Ep 29: Raising British Kids Across an Ocean, With Alton Byrd

Alton Byrd grew up without a father, then raised two kids across an ocean while playing pro basketball in the UK. This one is about figuring it out with no manual.Alton joins Tony to talk about a fatherhood honestly. He's talks about the divorce, about the years he lived a plane ride away from his children, and about what he got wrong. What comes through is hard-won and simple: kids don't remember the stuff you buy them, they remember your time.What you'll take from this episode:Why "what they want is your time" is the lesson that took him longest to learnParenting from a distance after a divorce, and owning your part in itRaising kids who are "very different" without comparing themMoving from parent-of-children to parent-of-adults, and letting them leadThe three things he'd tell any father: listen, listen to what they aren't saying, and love them no matter whatIf 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 Cold open: what they really want 00:29 Meet Alton Byrd 02:00 British kids and the name Miles 07:30 Did he always want to be a dad? 09:30 Growing up without a father 13:30 Traveling the world with a baby 17:40 Why kids talk about mom 22:40 Figuring out fatherhood alone 26:00 The divorce and owning his part 28:00 The hardest lesson: time over things 33:50 When your kids become adults 42:40 "You owe me nothing" 43:40 Advice for dads in transition