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-THE ISLAND LIFE-

We think of the Stoics as philosophers, which of course they were. But they were human beings too—sons, daughters, husbands, wives and most of all parents.

Marcus Aurelius had 13 children. Seneca had one (and one of his best essays is written to his mother). Cato had a son and a daughter (one of the great female Stoics of history). So it should definitely not surprise us that the Stoics had many great insights for parents.

Seneca warns parents not to indulge a child’s every desire (like how Agrippina spoiled Nero) and that instead, “the good parent, out of love for the child, acts as a trainer, endlessly manufacturing trials for the child” so they can learn to overcome struggle and discover their hidden potential. Marcus made sure to eat dinner with his family every night he could, then liked to tuck his children into bed afterwards. As he kissed them good night, he did something he says he learned from Epictetus, “whisper to yourself, ‘he may be dead in the morning,’” so cherish this moment together while you can. And Musonius Rufus emphasized the importance of parents teaching children by example: “Don’t expect to tell others what they should do when they know that you do what you shouldn’t.”

It was reading wisdom like this that inspired the launch of the Daily Dad newsletter six years ago—because as Seneca wrote, a Stoic acquires knowledge not in order to possess it for themselves, but to share it with others.

Now that newsletter goes out to 130,000 people from countries like India, Mexico, Australia, Switzerland, the United States, and others all around the world.

Each day they receive a parenting reminder about how to become the role model your child needs, as well as the parent you aspire to be, from a wide range of historical sources like Plato, Lincoln, Queen Elizabeth, and Frederick Douglass.

These reminders, like the ones from the Stoics above, show us that as much as things change, parenting remains one of those beautiful experiences that links us, in an unbroken chain, back thousands of years.

It’s also the most important job any of us can have, a job that demands you show up every day you can—as even Marcus did, despite being emperor of Rome—but also a job in which, no matter where we are on our journey, we could all use a little help.

Head over to dailystoic.com/dailydadleather to learn more and grab yours while supplies last!

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