 00:37:08,239 --> 00:37:12,160 Speaker 1: the children that my mom she did. So my wife 749 00:37:12,200 --> 00:37:15,920 Speaker 1: showed up. She was she was the strongest woman that 750 00:37:16,000 --> 00:37:20,919 Speaker 1: I've ever met, aside from my mom. So I dated 751 00:37:20,920 --> 00:37:23,399 Speaker 1: other girls before, but they would break down it's kind 752 00:37:23,440 --> 00:37:26,560 Speaker 1: of league. But my wife. So I started to see 753 00:37:26,600 --> 00:37:29,279 Speaker 1: these qualities. I wasn't intentional about it, because again he 754 00:37:29,320 --> 00:37:32,000 Speaker 1: was homies. But I begin to see these qualities. I'm like, yo, 755 00:37:32,360 --> 00:37:34,320 Speaker 1: after like six months of friendship, I was like, she 756 00:37:34,400 --> 00:37:37,520 Speaker 1: got everything that I wanted. A woman to a movie, 757 00:37:39,680 --> 00:37:42,160 Speaker 1: had a girlfriend high school, sweetheart, was a track star 758 00:37:42,160 --> 00:37:45,480 Speaker 1: at how State. So um, you know, but this this 759 00:37:45,480 --> 00:37:48,680 Speaker 1: this you know, love interest, this friendship became a love intress. 760 00:37:49,160 --> 00:37:51,720 Speaker 1: And to your point, when I made her my girl, 761 00:37:52,280 --> 00:37:54,840 Speaker 1: I knew, Like when I told her you my girl, 762 00:37:54,960 --> 00:37:58,800 Speaker 1: I knew it was over. I was. I was eighteen 763 00:37:58,880 --> 00:38:02,280 Speaker 1: nineteen at that time. Serious, I knew, thinking that's mad. Serious. 764 00:38:02,880 --> 00:38:05,399 Speaker 1: I mean, think about it, eighteen You're in college going 765 00:38:05,400 --> 00:38:09,160 Speaker 1: into college, right, So I was right. So some cases, 766 00:38:09,760 --> 00:38:11,080 Speaker 1: folks is trying to figure out what they want to 767 00:38:11,080 --> 00:38:12,480 Speaker 1: do as far as career wise, even you know what 768 00:38:12,560 --> 00:38:14,200 Speaker 1: I mean, And I'm here, I am making a real 769 00:38:14,280 --> 00:38:17,480 Speaker 1: decision at twenty one or eight team to say I 770 00:38:17,520 --> 00:38:19,879 Speaker 1: want to marry that's that's that's real and get down. 771 00:38:19,920 --> 00:38:23,279 Speaker 1: So you know what I said, you weren't scared at 772 00:38:23,320 --> 00:38:26,600 Speaker 1: eighteen because because Corney also had a child and they met. 773 00:38:27,040 --> 00:38:28,520 Speaker 1: So I was like, you wasn't afraid to be a 774 00:38:28,520 --> 00:38:31,840 Speaker 1: stepfather at eighteen, Like what was going through your mind? 775 00:38:31,840 --> 00:38:34,439 Speaker 1: Point because at eighteen, I wasn't thinking about even being 776 00:38:34,680 --> 00:38:37,440 Speaker 1: a boyfriend to anybody. I told codeine verbatim, I'm like, 777 00:38:37,440 --> 00:38:39,200 Speaker 1: I'm not trying to do this. I said, you're perfect. 778 00:38:39,239 --> 00:38:41,520 Speaker 1: I think you're perfect if I could have things my way. 779 00:38:41,520 --> 00:38:43,279 Speaker 1: And this is going to sound misogynistic, but I said, 780 00:38:43,280 --> 00:38:45,279 Speaker 1: I would put you in the glass case from the 781 00:38:45,320 --> 00:38:51,319 Speaker 1: sign until I get right. And men think that, men 782 00:38:51,400 --> 00:38:53,560 Speaker 1: think that, you know what, I'm like that, and I 783 00:38:53,600 --> 00:38:56,080 Speaker 1: felt like I wanted yo, and this is what Kay 784 00:38:56,120 --> 00:39:00,320 Speaker 1: said case I'm not doing that. Ship. I was like, 785 00:39:00,600 --> 00:39:03,080 Speaker 1: I guess I gotta try this anogamy things, you know, 786 00:39:03,120 --> 00:39:04,960 Speaker 1: and I end up trying it until we get married 787 00:39:04,960 --> 00:39:07,640 Speaker 1: and now we have three kids in this life. But 788 00:39:08,360 --> 00:39:10,600 Speaker 1: it just it makes me think about all the things 789 00:39:10,600 --> 00:39:12,200 Speaker 1: and the reason why I wanted to have this discussion 790 00:39:12,239 --> 00:39:15,480 Speaker 1: with you guys is because I think women and other 791 00:39:15,480 --> 00:39:18,000 Speaker 1: men who don't have father figures need to hear the 792 00:39:18,000 --> 00:39:21,520 Speaker 1: thought process for men as we're going through the dating process. 793 00:39:21,640 --> 00:39:24,400 Speaker 1: We've already all admitted that we wouldn't have dated ourselves 794 00:39:24,680 --> 00:39:27,319 Speaker 1: if I was a single woman. And the thing is 795 00:39:27,680 --> 00:39:29,560 Speaker 1: you you proved that because you got married at twenty 796 00:39:29,600 --> 00:39:32,920 Speaker 1: one and you've been married because I've worked through everything, 797 00:39:32,920 --> 00:39:35,239 Speaker 1: which shows that you have longevity, you know, But I 798 00:39:35,760 --> 00:39:37,880 Speaker 1: wouldn't have married myself in my twenties. We all we 799 00:39:37,960 --> 00:39:42,160 Speaker 1: all talked about looking for women who remind us of 800 00:39:42,200 --> 00:39:44,560 Speaker 1: our wives. Only when I didn't say that was bafo 801 00:39:45,120 --> 00:39:48,120 Speaker 1: because you haven't found you haven't found the mrs right yet. 802 00:39:48,400 --> 00:39:52,080 Speaker 1: But we all say that mondest of our moms, monest 803 00:39:52,120 --> 00:39:53,680 Speaker 1: of our moms, because we've all found someone in the 804 00:39:53,719 --> 00:39:57,560 Speaker 1: monest of our moms, and also finding a woman that 805 00:39:58,280 --> 00:40:01,200 Speaker 1: can be a good mom to our kids. Like these 806 00:40:01,200 --> 00:40:04,239 Speaker 1: are the thought processes as men of what when we 807 00:40:04,280 --> 00:40:08,000 Speaker 1: start to date? Seriously? Right? So I have one final question, 808 00:40:08,120 --> 00:40:10,040 Speaker 1: one final question, now that we know all of this, 809 00:40:10,880 --> 00:40:12,680 Speaker 1: how do you think you can father? What's the best 810 00:40:12,680 --> 00:40:17,080 Speaker 1: way to father? Mm? Hm, Like like knowing everything you 811 00:40:17,120 --> 00:40:19,040 Speaker 1: know now, what would be the best way. You you 812 00:40:19,080 --> 00:40:20,440 Speaker 1: have the woman that you want to live the rest 813 00:40:20,440 --> 00:40:22,759 Speaker 1: of your life with, you have kids, what would you 814 00:40:22,800 --> 00:40:24,440 Speaker 1: say would be your things that you know in order 815 00:40:24,480 --> 00:40:26,439 Speaker 1: for me to be considered a good father, I would 816 00:40:26,480 --> 00:40:29,000 Speaker 1: do these things. I would instill these qualities, and I 817 00:40:29,000 --> 00:40:32,560 Speaker 1: would behave this way. I'll start, I'll start, I'll start. 818 00:40:33,320 --> 00:40:37,640 Speaker 1: For me, it would be creating a safe space for 819 00:40:37,719 --> 00:40:40,319 Speaker 1: my kids first, so that they can be exactly who 820 00:40:40,400 --> 00:40:43,080 Speaker 1: they are. Right And I'm gonna say something right now 821 00:40:43,120 --> 00:40:45,279 Speaker 1: that's gonna sound crazy, especially from where we came from, 822 00:40:45,440 --> 00:40:50,480 Speaker 1: because we grew up in Brooklyn during the nineties, where 823 00:40:51,320 --> 00:40:56,080 Speaker 1: homosexuality was like you couldn't even if someone said anything 824 00:40:56,120 --> 00:40:59,279 Speaker 1: to you, but you would be piste off. Now did 825 00:40:59,320 --> 00:41:01,879 Speaker 1: I have kids. I can tell you right now, if 826 00:41:01,880 --> 00:41:03,759 Speaker 1: one of my kids came to me and said that 827 00:41:03,840 --> 00:41:09,399 Speaker 1: he was gay, homosexual, I'd be cool with it. Growing up, 828 00:41:10,760 --> 00:41:12,880 Speaker 1: I never thought that that would be where what it was. 829 00:41:13,400 --> 00:41:16,640 Speaker 1: But when you learn to love someone unconditionally and you 830 00:41:16,680 --> 00:41:18,560 Speaker 1: have kids and you can see in their eyes who 831 00:41:18,600 --> 00:41:20,839 Speaker 1: they really are, you start to realize as a parent 832 00:41:20,880 --> 00:41:24,680 Speaker 1: that it doesn't matter what their sexual orientation is, who 833 00:41:24,719 --> 00:41:27,719 Speaker 1: what God they pray to. This is my son or 834 00:41:27,760 --> 00:41:30,520 Speaker 1: my daughter. So the first thing I would say is 835 00:41:30,520 --> 00:41:33,600 Speaker 1: created a safe space so my kids can be exactly 836 00:41:33,719 --> 00:41:37,720 Speaker 1: who they want to be all the time. The second 837 00:41:37,719 --> 00:41:39,080 Speaker 1: thing I would be I would say, and this is 838 00:41:39,080 --> 00:41:41,000 Speaker 1: the last thing, is that I would find a mate 839 00:41:41,920 --> 00:41:45,840 Speaker 1: that would be able to parent with the same vigor 840 00:41:46,800 --> 00:41:51,440 Speaker 1: for parenthood that I have, because it's unfair for for 841 00:41:51,480 --> 00:41:53,960 Speaker 1: my kids to only have one. You know, if this 842 00:41:54,000 --> 00:41:56,320 Speaker 1: is a parent, if this is a partnership, I would 843 00:41:56,320 --> 00:41:59,160 Speaker 1: want someone who is just as invigorated by it, and 844 00:41:59,200 --> 00:42:01,440 Speaker 1: I would want I would want that person to just 845 00:42:01,480 --> 00:42:04,000 Speaker 1: be as excited every morning to wake up about parenting. 846 00:42:04,239 --> 00:42:06,200 Speaker 1: How we parent is going to change because I know 847 00:42:06,280 --> 00:42:07,839 Speaker 1: things in my house is gonna be different from things 848 00:42:07,840 --> 00:42:10,120 Speaker 1: in your house. Things different in your house, things different 849 00:42:10,120 --> 00:42:12,600 Speaker 1: your house. But I know that those two things matter 850 00:42:12,680 --> 00:42:16,560 Speaker 1: the most to me. What you think I mean, I 851 00:42:16,600 --> 00:42:19,920 Speaker 1: agree completely. I think you know leading by example, you know, 852 00:42:20,120 --> 00:42:23,680 Speaker 1: first and foremost, making sure that, like you said, there's 853 00:42:23,719 --> 00:42:27,280 Speaker 1: a safe place, a safe place for them to be comfortable. Uh. 854 00:42:27,320 --> 00:42:30,839 Speaker 1: And I feel like making sure that they don't only 855 00:42:30,880 --> 00:42:33,319 Speaker 1: see you as a parent, but the best friend you know, 856 00:42:33,520 --> 00:42:35,160 Speaker 1: And I think you know like I see you with 857 00:42:35,239 --> 00:42:37,520 Speaker 1: Jackson you know what I mean. Um, I feel like 858 00:42:37,520 --> 00:42:39,760 Speaker 1: you guys have that relationship and I feel like that's crucial, 859 00:42:39,880 --> 00:42:41,560 Speaker 1: you know what I mean, because they because if they 860 00:42:41,600 --> 00:42:44,799 Speaker 1: feel like they can come to you with anything, then 861 00:42:44,880 --> 00:42:48,680 Speaker 1: like that's the foundation that's of a good parenting, you 862 00:42:48,719 --> 00:42:50,960 Speaker 1: know what I mean. Because now you know what they're feeling, 863 00:42:51,080 --> 00:42:53,120 Speaker 1: you can really help guide them, you know what I mean. 864 00:42:53,160 --> 00:42:56,239 Speaker 1: And you're not going to you know, implement you know 865 00:42:56,440 --> 00:42:59,200 Speaker 1: your way of thinking or you know the way you 866 00:42:59,239 --> 00:43:00,920 Speaker 1: want them to be, you know what I mean. You 867 00:43:00,960 --> 00:43:03,799 Speaker 1: can hear how they're feeling and here exactly what their 868 00:43:03,800 --> 00:43:06,200 Speaker 1: mental state is at and be able to just help 869 00:43:06,280 --> 00:43:08,080 Speaker 1: them be who they want to be, you know what 870 00:43:08,160 --> 00:43:10,359 Speaker 1: I mean, rather than shifting them the way you want 871 00:43:10,360 --> 00:43:11,600 Speaker 1: to be or whatever. Like you said, like you know, 872 00:43:11,640 --> 00:43:14,320 Speaker 1: if if one of your kids say, AM homosexual or whatever, 873 00:43:14,680 --> 00:43:16,600 Speaker 1: at least you know that you know they can't. They 874 00:43:16,640 --> 00:43:19,640 Speaker 1: were comfortable enough telling you that you have to tell 875 00:43:19,640 --> 00:43:22,279 Speaker 1: you that. So now you can help guide them, you know, 876 00:43:22,760 --> 00:43:24,719 Speaker 1: to to be you know, the best person they can 877 00:43:24,719 --> 00:43:27,239 Speaker 1: be with that sexual orientation. You know, so they're not 878 00:43:27,280 --> 00:43:29,239 Speaker 1: reckless or not you know they're not knowing what to 879 00:43:29,280 --> 00:43:31,560 Speaker 1: do or not angry or not, you know, projecting the 880 00:43:31,600 --> 00:43:34,520 Speaker 1: opposite on somebody. You know, there's mad people who are bullied, 881 00:43:34,520 --> 00:43:37,440 Speaker 1: who are homos that are bullying you know, other homos 882 00:43:37,480 --> 00:43:40,480 Speaker 1: because they're scared to come out of the closet themselves. 883 00:43:40,600 --> 00:43:42,120 Speaker 1: You know what I mean? Do you say that because 884 00:43:42,160 --> 00:43:44,560 Speaker 1: I have a home I have a homeboy whose son 885 00:43:45,360 --> 00:43:47,200 Speaker 1: and he asked me, this is and this is how 886 00:43:47,239 --> 00:43:50,560 Speaker 1: all these things happen because the whole, the whole paradigm 887 00:43:50,600 --> 00:43:52,880 Speaker 1: is shifting. He's a black man, and he said, my 888 00:43:52,920 --> 00:43:55,080 Speaker 1: son is gay. I know he's gay, but he hasn't 889 00:43:55,120 --> 00:43:57,239 Speaker 1: come out and told me yet because he's afraid. And 890 00:43:57,320 --> 00:43:59,319 Speaker 1: I don't want to bring it to him because that's 891 00:43:59,440 --> 00:44:03,120 Speaker 1: his to tell. And I don't want to endanger our 892 00:44:03,560 --> 00:44:05,480 Speaker 1: our peace and out home because he feels like I 893 00:44:05,560 --> 00:44:08,600 Speaker 1: was snooping or spying. But his son is very aggressive. 894 00:44:09,200 --> 00:44:12,480 Speaker 1: And his son got into a fight in school because 895 00:44:12,560 --> 00:44:15,280 Speaker 1: the dude called him the f work, so he beat 896 00:44:15,400 --> 00:44:18,080 Speaker 1: the dude. Now that since his kid plays football, so 897 00:44:18,120 --> 00:44:20,839 Speaker 1: he's he's a big kid, but he's like devout. How 898 00:44:20,880 --> 00:44:24,799 Speaker 1: do I present to my son that I love him regardless? 899 00:44:25,520 --> 00:44:27,440 Speaker 1: How do I and and this is a dude that 900 00:44:27,560 --> 00:44:31,040 Speaker 1: like me was it alpha male? And I'll honestly say, 901 00:44:31,120 --> 00:44:32,880 Speaker 1: when I was growing up, saying the F word was 902 00:44:32,960 --> 00:44:35,080 Speaker 1: like anything else. It was like saying the N word, 903 00:44:35,160 --> 00:44:38,080 Speaker 1: Like you didn't realize the impact it had on people. 904 00:44:38,480 --> 00:44:39,600 Speaker 1: You know what I'm saying. You didn't have it. So 905 00:44:39,640 --> 00:44:41,920 Speaker 1: he used to throw it around like it was nothing. 906 00:44:42,000 --> 00:44:44,000 Speaker 1: And he was like, I didn't realize until I'm older 907 00:44:44,000 --> 00:44:46,400 Speaker 1: than I had kids. And then he said something to 908 00:44:46,440 --> 00:44:49,520 Speaker 1: me that was so eye opening to me. He said, devout, 909 00:44:50,400 --> 00:44:52,080 Speaker 1: I look at my son, and I can tell that 910 00:44:52,160 --> 00:44:56,239 Speaker 1: my son is struggling because my son feels like if 911 00:44:56,280 --> 00:44:58,839 Speaker 1: he if he chose, he wouldn't have chose this if 912 00:44:58,880 --> 00:45:02,360 Speaker 1: he had a choice, But he doesn't feel like he 913 00:45:02,440 --> 00:45:05,839 Speaker 1: has a choice. And he's gay. And he said, as 914 00:45:05,840 --> 00:45:07,840 Speaker 1: a father and made me realize that who am I 915 00:45:07,920 --> 00:45:10,759 Speaker 1: to judge someone who doesn't have a choice on who 916 00:45:10,800 --> 00:45:13,120 Speaker 1: they love. That's who he loves. And when you have 917 00:45:13,400 --> 00:45:16,439 Speaker 1: a son like it's unconditional, He said that I never 918 00:45:16,480 --> 00:45:18,160 Speaker 1: thought in a million years. He started looking at my 919 00:45:18,200 --> 00:45:20,440 Speaker 1: son and I just I want to hug him, but 920 00:45:20,440 --> 00:45:22,040 Speaker 1: he said, what do I do? What do I tell them? 921 00:45:22,040 --> 00:45:24,960 Speaker 1: So y'all, I'm asking y'all for advice because I didn't 922 00:45:24,960 --> 00:45:26,640 Speaker 1: know what to tell him because I was just like, 923 00:45:26,680 --> 00:45:28,560 Speaker 1: you know, tell him that, you know. But then I'm thinking, like, no, 924 00:45:28,640 --> 00:45:30,120 Speaker 1: you can't tell him that, because then he's gonna want 925 00:45:30,120 --> 00:45:31,680 Speaker 1: to know how you know what you're snooping on me? 926 00:45:31,760 --> 00:45:33,680 Speaker 1: And by giving on something that shows that, oh my god, 927 00:45:33,719 --> 00:45:36,000 Speaker 1: everyone knows you know. And then I was like, what 928 00:45:36,040 --> 00:45:37,440 Speaker 1: do you wait for him to tell you and let 929 00:45:37,480 --> 00:45:39,440 Speaker 1: these things happen? So what do y'all think he should do? 930 00:45:39,880 --> 00:45:42,279 Speaker 1: I would? I would, I would engage in. First of all, 931 00:45:42,360 --> 00:45:45,000 Speaker 1: he talked about creating a safe space. Yeah, that's imperative, 932 00:45:45,440 --> 00:45:47,640 Speaker 1: but I would engage in a lot of questioning that 933 00:45:47,680 --> 00:45:49,640 Speaker 1: led to the at least gave him the space for 934 00:45:49,680 --> 00:45:52,800 Speaker 1: the truth to emerge, Like I ain't gon lot of you. 935 00:45:52,840 --> 00:45:55,800 Speaker 1: I had a conversation with my oldest, my oldest whenever 936 00:45:55,880 --> 00:45:58,080 Speaker 1: brand girls around. You know, he's a pretty like he's 937 00:45:58,080 --> 00:46:00,000 Speaker 1: a he's a good looking man. You know, he's like 938 00:46:00,520 --> 00:46:02,759 Speaker 1: it's like prints like he prints print, you know what 939 00:46:02,800 --> 00:46:06,640 Speaker 1: I mean. I'm like, yo, yo, if there's anybody like this, 940 00:46:06,800 --> 00:46:09,399 Speaker 1: there's there's homosexuality lating throughout my family on both sides, 941 00:46:09,440 --> 00:46:11,680 Speaker 1: every generation. So I'm like yo, this is this is 942 00:46:11,880 --> 00:46:14,600 Speaker 1: he's our generation. So I asked a series of questions 943 00:46:14,719 --> 00:46:17,080 Speaker 1: because he never talked about girls, never bought any girls around, 944 00:46:17,440 --> 00:46:19,560 Speaker 1: and he was just he's private in that area of 945 00:46:19,600 --> 00:46:22,000 Speaker 1: his life. And so I was like, you know, you 946 00:46:22,120 --> 00:46:23,960 Speaker 1: first to start off as you're talking to any girls 947 00:46:23,960 --> 00:46:32,239 Speaker 1: at school, you know, he got any interest in girls, 948 00:46:28,120 --> 00:46:35,080 Speaker 1: not all, but somebody anybody, UM, and that kind of 949 00:46:35,560 --> 00:46:39,160 Speaker 1: you kind of let him, uh, you know, divulge or 950 00:46:39,520 --> 00:46:43,080 Speaker 1: or not. And then you say, you know, whatever it 951 00:46:43,200 --> 00:46:45,840 Speaker 1: is that you're dealing with, it's the thing, whatever it 952 00:46:46,040 --> 00:46:48,840 Speaker 1: is that you're dealing with, there's no conversation and no 953 00:46:48,960 --> 00:46:51,440 Speaker 1: life experience that you could have that you can't have 954 00:46:51,520 --> 00:46:54,520 Speaker 1: with me. And I said these things to him, you know, 955 00:46:54,640 --> 00:46:56,200 Speaker 1: and he was kind of like looking at me like 956 00:46:56,239 --> 00:47:00,480 Speaker 1: I had three eyes, Like he was like, true story. 957 00:47:00,640 --> 00:47:04,040 Speaker 1: He's like that, do you think I'm kidd so you 958 00:47:04,360 --> 00:47:12,880 Speaker 1: so you are a subtle like nah, it's like na, 959 00:47:13,239 --> 00:47:17,279 Speaker 1: man he laughed like man, I'm just na, I'm just 960 00:47:17,280 --> 00:47:21,640 Speaker 1: saying I'm just saying so. So just I think there's 961 00:47:21,640 --> 00:47:23,879 Speaker 1: no other way to I don't think you should wait 962 00:47:23,920 --> 00:47:28,920 Speaker 1: for the son to bring it to agree. I would definitely, um, 963 00:47:28,960 --> 00:47:31,000 Speaker 1: I would have a conversation for sure. I mean because 964 00:47:31,040 --> 00:47:34,080 Speaker 1: I just know like how I was raised, Like it's 965 00:47:34,120 --> 00:47:36,120 Speaker 1: not really with a sugarcoat and not saying we're not 966 00:47:36,120 --> 00:47:39,680 Speaker 1: obviously there's very tactful ways of you know, having that conversation. 967 00:47:39,680 --> 00:47:44,160 Speaker 1: I would be as tactful and on um unaggressive, I guess, 968 00:47:44,239 --> 00:47:48,000 Speaker 1: or just without him feeling attacked or she feeling attacked 969 00:47:48,040 --> 00:47:50,560 Speaker 1: that I'm asking and having this conversation with them. But 970 00:47:50,560 --> 00:47:53,200 Speaker 1: the most important thing for me definitely is the same 971 00:47:53,239 --> 00:47:55,840 Speaker 1: space to communicate and see me as the uncle or 972 00:47:55,840 --> 00:47:58,719 Speaker 1: the or the father or whoever. But know that like 973 00:47:58,840 --> 00:48:00,479 Speaker 1: my niece and nephews, like they call me the cool 974 00:48:00,560 --> 00:48:02,719 Speaker 1: uncle that lets me like so they come and they 975 00:48:02,760 --> 00:48:04,880 Speaker 1: talk to me about things, you know, like I'll randomly 976 00:48:04,920 --> 00:48:07,319 Speaker 1: be home and I'll get calls from my nieces who 977 00:48:07,400 --> 00:48:10,240 Speaker 1: are not calling their dad or their mom to ask questions. 978 00:48:10,239 --> 00:48:13,319 Speaker 1: But you know what I mean, So um, I think 979 00:48:13,600 --> 00:48:17,879 Speaker 1: be giving off that that comfort to the child that 980 00:48:17,920 --> 00:48:22,359 Speaker 1: they can talk to you without impunity, you know, like 981 00:48:22,520 --> 00:48:25,839 Speaker 1: talk to you without any sort of so without any 982 00:48:25,880 --> 00:48:28,399 Speaker 1: sort of like feeling like my dad's gonna judge me, 983 00:48:28,560 --> 00:48:30,799 Speaker 1: or he might look at me sid sideways or I 984 00:48:30,880 --> 00:48:34,279 Speaker 1: might actually even get in trouble for the fact that 985 00:48:34,600 --> 00:48:37,200 Speaker 1: I'm telling my dad I'm gay. Nah, you just kind 986 00:48:37,200 --> 00:48:41,239 Speaker 1: of got to allow that conversation to happen. Um, I 987 00:48:41,320 --> 00:48:44,360 Speaker 1: like I say, I if I see it, like, this 988 00:48:44,480 --> 00:48:47,399 Speaker 1: is the thing. Like growing up, there were definitely kids 989 00:48:47,440 --> 00:48:48,960 Speaker 1: growing up in my neighborhood. When I grow up in 990 00:48:49,280 --> 00:48:51,360 Speaker 1: they'd be like, oh him, yeah, he And this is 991 00:48:51,400 --> 00:48:53,960 Speaker 1: when we were little, you know, and as they got older. 992 00:48:54,280 --> 00:48:57,000 Speaker 1: Now when I go home, these guys are gay, you know, 993 00:48:57,040 --> 00:48:59,040 Speaker 1: like some of most of them. Actually, I'm not gonna lie, 994 00:48:59,080 --> 00:49:00,480 Speaker 1: like if there was ten guys, is that when we're 995 00:49:00,480 --> 00:49:02,359 Speaker 1: growing up, they pointed to the mountains like, yo, I 996 00:49:02,400 --> 00:49:04,560 Speaker 1: think he's such and such. And now when I go 997 00:49:04,680 --> 00:49:07,439 Speaker 1: back home, those ten guys are all what they said 998 00:49:07,480 --> 00:49:10,160 Speaker 1: they were gonna. You know, people remember one in particular. 999 00:49:10,200 --> 00:49:13,000 Speaker 1: You and I know he played football. He played football, 1000 00:49:13,000 --> 00:49:15,080 Speaker 1: He played quarterback from Corney. All already know what you're 1001 00:49:15,080 --> 00:49:17,680 Speaker 1: talking about. He is now and and it's it's funny 1002 00:49:17,680 --> 00:49:23,120 Speaker 1: that you say that at a young definitely, and we 1003 00:49:24,520 --> 00:49:28,799 Speaker 1: that the radar sense, that little spider sense goes. But 1004 00:49:28,840 --> 00:49:31,000 Speaker 1: you know what's crazy because of generational trauma. And we 1005 00:49:31,040 --> 00:49:34,200 Speaker 1: did a whole episode on generational trauma. It is can 1006 00:49:34,239 --> 00:49:36,600 Speaker 1: you imagine living a life where you can't be yourself? 1007 00:49:36,640 --> 00:49:39,000 Speaker 1: It's tough imagine living a life where you're in your 1008 00:49:39,160 --> 00:49:42,040 Speaker 1: home with your parents, with your parents, the people who 1009 00:49:42,040 --> 00:49:44,480 Speaker 1: are supposed to love you unconditionally, and you can't be yourself. 1010 00:49:44,600 --> 00:49:48,319 Speaker 1: And the reason why this is important because as black fathers, right, 1011 00:49:48,360 --> 00:49:52,680 Speaker 1: I think it is important that we changed the dynamic 1012 00:49:52,719 --> 00:49:57,840 Speaker 1: and people thinking that gay bashing or homophobia is okay 1013 00:49:57,840 --> 00:50:01,080 Speaker 1: in the Black community and we accept it because I 1014 00:50:01,160 --> 00:50:03,839 Speaker 1: for one, don't like I just I just don't you know, 1015 00:50:03,920 --> 00:50:05,640 Speaker 1: like I mean, people are allowed to think whatever they 1016 00:50:05,640 --> 00:50:07,600 Speaker 1: believe in. You know, people who believe in God and 1017 00:50:07,719 --> 00:50:09,480 Speaker 1: Christianity will come to you and say, well, the Bible 1018 00:50:09,480 --> 00:50:11,879 Speaker 1: says that there's so many people in the Bible doing 1019 00:50:11,920 --> 00:50:16,160 Speaker 1: things and been sinning and doing so many things. You 1020 00:50:16,200 --> 00:50:20,040 Speaker 1: know what I'm saying. We can pick to do that. 1021 00:50:20,520 --> 00:50:22,680 Speaker 1: But as a father, I think it's important for people 1022 00:50:22,719 --> 00:50:25,319 Speaker 1: to hear that if you have a child who may 1023 00:50:25,360 --> 00:50:27,080 Speaker 1: be struggling with this. Because I don't know if people 1024 00:50:27,160 --> 00:50:31,920 Speaker 1: know this now, but the suicide rate amongst homosexual boys 1025 00:50:32,080 --> 00:50:34,840 Speaker 1: and girls in the in the country has risen, especially 1026 00:50:34,920 --> 00:50:38,000 Speaker 1: during the pandemic, and it's it's always been high against 1027 00:50:38,000 --> 00:50:40,319 Speaker 1: African Americans because they've always felt like they haven't been 1028 00:50:41,840 --> 00:50:44,719 Speaker 1: Can you imagine? Imagine that? And as far as I 1029 00:50:44,719 --> 00:50:47,239 Speaker 1: think it's, it's on us to be like, yo, you 1030 00:50:47,280 --> 00:50:49,560 Speaker 1: are free to be who you are. You are free 1031 00:50:49,560 --> 00:50:50,840 Speaker 1: to be who you are, and we can accept it 1032 00:50:50,880 --> 00:50:52,879 Speaker 1: and we can guide you through that aspect of your 1033 00:50:52,880 --> 00:50:55,000 Speaker 1: life the same way I would guide my head or 1034 00:50:55,000 --> 00:50:58,080 Speaker 1: a sexual son and daughter through their life because just 1035 00:50:58,160 --> 00:51:00,359 Speaker 1: because and this is another thing, just because you're a sexual, 1036 00:51:00,360 --> 00:51:01,400 Speaker 1: don't mean you can go out there and just do 1037 00:51:01,440 --> 00:51:03,560 Speaker 1: whatever you want to do. I wouldn't let my head 1038 00:51:03,560 --> 00:51:05,520 Speaker 1: of a sexual son and daughter just do whatever they 1039 00:51:05,520 --> 00:51:07,440 Speaker 1: want to do. So what I would do is guide 1040 00:51:07,480 --> 00:51:10,359 Speaker 1: you the same way in this conversation has not I've 1041 00:51:10,400 --> 00:51:13,160 Speaker 1: listened to tons of podcasts about fatherhood, and we always 1042 00:51:13,200 --> 00:51:19,080 Speaker 1: addressed fatherhood with mother, father, son, daughter traditional and we're 1043 00:51:19,120 --> 00:51:21,680 Speaker 1: just forgetting about a group of people who have never 1044 00:51:21,719 --> 00:51:23,799 Speaker 1: been acknowledged. And I think that we should change that. 1045 00:51:23,880 --> 00:51:25,360 Speaker 1: And that's why i'm and the thing is that I 1046 00:51:25,360 --> 00:51:27,239 Speaker 1: want everyone to listen to this. When I went through 1047 00:51:27,239 --> 00:51:29,239 Speaker 1: the questions, I never said to these men that we 1048 00:51:29,239 --> 00:51:31,560 Speaker 1: were going to discuss this. So this wasn't a planning 1049 00:51:31,600 --> 00:51:33,200 Speaker 1: thing where we all came here and said we're gonna 1050 00:51:33,239 --> 00:51:35,239 Speaker 1: say this. It wasn't planned, and I didn't want it 1051 00:51:35,280 --> 00:51:36,880 Speaker 1: to be playing because I wanted to be genuine and 1052 00:51:36,920 --> 00:51:41,000 Speaker 1: I want people to understand that us as men are evolving, 1053 00:51:41,200 --> 00:51:43,440 Speaker 1: especially as black men were continuing to evolve and learn 1054 00:51:43,480 --> 00:51:45,839 Speaker 1: about each other and learn about everyone. So I feel 1055 00:51:45,880 --> 00:51:49,080 Speaker 1: like we're the last of that quote unquote like toxic generation. 1056 00:51:49,160 --> 00:51:51,160 Speaker 1: When I say toxic, meaning like I mean, we grew 1057 00:51:51,239 --> 00:51:52,640 Speaker 1: up in we gre up in the nineties, you feel me. 1058 00:51:52,680 --> 00:51:55,480 Speaker 1: So we grew up where men had to be wild, 1059 00:51:55,600 --> 00:51:58,520 Speaker 1: masculine and you know, like you can't really show sons 1060 00:51:58,520 --> 00:52:02,320 Speaker 1: of weakness. I feel like last of that batch. After 1061 00:52:02,400 --> 00:52:05,360 Speaker 1: we get out, men are like allowed to cry, you know, 1062 00:52:05,440 --> 00:52:08,280 Speaker 1: in the sense, and are allowed to feel some way, 1063 00:52:08,360 --> 00:52:10,560 Speaker 1: like it's okay to have feelings in a sense, you 1064 00:52:10,600 --> 00:52:12,520 Speaker 1: know what I mean. And I think that's so important 1065 00:52:12,800 --> 00:52:15,799 Speaker 1: as we phase out out, like we're phasing out ourselves 1066 00:52:15,800 --> 00:52:17,400 Speaker 1: in a sense, you know, like we're phasing out the 1067 00:52:17,400 --> 00:52:20,919 Speaker 1: way we were brought in and we're allowing this new path, 1068 00:52:21,040 --> 00:52:23,839 Speaker 1: this new brain wave, uh to kind of move in 1069 00:52:23,920 --> 00:52:26,600 Speaker 1: and be the new quote unquote norm as they say, 1070 00:52:26,680 --> 00:52:28,839 Speaker 1: you know, the youth, the new way to have kids, 1071 00:52:28,880 --> 00:52:31,200 Speaker 1: in a new way to approach your your family, you know, 1072 00:52:31,440 --> 00:52:33,959 Speaker 1: using that nature. So um, you know we're the last 1073 00:52:33,960 --> 00:52:36,000 Speaker 1: of the dying breed, as they say, I guess right. 1074 00:52:36,320 --> 00:52:37,800 Speaker 1: I just want to I want to make a distinction 1075 00:52:37,880 --> 00:52:39,680 Speaker 1: before we move off this top and you you wrap 1076 00:52:39,719 --> 00:52:44,120 Speaker 1: myself devout. We spoke about homosexuality and the context of 1077 00:52:44,120 --> 00:52:47,719 Speaker 1: people who don't have a choice. Um, something happens in 1078 00:52:47,719 --> 00:52:51,480 Speaker 1: the wound and during a gestational period chemicalization or the 1079 00:52:51,680 --> 00:52:57,279 Speaker 1: feminization of males, and and where the the testosterone and 1080 00:52:57,320 --> 00:52:59,839 Speaker 1: the astrotisic levels that all happens in the wound. There's 1081 00:52:59,840 --> 00:53:03,600 Speaker 1: a whole spectrum, the science, whole science to it. But 1082 00:53:03,640 --> 00:53:06,160 Speaker 1: it's also people who just flat out choose to be 1083 00:53:06,200 --> 00:53:12,400 Speaker 1: homosexual because that's what they like. It's prefer Yeah, that preference, preference, 1084 00:53:12,440 --> 00:53:14,600 Speaker 1: personal pence. I don't put those people in the same 1085 00:53:14,800 --> 00:53:16,560 Speaker 1: boat as the people who are born that way. To me, 1086 00:53:16,680 --> 00:53:19,160 Speaker 1: that's fair. No, I agree, I think that that's fair. Ye, 1087 00:53:19,440 --> 00:53:21,480 Speaker 1: not to not to just say well, if you you're 1088 00:53:21,480 --> 00:53:22,960 Speaker 1: born this way, it's cool if you choose it and 1089 00:53:23,000 --> 00:53:25,840 Speaker 1: it's not. You're right, I think, because the purpose is 1090 00:53:25,840 --> 00:53:28,120 Speaker 1: still I mean, the purpose of your choice and ultimately 1091 00:53:28,160 --> 00:53:30,960 Speaker 1: like and I don't think you should fault me for 1092 00:53:31,080 --> 00:53:33,960 Speaker 1: not liking to eat beef hypothetically. If that's the thing, 1093 00:53:34,000 --> 00:53:36,239 Speaker 1: that is a good analogy. I mean, I don't. I 1094 00:53:36,239 --> 00:53:38,759 Speaker 1: don't eat beef. That's not that's I don't eat it. 1095 00:53:38,800 --> 00:53:41,279 Speaker 1: I don't think you should look at me ways for 1096 00:53:41,320 --> 00:53:44,760 Speaker 1: that though. That's a good Yeah, that's a good knowledge 1097 00:53:44,760 --> 00:53:48,040 Speaker 1: of preference. Baby, gentlemen, I appreciate you. But we're not 1098 00:53:48,120 --> 00:53:49,879 Speaker 1: done yet. We're not done yet. Before we come back 1099 00:53:49,880 --> 00:53:51,359 Speaker 1: with listening to letters, we're gonna take a quick breek. 1100 00:53:51,360 --> 00:53:53,560 Speaker 1: We gotta pay some bills, all right, but we'll become 1101 00:53:53,560 --> 00:53:55,560 Speaker 1: will come right back with the listening letters. Coats not hands. 1102 00:53:55,560 --> 00:53:59,400 Speaker 1: So I'm gonna do the listener letters. You gotta pay 1103 00:53:59,400 --> 00:54:01,680 Speaker 1: to meet this bob about to get told. We definitely 1104 00:54:01,680 --> 00:54:21,000 Speaker 1: got we'll be right back, all right. Now we're back, 1105 00:54:21,239 --> 00:54:22,840 Speaker 1: all right. We had to go pay some bills or 1106 00:54:22,880 --> 00:54:24,640 Speaker 1: Slick went to go put some money in the meet it, 1107 00:54:24,640 --> 00:54:27,120 Speaker 1: so he didn't get no ticket. I think he just 1108 00:54:27,160 --> 00:54:28,799 Speaker 1: took the car from me, told me to hit your 1109 00:54:28,880 --> 00:54:33,160 Speaker 1: ride home. So got you, you got So we want 1110 00:54:33,200 --> 00:54:35,000 Speaker 1: to listen to letters. This is where people are. They 1111 00:54:35,120 --> 00:54:37,880 Speaker 1: email in ask us for some advice. So codeine is 1112 00:54:37,880 --> 00:54:39,680 Speaker 1: not here. Is going to be the advice from the 1113 00:54:39,680 --> 00:54:42,120 Speaker 1: guys today. So we're gonna take one listener letter. Here 1114 00:54:42,160 --> 00:54:45,120 Speaker 1: we go. We're gonna try our best, all right. First off, 1115 00:54:45,120 --> 00:54:46,880 Speaker 1: I just want to say the value truly inspired me 1116 00:54:46,920 --> 00:54:49,520 Speaker 1: to be a better husband to my wife. I appreciate that, 1117 00:54:49,560 --> 00:54:51,640 Speaker 1: bro and father to my Son's just wanted to know 1118 00:54:51,680 --> 00:54:53,520 Speaker 1: if you had any advice on fatherhood. I have a 1119 00:54:53,520 --> 00:54:55,960 Speaker 1: three year old and a two week old, and I 1120 00:54:56,040 --> 00:54:58,680 Speaker 1: feel that due to not having any good examples of 1121 00:54:58,800 --> 00:55:02,040 Speaker 1: being a good father, unequipped to give them the tools 1122 00:55:02,400 --> 00:55:07,799 Speaker 1: to be upstanding men. Any help is appreciated. You got 1123 00:55:07,800 --> 00:55:09,960 Speaker 1: two sons, you got a son, you grew up with 1124 00:55:09,960 --> 00:55:13,120 Speaker 1: a father. I got three sons. Um, what's some some 1125 00:55:13,200 --> 00:55:16,920 Speaker 1: good advice. Let's everybody just give him one tip? One tip. 1126 00:55:16,960 --> 00:55:20,799 Speaker 1: Here we go. I hear that a lot, and what's that? 1127 00:55:20,880 --> 00:55:23,640 Speaker 1: It's that I didn't have an example or a proper example, 1128 00:55:23,719 --> 00:55:26,320 Speaker 1: so I don't know how to Let's just keep it abuck. 1129 00:55:27,560 --> 00:55:35,040 Speaker 1: After the let's just we can't part of my language, 1130 00:55:35,040 --> 00:55:39,399 Speaker 1: but both. If you're a grown ass man, you didn't 1131 00:55:39,400 --> 00:55:41,600 Speaker 1: have to have a dad. You don't have to you 1132 00:55:41,640 --> 00:55:45,200 Speaker 1: have you watch TV. My thing to him is this, 1133 00:55:45,560 --> 00:55:49,000 Speaker 1: get a good vision, you creative, get a good vision 1134 00:55:49,120 --> 00:55:51,600 Speaker 1: of what an ideal that looks like, and then you 1135 00:55:51,640 --> 00:55:56,680 Speaker 1: work your ass off to exceed that vision. Draw influences 1136 00:55:56,719 --> 00:56:00,400 Speaker 1: from de Val, draw influences from old He runs with 1137 00:56:00,440 --> 00:56:04,040 Speaker 1: the Cosbys, like Uncle Phil. You know what I'm saying. 1138 00:56:04,960 --> 00:56:13,200 Speaker 1: Come on, man, even watch Good Times? How not to be? Like, like, 1139 00:56:13,280 --> 00:56:15,799 Speaker 1: can we just dad? And we got canceled culture, So 1140 00:56:15,840 --> 00:56:17,920 Speaker 1: let's just cancel. I didn't have, so I don't know 1141 00:56:17,960 --> 00:56:20,480 Speaker 1: how to X. I didn't have, so I don't know 1142 00:56:20,480 --> 00:56:27,680 Speaker 1: how to. That's my two cents. I definitely agree with Rob. 1143 00:56:27,760 --> 00:56:32,040 Speaker 1: I mean he took my answer, took my answer. No, absolutely, 1144 00:56:32,600 --> 00:56:36,400 Speaker 1: device for the brother, Um, how does the how do 1145 00:56:37,160 --> 00:56:39,719 Speaker 1: kids are? Three and two weeks? So? I mean my 1146 00:56:39,800 --> 00:56:42,640 Speaker 1: thing really to be honest, like I would say, just 1147 00:56:42,640 --> 00:56:46,240 Speaker 1: just stay present, you know, just in all forms of presence, 1148 00:56:46,280 --> 00:56:50,440 Speaker 1: meaning like attention, meaning like just being there. And you know, 1149 00:56:50,480 --> 00:56:52,560 Speaker 1: because being there doesn't necessarily mean that you're present, So 1150 00:56:53,000 --> 00:56:56,479 Speaker 1: you definitely present in a sense of constantly just even 1151 00:56:56,480 --> 00:57:00,960 Speaker 1: just watching the kids like looking at them every devoting time. 1152 00:57:01,040 --> 00:57:03,920 Speaker 1: Because I have niece and nephew, so, um, there are times, 1153 00:57:03,920 --> 00:57:05,640 Speaker 1: you know, I'm hanging out with my system, I dip 1154 00:57:05,640 --> 00:57:07,600 Speaker 1: off and you know, watching for a bit, and I 1155 00:57:08,600 --> 00:57:11,319 Speaker 1: have to sit there and now change. I'm not just 1156 00:57:11,520 --> 00:57:13,920 Speaker 1: I'm uncle Bob, but I'm also like, you're kind of 1157 00:57:13,960 --> 00:57:15,839 Speaker 1: like the parent right now, so you gotta make sure 1158 00:57:15,880 --> 00:57:18,400 Speaker 1: that they're good watching going. Remember one time I was 1159 00:57:18,400 --> 00:57:19,640 Speaker 1: going to the movie there. I went to the movie 1160 00:57:19,600 --> 00:57:21,960 Speaker 1: theaters with my niece and nephew, and um, I took 1161 00:57:22,000 --> 00:57:24,240 Speaker 1: my niece off the car and I took my nephew 1162 00:57:24,240 --> 00:57:26,800 Speaker 1: off the car and I turned around. My nephew was gone. 1163 00:57:27,080 --> 00:57:29,760 Speaker 1: When I in that moment, the feeling that I had 1164 00:57:29,800 --> 00:57:32,000 Speaker 1: in my chest like that, it was like an instant 1165 00:57:32,000 --> 00:57:34,960 Speaker 1: anxiety fear, like oh my god, where's the kid at 1166 00:57:35,080 --> 00:57:39,360 Speaker 1: feeling like just him not being president. But he was 1167 00:57:39,360 --> 00:57:40,600 Speaker 1: around the other side of the car, so he was 1168 00:57:40,640 --> 00:57:42,120 Speaker 1: just kind of like at that moment, I felt like 1169 00:57:42,640 --> 00:57:45,360 Speaker 1: it was it's such my duty to make sure that 1170 00:57:45,400 --> 00:57:47,840 Speaker 1: these kids are one well. And then they know that 1171 00:57:48,440 --> 00:57:51,800 Speaker 1: if some ship went down, Uncle's you know, Uncle's right 1172 00:57:51,800 --> 00:57:53,400 Speaker 1: behind me, and that he's gonna take care of me 1173 00:57:53,440 --> 00:57:55,440 Speaker 1: and you know, protect me. Sorry. Um, so yeah, I 1174 00:57:55,480 --> 00:57:58,840 Speaker 1: would say definitely being president um all the time. Um 1175 00:57:59,240 --> 00:58:01,320 Speaker 1: and you mean the kids at three and some months old, 1176 00:58:01,320 --> 00:58:03,120 Speaker 1: so yeah, you got to be very present. Bro, there 1177 00:58:03,120 --> 00:58:05,960 Speaker 1: you go. So yeah, I mean I would say, um, 1178 00:58:06,400 --> 00:58:09,680 Speaker 1: you know, definitely agree with what y'all said. But it 1179 00:58:09,720 --> 00:58:12,640 Speaker 1: goes back to what I said earlier about not just 1180 00:58:12,720 --> 00:58:15,640 Speaker 1: being a parent, but being their friend, to making sure 1181 00:58:15,720 --> 00:58:18,520 Speaker 1: that making sure that they know that you are a 1182 00:58:18,560 --> 00:58:22,560 Speaker 1: friend as well as you know, a parent. And obviously 1183 00:58:22,600 --> 00:58:25,520 Speaker 1: you know there's boundaries in respect that needs to be 1184 00:58:25,640 --> 00:58:29,439 Speaker 1: had because they're not just a friend. But but but yeah, 1185 00:58:29,480 --> 00:58:31,440 Speaker 1: they need to be you know, you need you need 1186 00:58:31,480 --> 00:58:34,040 Speaker 1: to be able to navigate both you know, being a 1187 00:58:34,080 --> 00:58:37,400 Speaker 1: father and a and a friend. So here's my thing, 1188 00:58:37,600 --> 00:58:39,320 Speaker 1: because all of you are right, But there's one key 1189 00:58:39,360 --> 00:58:41,480 Speaker 1: component that I think that we often missed as a father, 1190 00:58:41,800 --> 00:58:45,800 Speaker 1: which is being a very good companion to their mom 1191 00:58:45,800 --> 00:58:49,680 Speaker 1: because I think people don't understand that the emotions and 1192 00:58:49,720 --> 00:58:51,560 Speaker 1: the feeling that the sense that they get from their 1193 00:58:51,600 --> 00:58:53,640 Speaker 1: mom is never going to go away that connection, especially 1194 00:58:53,680 --> 00:58:56,800 Speaker 1: they're still young. I learned from Cairo because I used 1195 00:58:56,840 --> 00:59:00,880 Speaker 1: to speak to Cadeine's stomach all the time. When I 1196 00:59:00,920 --> 00:59:03,200 Speaker 1: walked in the room and I just started talking. When 1197 00:59:03,240 --> 00:59:05,240 Speaker 1: he was about a week old, his head used to 1198 00:59:05,240 --> 00:59:08,400 Speaker 1: turn to the direction because he's used to hearing that voice. 1199 00:59:08,800 --> 00:59:11,480 Speaker 1: And then with kas whenever me and Cairo started talking, 1200 00:59:11,960 --> 00:59:17,080 Speaker 1: his head always turned. So you become a father in uterome. 1201 00:59:24,120 --> 00:59:28,440 Speaker 1: That continues throughout parenthood the more you pour into their 1202 00:59:28,520 --> 00:59:31,760 Speaker 1: mom and make her feel special. Those essence that feeling 1203 00:59:31,840 --> 00:59:34,200 Speaker 1: and men sometimes don't want to hear it. But you're 1204 00:59:34,200 --> 00:59:36,600 Speaker 1: not gonna be first no more. Bro. You know your 1205 00:59:36,600 --> 00:59:38,840 Speaker 1: wife is, or your your girl or your your child's 1206 00:59:38,880 --> 00:59:40,680 Speaker 1: mother is gonna wake up in the morning. The first 1207 00:59:40,680 --> 00:59:42,240 Speaker 1: thing on her mind is going to be those children. 1208 00:59:42,840 --> 00:59:47,880 Speaker 1: So you know how how old is ex eight months, 1209 00:59:47,960 --> 00:59:50,360 Speaker 1: nine months, So when you wake up and you make 1210 00:59:50,360 --> 00:59:53,120 Speaker 1: sure she's good, she'll make sure the kids are good. 1211 00:59:53,160 --> 00:59:56,400 Speaker 1: And that's important because all the stresses you cause are 1212 00:59:56,400 --> 00:59:58,600 Speaker 1: gonna roll down to those children eithern if you're not 1213 00:59:58,600 --> 01:00:02,040 Speaker 1: causing the stresses yourself. So about the single dad, Oh, 1214 01:00:02,080 --> 01:00:05,360 Speaker 1: the single dads. Listen, If if I was a single 1215 01:00:05,440 --> 01:00:08,920 Speaker 1: dad right now, um, I would learn how to balance 1216 01:00:09,160 --> 01:00:13,040 Speaker 1: between providing and being present, because that's the biggest thing 1217 01:00:13,040 --> 01:00:14,960 Speaker 1: I hear from single dads. Single dads all the time 1218 01:00:15,040 --> 01:00:16,320 Speaker 1: say you know, well, I gotta be there, but I 1219 01:00:16,360 --> 01:00:19,480 Speaker 1: also got to provide. And there's a balance. You have 1220 01:00:19,520 --> 01:00:21,480 Speaker 1: to choose when is the right time to provide and 1221 01:00:21,560 --> 01:00:24,640 Speaker 1: sometimes um and I did this recently, presence is more 1222 01:00:24,640 --> 01:00:28,160 Speaker 1: important than presence which means that you gotta be here. 1223 01:00:28,440 --> 01:00:30,480 Speaker 1: You may not be able to get them Jordan's this month, 1224 01:00:31,240 --> 01:00:34,440 Speaker 1: but if I made every single one of his games 1225 01:00:34,440 --> 01:00:37,520 Speaker 1: feel better. So what's understanding the balance as a single 1226 01:00:37,600 --> 01:00:39,680 Speaker 1: dad and knowing that you gotta be there. I would 1227 01:00:39,680 --> 01:00:41,960 Speaker 1: add to that this um as a single my dad 1228 01:00:42,080 --> 01:00:43,600 Speaker 1: well he was in a single dad. Well he was 1229 01:00:43,720 --> 01:00:45,080 Speaker 1: because I live with him for a couple of years 1230 01:00:45,120 --> 01:00:48,000 Speaker 1: when my mom was having problems as a single dad. 1231 01:00:48,040 --> 01:00:53,280 Speaker 1: Two things self love model that show show your kids 1232 01:00:53,320 --> 01:00:54,760 Speaker 1: when you have them, if you have them all the time, 1233 01:00:54,800 --> 01:00:56,720 Speaker 1: if you have them on the weekend, what self love 1234 01:00:56,840 --> 01:01:00,160 Speaker 1: looks like. And then I would say number obtually for boys, right, 1235 01:01:02,040 --> 01:01:04,400 Speaker 1: practice self love, whether that's how you get your hair cut, 1236 01:01:04,680 --> 01:01:09,840 Speaker 1: you're working out, dancing, whatever it is, cooking, going on vacation, 1237 01:01:09,920 --> 01:01:12,480 Speaker 1: treat yourself. But the other thing that I think is 1238 01:01:12,480 --> 01:01:14,919 Speaker 1: even more important than that is how that single dad 1239 01:01:14,960 --> 01:01:19,320 Speaker 1: treats the baby mother or baby mother's I get you 1240 01:01:20,320 --> 01:01:23,000 Speaker 1: a lot of friction, especially if there's courts involved with 1241 01:01:23,120 --> 01:01:25,800 Speaker 1: y'all support. Dudes take it out on the on the 1242 01:01:25,880 --> 01:01:28,600 Speaker 1: mother when she should be working. She don't need as 1243 01:01:28,680 --> 01:01:32,360 Speaker 1: much money. Bro. If you lay down with her and 1244 01:01:32,400 --> 01:01:34,959 Speaker 1: you dropped something up off up in her and God 1245 01:01:35,000 --> 01:01:37,560 Speaker 1: saw it fits fourteen trilling in one chance that this 1246 01:01:37,600 --> 01:01:39,800 Speaker 1: baby is gonna be here. But some reason at all 1247 01:01:39,800 --> 01:01:43,600 Speaker 1: the joints you smack down, she got pregnant. You know 1248 01:01:43,600 --> 01:01:45,840 Speaker 1: what I'm saying, You and me on the same on 1249 01:01:45,880 --> 01:01:48,200 Speaker 1: the same thing that I don't I don't fool around 1250 01:01:48,200 --> 01:01:49,919 Speaker 1: with the whole child support thing because I do believe 1251 01:01:49,960 --> 01:01:52,240 Speaker 1: you have a fiduccia every responsibility to take care of 1252 01:01:52,280 --> 01:01:54,760 Speaker 1: your children. Like women are the vessels of life. I 1253 01:01:54,800 --> 01:01:57,040 Speaker 1: say it all the time, and we always have these 1254 01:01:57,040 --> 01:01:59,520 Speaker 1: conversations about you know, men that equal to women. I 1255 01:01:59,560 --> 01:02:01,439 Speaker 1: don't think men and women are equal. There are certain 1256 01:02:01,440 --> 01:02:04,040 Speaker 1: things women can do that men cannot do. Women can 1257 01:02:04,200 --> 01:02:07,680 Speaker 1: create life, you know what I'm saying. So there's a 1258 01:02:07,720 --> 01:02:10,080 Speaker 1: greater aspect to that, to that. So what you work 1259 01:02:10,200 --> 01:02:12,600 Speaker 1: for that when you were a part of creating that 1260 01:02:12,720 --> 01:02:14,920 Speaker 1: life that she is now the vessel for you are responsible. 1261 01:02:15,120 --> 01:02:16,800 Speaker 1: I don't care if she works, if she don't work. 1262 01:02:17,000 --> 01:02:18,880 Speaker 1: If you were that concerned about whether she works or not, 1263 01:02:18,920 --> 01:02:20,720 Speaker 1: then you shouldn't have slept with her. You know what 1264 01:02:20,800 --> 01:02:23,320 Speaker 1: I'm saying. At this point, it's too late. The child 1265 01:02:23,400 --> 01:02:25,640 Speaker 1: is here, man, so and that's that's just me. Now. 1266 01:02:25,680 --> 01:02:28,360 Speaker 1: Some men would be like, that's fucked up, Oh you 1267 01:02:28,400 --> 01:02:30,480 Speaker 1: were simple. I hate that all the time. But the 1268 01:02:31,120 --> 01:02:33,440 Speaker 1: bottom line is that that's your child now, Bro's you know. 1269 01:02:33,800 --> 01:02:39,720 Speaker 1: That's because your kid. Bro't like like the thought of it, 1270 01:02:39,480 --> 01:02:43,320 Speaker 1: like I created this Now I'm out. I just man, 1271 01:02:43,360 --> 01:02:45,960 Speaker 1: I don't know. And the reason was because the child 1272 01:02:46,440 --> 01:02:48,479 Speaker 1: the courts from my business or or my baby mom's 1273 01:02:48,520 --> 01:02:50,280 Speaker 1: a thought. So I'm gonna be mad, disrespect h not 1274 01:02:50,440 --> 01:02:53,280 Speaker 1: you were single that to slitch questions. You gotta honor 1275 01:02:53,360 --> 01:02:55,120 Speaker 1: that baby mom. I don't care if she's a stripper 1276 01:02:55,400 --> 01:02:58,720 Speaker 1: seven days a week, treated like a queen, especially in 1277 01:02:58,720 --> 01:03:00,960 Speaker 1: front of your kids. And it's that if you treat 1278 01:03:00,960 --> 01:03:03,280 Speaker 1: her like a queen, no matter how much of a 1279 01:03:03,360 --> 01:03:05,040 Speaker 1: thought she is. Because I got a homeboy that's dealing 1280 01:03:05,120 --> 01:03:07,600 Speaker 1: with like a crazy baby mother and from the time 1281 01:03:07,680 --> 01:03:10,000 Speaker 1: that he got her pregnant. I told him, I said, Yo, 1282 01:03:10,040 --> 01:03:12,320 Speaker 1: it don't matter what she do, Bro, you're gonna have 1283 01:03:12,400 --> 01:03:14,800 Speaker 1: to treat her like she's the queen because she's going 1284 01:03:14,840 --> 01:03:17,520 Speaker 1: to be the vessel that brings your daughter into the world. 1285 01:03:17,880 --> 01:03:20,280 Speaker 1: And he has and she she kind of out there, 1286 01:03:20,640 --> 01:03:22,640 Speaker 1: but he's continuing to do things the right way. He 1287 01:03:22,680 --> 01:03:25,640 Speaker 1: won't talk down to him, be disrespectful. And I'm like, 1288 01:03:25,920 --> 01:03:28,080 Speaker 1: you got to brof you know, if you didn't want 1289 01:03:28,120 --> 01:03:31,040 Speaker 1: to deal with this, you should have never slept with her. So, Bro, 1290 01:03:31,240 --> 01:03:33,240 Speaker 1: that's that's something the factory and when you're going to 1291 01:03:33,320 --> 01:03:39,800 Speaker 1: bed guys. Yes, that's that's a real that's a real conversation. Bro, 1292 01:03:39,920 --> 01:03:42,760 Speaker 1: that's a whole another conversation. Yes, I mean, let me 1293 01:03:42,800 --> 01:03:46,480 Speaker 1: not say joints. Let me be more clean women that 1294 01:03:46,600 --> 01:03:49,240 Speaker 1: you sleep with. I think the thing is, guys, we 1295 01:03:49,400 --> 01:03:52,200 Speaker 1: end up a lot of times just sleeping with females, 1296 01:03:52,680 --> 01:03:54,600 Speaker 1: ladies just a frid We just sleep with a bunch 1297 01:03:54,600 --> 01:03:56,600 Speaker 1: of them when they look nice. We sleep with him sometimes. Man, 1298 01:03:56,760 --> 01:03:58,600 Speaker 1: if this looks good, but this don't look good, you 1299 01:03:58,600 --> 01:04:00,360 Speaker 1: know what I might still do so on with that, 1300 01:04:00,440 --> 01:04:01,880 Speaker 1: you know what I'm saying. So we have to get 1301 01:04:01,880 --> 01:04:04,880 Speaker 1: to the point now where it's not just it's not this, 1302 01:04:05,400 --> 01:04:09,080 Speaker 1: it's like, you know what if like, if I impregnant 1303 01:04:09,120 --> 01:04:12,200 Speaker 1: this lady, am I comfortable and am I going to 1304 01:04:12,240 --> 01:04:16,560 Speaker 1: be happy with the result of her bearing my kids? Absolutely? 1305 01:04:16,560 --> 01:04:21,200 Speaker 1: That question that's maturity. And if you feel like if 1306 01:04:21,240 --> 01:04:23,240 Speaker 1: she has, if she got pregnant, you would be completely 1307 01:04:23,240 --> 01:04:26,800 Speaker 1: okay with it, then go ahead, strike away, right. You 1308 01:04:26,800 --> 01:04:28,920 Speaker 1: know what's funny, Think about how much sex you wouldn't 1309 01:04:28,960 --> 01:04:30,960 Speaker 1: have if you look at a woman and said she 1310 01:04:31,000 --> 01:04:38,000 Speaker 1: wouldn't be a good mother. You know, protected sex, Yeah, 1311 01:04:38,320 --> 01:04:43,440 Speaker 1: but if you protected sex because sometimes I mean, you 1312 01:04:43,440 --> 01:04:47,400 Speaker 1: can't protect yourself totally. But yeah, that's something like as 1313 01:04:47,440 --> 01:04:50,320 Speaker 1: I got older. Obviously the twenty year old me wasn't 1314 01:04:50,320 --> 01:04:52,360 Speaker 1: thinking like that, but as I got older, I started 1315 01:04:52,360 --> 01:04:54,920 Speaker 1: to implement that into my little vetting process of the 1316 01:04:55,000 --> 01:04:58,480 Speaker 1: sense like if I am sleeping with this lady, this 1317 01:04:58,920 --> 01:05:02,280 Speaker 1: beautiful lady, if she got pregnant and came to me 1318 01:05:02,320 --> 01:05:05,120 Speaker 1: and said, by fo, I am pregnant, we have a kid, 1319 01:05:05,720 --> 01:05:07,800 Speaker 1: and uh, I just want to lay this message on you. 1320 01:05:07,960 --> 01:05:10,560 Speaker 1: What would my response be if I was completely okay 1321 01:05:10,560 --> 01:05:12,040 Speaker 1: with that? I have to be okay with it, you know, 1322 01:05:12,240 --> 01:05:14,360 Speaker 1: like I have to be okay with that. So a 1323 01:05:14,400 --> 01:05:18,080 Speaker 1: second second, you fellas we are running out of well 1324 01:05:18,120 --> 01:05:20,960 Speaker 1: know we have run out of Jacob is trying to 1325 01:05:20,960 --> 01:05:23,360 Speaker 1: go home. Trible is in the booth like these dudes 1326 01:05:23,480 --> 01:05:25,920 Speaker 1: keep talking. So I just want to let y'all know 1327 01:05:26,240 --> 01:05:28,440 Speaker 1: that I appreciate your first and foremost. Be sure to 1328 01:05:28,480 --> 01:05:30,360 Speaker 1: find us on social media. Did no, I'll do that 1329 01:05:30,360 --> 01:05:33,040 Speaker 1: after this. I appreciate y'all. I really do. Typically we 1330 01:05:33,120 --> 01:05:34,640 Speaker 1: do a moment of shoes, but I feel like we've 1331 01:05:34,680 --> 01:05:37,680 Speaker 1: gotten so many moments the whole thing from everyone. I 1332 01:05:37,720 --> 01:05:41,120 Speaker 1: hope you'll learned a lot today, Um, young ladies out there, 1333 01:05:41,480 --> 01:05:44,160 Speaker 1: I've hoped you've learned what the thought process is for 1334 01:05:44,240 --> 01:05:46,120 Speaker 1: us as men. We were going through that whole process 1335 01:05:46,120 --> 01:05:48,480 Speaker 1: of dating where we are in our lives. Young men, 1336 01:05:48,520 --> 01:05:50,440 Speaker 1: I hope you learned. If you don't have a father figure, 1337 01:05:50,480 --> 01:05:53,560 Speaker 1: you can listen to this podcast and UM and anyone 1338 01:05:53,560 --> 01:05:58,520 Speaker 1: in between. If you learn anything today. We appreciate you, slick, sir, Rob. 1339 01:05:58,920 --> 01:06:01,280 Speaker 1: I love y'all. Man. It's okay for us too as 1340 01:06:01,320 --> 01:06:03,000 Speaker 1: men to say we love each other and a little 1341 01:06:03,880 --> 01:06:06,400 Speaker 1: and I appreciate You'll thank you so much so be 1342 01:06:06,440 --> 01:06:08,640 Speaker 1: sure to find us on social media at dead as 1343 01:06:08,720 --> 01:06:12,560 Speaker 1: the podcast, um go follow codein I am of course, 1344 01:06:12,640 --> 01:06:14,960 Speaker 1: I am devout. Give your handles so people can know 1345 01:06:14,960 --> 01:06:18,200 Speaker 1: where to find y'all. Man at Slick, Underscore, nam and 1346 01:06:18,280 --> 01:06:21,880 Speaker 1: A I am sir s E R b A f 1347 01:06:21,880 --> 01:06:24,320 Speaker 1: f O at rob da von r O b b 1348 01:06:24,600 --> 01:06:26,280 Speaker 1: d A v O and on instant I need to 1349 01:06:26,280 --> 01:06:28,520 Speaker 1: get your names before we get about it here and 1350 01:06:28,560 --> 01:06:31,360 Speaker 1: once again, man, that's dead as the podcast. D E 1351 01:06:31,440 --> 01:06:34,320 Speaker 1: A g AS T H E p O d c 1352 01:06:34,520 --> 01:06:37,080 Speaker 1: A s T follow Kadin, I am and I am devol, 1353 01:06:37,160 --> 01:06:40,200 Speaker 1: and if you're listening on Apple podcasts, be sure to rate, 1354 01:06:40,560 --> 01:06:48,200 Speaker 1: review and subscribe. Dead dead As is a production of 1355 01:06:48,280 --> 01:06:51,040 Speaker 1: I Heart Media podcast Network and is produced by the Nora, 1356 01:06:51,200 --> 01:06:54,760 Speaker 1: Pinia and Triple. Follow the podcast on social media at 1357 01:06:54,800 --> 01:07:01,800 Speaker 1: dead as the Podcast and never miss a thing I 1358 01:07:02,120 --> 01:07:05,040 Speaker 1: s