Ryan Stephens

Husband & Father ×3 | Always learning | Writing about work, family, health & intentional living at | Opinions mine

[Ryan Stephens @ryanstephens]

@twillcandy @huanghelou12 @RenYGRR 🤣How am I supposed to know what goes in what compartment? Is there a course I can take? Is in perpetuity or will it change later?

FWIW, I usually make all their breakfasts + my wife's (if she's eating breakfast) and do their water bottles while she does the lunches.

[Ryan Stephens @ryanstephens]

@Genzdadvice Love this. So many of us are figuring out fatherhood as we go, even those fortunate enough to have had good examples growing up. Having approachable, judgment-free resources and a community of other dads to learn from can make a real difference. Wishing you success with it!

[Ryan Stephens @ryanstephens]

A lot of fatherhood is doing things nobody will applaud.

Showing up tired.
Keeping your promises.
Being patient when frustrated.
Making time when you're busy.

It's not glamorous.

But those little decisions, repeated over years, are how you build a family.

[Ryan Stephens @ryanstephens]

@AllenXCornerman Great point. We could all probably do a better job of recognizing and encouraging other dads who are showing up and doing the work. A little acknowledgment can go a long way.

[Ryan Stephens @ryanstephens]

Ha, this is likely. I do most of the outdoor chores + take out the trash and some dishes and laundry. My wife does most of the indoor chores.

I tried to help pack the kids' lunch and my wife would come behind me and just move shit into different compartments. Same lunch, different compartments. I have stopped helping pack lunches. 🤣

[Ryan Stephens @ryanstephens]

Your kids don't need you to have all the answers.

They need to see you keep learning.
Admit when you're wrong.
Apologize when you lose your patience.
Try again when things don't go your way.

You're not just teaching them how to succeed.
You're teaching them how to be human.

[Ryan Stephens @ryanstephens]

One of the easiest traps to fall into is sacrificing the life you have for the life you think you're supposed to want.

A bigger house.
A better title.
More money.
More recognition.

Ambition is a good thing.

Just make sure you're climbing toward something you actually value.

[Ryan Stephens @ryanstephens]

@MarketPalmer_ Absolutely. I think we've really underestimated the value of boredom. Some of my best thinking happens when I'm walking, running, or just giving my brain a break from constant stimulation.

[Ryan Stephens @ryanstephens]

We've made it incredibly easy to avoid discomfort.

• Bored? Scroll.
• Stressed? Drink.
• Tired? Order in.
• Lonely? Get online.

But a life spent avoiding discomfort eventually becomes pretty uncomfortable.

[Ryan Stephens @ryanstephens]

@awallacewrites Well said. And I think there's a big difference between deliberately doing hard things and simply making life harder than it needs to be. The goal isn't discomfort for its own sake. It's building the capacity to handle it when life inevitably demands it.

[Ryan Stephens @ryanstephens]

@Ismail_Founder Exactly. And I think the challenge is recognizing just how often we reach for those escapes without even thinking about it. So much of it has become automatic.

[Ryan Stephens @ryanstephens]

@TrenchDadHQ That's a lot to navigate every day, and I have a ton of respect for the patience and intentionality that requires.

Sounds like you've built some great systems to help you show up for both kids. Keep crushing it, Dad! 💪

[Ryan Stephens @ryanstephens]

@CoachDanGo Super proud of my old man for getting up at 5am to walk daily and lift weights 3x/week, but found out he’s super allergic to the nickel in his artificial hips (replaced in 2011), so sounds like new hips are coming. Tough recovery for a 73-year old.

[Ryan Stephens @ryanstephens]

@anymanfitness Every girl I knew who was on it cited "acne" as the reason.

[Ryan Stephens @ryanstephens]

@FransiscaAM05 And the humbling part is realizing how often we're still working on those same things ourselves. Parenting has a funny way of holding up a mirror.

[Ryan Stephens @ryanstephens]

Parenting is a lot of asking your kids to develop qualities you're still working on yourself.

Patience. Discipline. Kindness. Resilience.

The trick is remembering they're learning from how you practice those things, not just how you preach them.

[Ryan Stephens @ryanstephens]

@TheSystemsDad Absolutely. It's a lot easier to show up as the parent you want to be when you're taking care of yourself, too.

And I love the idea of inviting your kids into those daily habits rather than just telling them what matters.

[Ryan Stephens @ryanstephens]

@Abdullahmuhame Exactly. The example will always carry more weight than the lecture.

[Ryan Stephens @ryanstephens]

@drbone4tx @HicklandHillary @TexasEd911 @CarolineForTX https://t.co/9k3MtK5hRp

[Ryan Stephens @ryanstephens]

If you're a teacher and your students have any idea who you voted for, you're doing teaching wrong.

[Ryan Stephens @ryanstephens]

@rmccune1 @RoundRockISD https://t.co/9k3MtK5hRp

[Ryan Stephens @ryanstephens]

If you're a teacher and your students have any idea who you voted for, you're doing teaching wrong.

[Ryan Stephens @ryanstephens]

@JohnBasham @PearsonRanchMS @RoundRockISD @jamestalarico https://t.co/9k3MtK4K1R

[Ryan Stephens @ryanstephens]

If you're a teacher and your students have any idea who you voted for, you're doing teaching wrong.

[Ryan Stephens @ryanstephens]

@libsoftiktok @RoundRockISD Ahem.

https://t.co/9k3MtK5hRp

[Ryan Stephens @ryanstephens]

If you're a teacher and your students have any idea who you voted for, you're doing teaching wrong.