Money Talks podcast: One tough little lady
How Parker is becoming a young lady without losing her edge.
Sometimes, fathers do some barbaric stuff.
To teach a lesson. To shape behavior. To pass down what we think will equip our children for the real world.
And in the moment, it all feels justified. Necessary, even. What we don’t usually stop to consider is the long-term impact.
Now that Parker is 12, I’ve reached my reckoning. When she was around 5, I demanded that Parker be the “toughest kid.” To drive the point home, I’d pound my chest twice — like Ray Lewis on somebody’s football field — and belt out the words. Then I made Parker repeat them back to me.
Toughest kid. … Thud! … Thud!
Between that ritual and the 5 a.m. push-ups, you might picture me as some kind of drill sergeant.
But I felt like it was a success.
“It was,” Parker told me on Episode 21 of the Money Talks podcast.
At the same time, I probably went overboard.
“You probably did,” Parker added.
That’s why the “toughest kid” chant is gone. Parker is now making room for a “little lady,” without losing her edge.
In a lot of ways, we’re playing catch-up, navigating her growth, her budding maturity and the new responsibilities that come with both, all while learning how to balance toughness with tenderness.
And that’s what Episode 21 is about.
Join us for this important Money Talk on the phase when a preteen begins to blossom into a little lady.
Click the play button below to listen now, or find the Money Talks podcast on Spotify. For your convenience, here is a timestamp of Episode 21:
🎙️ Episode 21 — Timestamps:
0:01: Backstage
1:01: The Money Talks jingle
1:35: Happy New Year!
4:10: “What y’all reading?”
6:45: Explaining one tough little lady
12:00: You make the call: Toughness or tenderness?
14:20: Who a “little lady” is not
15:10: Who a “little lady” could be
17:50: Parker hosts her first mini-game! — “The Wayback Machine”
21:25: “Dad, you’re wrong!”
23:55: Dad’s message to Parker as she steps into being a “little lady”
24:29: Outro
Becoming . . . !!! WOW!