What’s the last lesson you learned as a dad?
Little girls talk. Constantly. About everything. 😜
My two boys would answer a question with three words and call it a conversation. My daughter will give me a full documentary — complete with dramatic pauses, plot twists, and a surprise ending I didn't see coming.
I've learned to just listen. Not fix. Not redirect. Just be an audience of one for whatever is on her mind that day. Turns out that's all she needed anyway.
What have you learned in the last year as a dad?
Having kids gave me permission to be a kid again myself.
Building LEGO. Coloring with markers. Singing Let It Go at full volume with zero shame. These aren't things I do for my kids — they're things I genuinely love doing with them.
I used to think growing up meant leaving that stuff behind. My kids proved me completely wrong.
What’s a piece of fatherhood advice that’s stuck with you over the years?
Protect the bedtime routine like it's sacred. Because it is.
One kid at a time. Bubble bath, cozy PJs, a few books. No phones, no distractions, nowhere else to be. When they're little it feels like a chore. Looking back, those were some of the best thirty minutes of my day.
They grow out of it faster than you expect. Get every rep in while you can.
What’s something you used to believe about fatherhood, but now you’ve changed your mind or evolved your perspective?
I thought there was a point where fatherhood would finally "click" and I'd have it figured out.
Still waiting on that.
Every stage brings a new set of challenges I didn't see coming. Toddlers, elementary school, middle school — each one humbled me in a completely different way. Just when you think you've got your footing, the stage changes and you're back to figuring it out from scratch.
I've made peace with that. Fatherhood isn't a problem you solve. It's a life experience you keep showing up for — and honestly, that's what makes it worth it.
QUOTABLE
"Being a great father is like shaving. No matter how good you shaved today, you have to do it again tomorrow."
— Some wise guy
GANNON RECOMMENDS
Gear recommendation: GL.iNet Beryl travel router​
Family travel has one guaranteed frustration — connecting six devices to a sketchy Airbnb router while your kids stand there staring at you.
I solved it with a GL.iNet Beryl travel router. Before we leave home, I configure it once and connect all our family's devices to it. When we arrive at the beach house or Airbnb, I plug it into their router and everyone is online immediately — no passwords, no troubleshooting, no dad sweating in the corner of the living room while the kids wait.
It also has built-in VPN support, so our network traffic stays protected on any unfamiliar connection. Small device, big quality-of-life upgrade for family trips.
Movie and TV recommendations:
Some movies are for kids. Some are for parents. The best ones are genuinely for both.
Our family returns to the same Disney and Pixar films over and over — Zootopia, Toy Story 3, Beauty and the Beast, Moana, and WALL•E are on permanent rotation in our house. Each one holds up every single time.
But if you have younger kids and haven't discovered Bluey yet, stop what you're doing. It's an Australian animated show on Disney+ about a Blue Heeler puppy and her family — and it is shockingly good for adults. Funny, warm, and occasionally hits you right in the chest when you least expect it. My whole family is obsessed.
​All of it is on Disney+. You're welcome.
Bonus recommendation: F1: The Movie (2025)​
Brad Pitt's F1 film was my favorite movie of last year — and I watch a lot of movies.
It's a genuinely great story with cinematography that puts you inside a cockpit doing 200+ mph. But the real gift it gave me was turning me into a full-blown Formula 1 fan. I watched it, immediately started following the 2026 season live, and haven't looked back.
If you have an Apple TV subscription, every race is a live broadcast with replays available after. It's definitely not something I expected a Brad Pitt racing movie to do to me.
Seriously. Check it out.
SHAMELESS PLUG
Hey — I'm Gannon 👋
Dad of three kiddos, solo entrepreneur, and apparently the guy who spends his free time looking at bad website popups. 🤓
I run a weekly newsletter called DTC Popup Fixes — where I score real direct to consumer (DTC) tech brands' website popups against a 7-category framework and show exactly what I'd fix. Think of it like a product teardown, but for the little box that pops up asking for your email when you land on a website.
It's a weird niche. But if you've ever closed one of those "Get 10% off!" popups and thought "come on, you can do better than that" — you get it. 🙄
If you run a DTC brand or know someone who does — most are running the same popup. White box. Percentage off. "No thanks, I don't want to save money" exit link. The Popup Fix Kit breaks down the five mistakes that make it worse than useless — one email a day, five days, about three minutes each. Totally free.
→ Learn more about what I do
​→ Grab the free course​
FROM KC:
Special thanks to Gannon for today's issue!
And thank YOU for supporting the 30 Days of Dads series.
If you enjoyed this issue, please:
- Forward it to a friend, or
- Send them to 30DaysofDads.com.
And remember...
Move your body.
Clear your mind.
Repeat.
Keep up the good work!
-KC
DAD JOKE 🔌
Q: What did Yoda say when he saw himself in 4K?
A: HDMI
Dad joke + Star Wars reference = peak Dad energy 😎
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