Ep 26: One Dad's Honest Take on Anger, Divorce, and Showing Up

What happens when a dad of three daughters confronts the anger he inherited? Tony sits down with his brother Evan Cooper, father to Rachel, Pia, and Evie, for one of the most personal conversations yet. Evan opens up about the girl-dad learning curve, the moment he realized he was passing his own childhood wounds to his kids, and the practice he calls equanimity. They get real about staying married versus co-parenting, and how cooking and entrepreneurship shaped his daughters.Key takeaways:Why "three under two" reshaped everything about their parentingRecognizing and interrupting generational patterns of yellingEquanimity: staying composed instead of reacting to chaosThe honest debate over staying together for the kidsHow cooking became a way to connect with his daughtersWhy watching your child in pain is a dad's hardest momentEmotional intelligence as the real preparation for fatherhoodIf you enjoyed The Dad Manual, leave us a rating on your podcast app! If you loved it, share this episode with a Dad! Send your questions to dadmanualpodcast@gmail.com. Connect with Tony Cooper: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thetonycooper/00:00 If you can't hear the kids00:34 Meet my brother Evan Cooper02:00 Three daughters, three under two04:30 Liquid gold and dividing the nights06:30 Man-to-man and the power play08:00 The girl-dad learning curve11:00 Doing the research, missing the rest14:00 Generational anger and yelling17:30 Equanimity and staying composed20:30 The moment it broke my heart23:00 Staying married or co-parenting28:00 What the girls actually took from it31:30 Cooking as a way to connect34:00 Entrepreneurship and a different work life36:00 The hardest part: watching them hurt38:00 Advice for a brand-new dad