Ep 30: Michael Prince On Community, Chaos, And Raising Three Kids

A chance seat on a flight from Denver turned into a decades-long friendship, and a crash course in fatherhood. This week I sit down with my longtime friend Michael Prince to talk about the early terror of parenting a firstborn, the night his son started choking on steak at the dinner table, and why staying calm matters more than having the right answer. We get into raising a daughter after two sons, building a family culture around community and hospitality, teaching teenagers responsibility instead of just rules, and the regrets that come with parenting on the job. Michael's honesty about what he'd do differently makes this one worth sharing with any dad figuring it out as he goes.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/Key Takeaways:Staying calm in a crisis matters more than having the perfect response; overreacting fuels the fire.Parenting a firstborn often means learning through trial and error with no real playbook.Building community with other parents can be one of the most valuable supports of early fatherhood.Raising a daughter after sons requires learning new sensitivity and intentional one-on-one time.Teaching kids the "why" behind a task matters as much as giving them the easy solution.Discipline works best with clear boundaries paired with real communication, not control.Parenting doesn't end when kids move out; it just changes shape.Growing up with a highly accomplished parent can create a bar that's hard to know you've cleared.Family culture, whether it's music, hospitality, or hosting, gets passed down whether you plan it or not.Every parent carries regrets; what matters is staying self-aware enough to adjust.00:00 Cold open 00:42 Meet Michael Prince 01:18 How Tony and Michael met 02:05 The flight that changed everything 03:10 Becoming each other's sanity 04:13 Babymoon gone sideways 04:52 The terror of a firstborn 06:02 Self-conscious in public with kids 07:16 Learning to stay calm 08:54 Burning the first batch 09:21 Kervin's strong will 11:18 The steak-choking story 13:06 Adrenaline and instinct 14:06 Growing up with a high-bar dad 16:21 Living up to his father 17:02 Parenting patterns we repeat 19:51 Deciding to have a third 20:35 Fear of the unknown gender 21:15 What changed with a daughter 22:24 Raising Josie differently 23:08 Daddy-daughter dates 27:37 Building a community, not just friends 30:07 Teenage independence and curfews 32:20 Parenting never really stops 33:49 Teaching kids the hard way 36:41 Setting red lines, not rules 37:24 Teaching responsibility with alcohol 40:05 Advice for hesitant dads 41:17 Finding your way without a manual 43:37 Final wisdom for new dads 44:53 A message to Kervin