Tony Cooper sits down with David Yep, a dad who spent 14 years on the path to becoming a Catholic priest before realizing fatherhood was his real calling. This episode of the parenting podcast digs into David's unexpected road to becoming a dad to Lucia, Sophia and Constantine, and the app he built, Godmother, to help fathers understand their kids and themselves. We talk presence, the pressure of raising a son versus daughters, and why dads need accountability as much as advice. If you're a new dad podcast listener looking for real tools instead of generic parenting tips, this one delivers.

Key takeaways:

• Why "whatever age they are" is the best answer to the best age for a kid
• David's path from seminary at 13 to grad school to fatherhood
• Why boys and girls can trigger different pressures in dads
• The taught framework: tolerance, acceptance, understanding, treasure
• Why kids deify or demonize their fathers instead of seeing them as human
• How the Godmother app builds a profile of your child's wiring
• Why love languages aren't one-size-fits-all, even within one family
• The power of being overheard praising your kid to someone else
• Why accountability, not willpower, is what keeps dads showing up

If 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/

Get 10% off Godmother using this link: https://godmother.aingelic.net/?ref=tony-64b32a

00:00 David's path from seminary to fatherhood
02:06 The age range David loves most right now
05:12 Why time feels like it flies without presence
06:17 The hardest part of the newborn stage
10:13 Leaving home for the seminary at 13
13:04 Deciding the priesthood would not work
17:02 Raising a son versus raising daughters
21:15 Deify or demonize: seeing dads as human
23:48 Admitting you do not know the answer
27:33 How the Godmother app actually works
30:58 Why the app is named Godmother
33:14 Love languages are not one size fits all
37:06 Learning to treasure your co-parent's approach
43:04 Real feedback from families using the app
49:16 David's advice for a brand new father