You're the Bow, Not the Arrow: How He Sees His Job as a Dad

Ask young fathers how to raise great kids and you get 72 steps. Ask the old guys and you get two words: just love them. (Want a taste of what Front Row Dads is actually like? Come sit in on a live Brotherhood Experience. It's 60 minutes on Zoom with Jon and a few other dads, free, and it's the easiest way to find out whether a room like this is for you. You don't have to share and you don't have to prepare. Dates and sign-up at frontrowdads.com/experience) David Osborn has built companies, written books, and taken his kids around the world. Ask him what a father is actually for and he goes to Rumi: you're the bow, your kids are the arrows. Your job is to be steady, and let them go. In this quick clip he walks through what that looks like on a normal day — loving his wife hard enough that the kids see it, keeping their world wide, and holding a clear picture of the grandfather he wants to be. And when his 15-year-old walks in and looks at him like he's annoying, he hugs her anyway and tells her the truth: I don't understand you right now, and you probably don't understand me, but I love you.   IN THIS EPISODE: - Rumi's bow and arrow: what a dad is actually for - "Keep exposing them" — why he keeps widening their world - Loving his wife hard, where the kids can see it - The vision he's working backward from, right down to the grandkids - What he says to a teenager who finds him annoying   WANT THE BOOKS? The book list we mention in this episode: over 100 books Front Row Dads recommend, the ones that changed how these guys operate at home and at work. Free at frontrowdads.com/books   WANT THE FULL STORY? The full conversation goes into Osborn's Nepal orphanage trip with his son, raising wealthy kids without entitlement, and letting teenagers graduate to autonomy. Hear the whole thing: "Unlocking Adventure, Fatherhood, and a Life of Purpose with David Osborn" -> frontrowdads.com/476