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When was the last time somebody wrote you a letter? Not a text message, or a quick email, but something that was a complete surprise to tell you how much they care about you, and how much you mean to them.

I’m sure most of us do our very best to tell the ones we love how much we appreciate them. But there’s just something about having that message written or typed out on paper that makes it really special.

On that note, I want to talk about creating a culture of encouragement. And how we can get better at celebrating the big moments in our kids’ lives to make sure that on their day, it’s all about them.

In this conversation, I’m joined by my good friend and fellow Front Row Dad, Doug Phillips. I can’t wait for you to hear about the awesome tradition that he has with his family. I won’t even lie, I am totally going to use this concept with my family and I’m sure a lot of you out there listening probably will too.

To give you a quick glimpse, when Doug was planning for his son’s 13th birthday, he reached out to a bunch of people who were influential in his son’s life with the goal of getting 13 responses. And he asked them if they would write a letter (or email) to his son. In the letter, each person was asked to answer two very simple questions:

• What character qualities do you appreciate about him?
• Since you know what it’s like to be a 13 year old, what advice would you give him?

And to hear about his son reading these letters from teachers, friends, coaches and other parents was beyond profound. It’s such an amazing and unique gift. And the best part is that it’s something that everyone can do with their family.

So join me, as we dig in for part one of my chat with Doug as we talk about how we can find and create mentors for our kids, how this tradition has created deeper connections with the people in his life, and the impact that these affirmations traditions are having in their lives.

One last thing, we are a few weeks away from our next online summit which is happening on March 24th. The next pillar that we’ll be talking about is on the topic of Vibrant Health. If you want some more information on this, go to FrontRowDads.com/Summit.

Doug Phillips Podcast Highlights

• The incredible tradition that Doug’s family has created by asking for letters from other people who were influential in his kids’ lives.
• How these letters created such a unique, personalized and impactful gift.
• What advice would you give to a 13 year old that you wished you had when you were their age?
• How children with divorced parents often struggle to find mentors.
• The importance of celebrating your child’s birthdays, and making sure they feel loved, appreciated and experience gratitude.
• The weekly tradition that Doug’s family has with other parents at their kids school where they meet and plan an activity for the whole group.
• How the family affirmation traditions help to not only send, but receive gratitude from others.
• It’s great to have these routines and rituals, but it’s very easy to get away from them.

“The struggle that you go through is part of what gets you there.” - Doug Phillips Click To Tweet “Hearing all the different things they see in him, the unique ability, how they appreciate that he's a great friend to their kids. There was something powerful about him hearing from someone who's not his mom and dad.” - Doug Phillips Click To Tweet “There's something great about a letter that just says, I know who you are. I'm witnessing your life. This is for you, and nobody else. This is a gift. It’s one of a kind.” - Jon Vroman Click To Tweet

Doug Phillips Links & Other Resources

• Bronwick Recruiting Website
• Follow Bronwick Recruiting on LinkedIn

Doug Phillips Bio

Doug Phillips is a father of 3 and a husband to his brilliant wife, Becca. He’s a member of the FRD Brotherhood and lives in Austin, TX.

After 15 years of building and leading non-profit organizations, he is Co-Founder of Bronwick Recruiting, a recruiting and staffing agency here in Austin that works with many companies in the construction industry.

Doug definitely lives by the Front Row Dads motto as a family man with a business. In his free time, he can be found bouncing between his kids’ volleyball and golf tournaments and enjoying some time on the trails mountain biking with his boys.

Want to learn more about Front Row Dads? 

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While most dads would say that family matters most, the challenge is they feel guilty knowing their careers get the best of them, and their family seems to get the rest of them.

We help Dads become family men with businesses, not businessmen who have families, so they can thrive personally AND professionally.

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Disclaimer: The transcription you’re about to read was produced digitally. It’s 95% accurate, however at times, the system interprets words incorrectly. [/read]