Happy Father's Day! Today we have two special guests, Dan Vargas, who was featured in a previous podcast episode. He served 20 years in the United States Air Force and now works in a nonprofit capacity to help veterans. And J.R. has his very own 9-year old daughter, Lauryn Anabelle on the show! Dan has been a big mentor and father figure to J.R. and Dan talks about why it's important to be vulnerable and apologize to your children. Lauryn shares why she loves hanging out with dad and also talks about some of the dislikes about dad in a very honest and open conversation.
Key Takeaways
- Dan's father wasn't really around much. The person he looked up to the most was his art teacher.
- Dan grew up in a pretty dysfunctional family. It was riddled with affairs, sexual abuse, and suicide.
- Dan didn't want his children to go through the same thing he went through. Your children shouldn't have to sacrifice for you.
- Why did Dan originally join the military? It was to get away from home.
- When Dan met J.R., he knew he was hurting.
- Dan forgives his parents. They had some crazy upbringings.
- J.R. works on being vulnerable with his daughter. Dan talks about how that has been fundamental to his relationship with his 22-year-old daughter.
- As a parent, it's your job to protect your child, but it can be hard to shake that when they start standing on their own two feet.
- Kids really need structure and discipline. Children need security.
- How does Dan connect with his adult daughter now?
- Dan is best friends with his daughter. He knows he raised her to be tough, but in a good way.
- To J.R., Dan is a father figure to him. He was the first person to show J.R. what true vulnerability looks like, especially with another man, and not have it be awkward.
- J.R. was repeating some unhealthy patterns onto his daughter. The first person he called to help him break the cycle was Dan.
- Next up is little Lauryn Anabelle on the podcast!
- Belle sometimes feels like dad doesn't listen or he's not in the present. What can J.R. do better to fix this?
- Belle loves how dad is fun to be around. She sees some of her friend's parents being too strict.
- Belle got J.R. on TikTok, too!
- What are some of the positives and negatives that Belle likes about dad?
- Belle talks about how they recently went out and ordered some remote control cars to play with.
- Belle asks herself a lot of questions and does quite a bit of self-reflection on why certain things make her mad when she's alone.
- What was the maddest Belle has ever been mad at her dad?
- Belle created a runaway bag. She might be moving to Canada if her parents make her too mad.
- J.R. thanks Belle for picking him to be her dad.
Continue On Your Journey
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