Ep 29: Raising British Kids Across an Ocean, With Alton Byrd

Alton Byrd grew up without a father, then raised two kids across an ocean while playing pro basketball in the UK. This one is about figuring it out with no manual.

Alton joins Tony to talk about a fatherhood honestly. He's talks about the divorce, about the years he lived a plane ride away from his children, and about what he got wrong. What comes through is hard-won and simple: kids don't remember the stuff you buy them, they remember your time.

What you'll take from this episode:

Why "what they want is your time" is the lesson that took him longest to learnParenting from a distance after a divorce, and owning your part in itRaising kids who are "very different" without comparing themMoving from parent-of-children to parent-of-adults, and letting them leadThe three things he'd tell any father: listen, listen to what they aren't saying, and love them no matter whatIf you enjoyed The Dad Manual, leave us a rating on your podcast app! If you loved it, share this episode with a Dad! Send your questions to dadmanualpodcast@gmail.com.

Connect with Tony Cooper: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thetonycooper/

00:00 Cold open: what they really want

00:29 Meet Alton Byrd

02:00 British kids and the name Miles

07:30 Did he always want to be a dad?

09:30 Growing up without a father

13:30 Traveling the world with a baby

17:40 Why kids talk about mom