Dad of the Week: Jeremy Roadruck

Jeremy Roadruck works as a Coach for men online and in person. He lives in Dayton, Ohio where he is raising his three daughters and two sons! Every Dad of the Week answers the following questions, read on to learn more about Jeremy and his family!

• What was your first reaction when you found out that you were going to be a father?
  • I was over the moon excited. I’d wanted to be a dad for about 30 years before it finally happened. I felt like I’d finally “arrived” as a man – finally gotten to a healthy place in my head and heart where someone loved me for me, in a healthy and sustainable way. 
• When you knew you were going to be a father, who or where did you turn to for advice?
  • By the time I was ready to truly be a father, I’d already been working with families and kids for over 18 years and had master level certifications in hypnotherapy, NeuroLinguistic Programming and neurostrategies. So I had a LOCK on psychology, meaning, how we create our unconscious worlds… and I looked to my wife as this was her second baby. SHE taught me the ropes – changing diapers, testing the bottle, bathing, teething… the pulseOx (Evie was on oxygen) we figured out together. 
• How would your kids describe you as a dad?
  • Love, playful, sometimes loud.

• What has been the largest challenge you have had in being a father?
  • Not resenting the time that gets “taken away” with work and school. I just wanna kick it with the kids 24/7. 
• Looking back on your life as a father, what would you change if you could?
  • I would have had a better, more solid financial base – set $100 aside monthly once I started working. I lived too long just taking care of myself so some of my financial habits and attitudes weren’t great for a young family. 
• What do you do for fun with your children?
  • Swim, trampoline park, water park, video games, road trips and rocking out to music, WH40K with the boy, movies and popcorn with the girl. 

• What advice would you give to other dads?
  • Trade expectation for appreciation – make it easy for your kids to win, THEN slowly dial up the challenge. You’ll ALL have more fun and more love. You’ve got 18 years to deliver your kids to the world – they don’t have to grow up in a day, yo! 
• How have you come to balance fatherhood and outside life?
  • My wife helps – and we (as a family) realize that balance is a skill, it’s dynamic. We adjust it rather than act as if it’s something you either have or not. This framework makes it easier to ask for what we need from, for, and with each other. 
• What have been the most memorable experiences that you have had thus far as a father?
  • Hearing my kids reflect some of my more playful language patterns back to me. My daughter was in kindergarten and got frustrated with something… “MOTHERFather!” she exclaimed… and the teacher and teacher’s aide had to step into the hallway because they were laughing too hard to maintain their composure! WIN! The most heartwarming? The way my kids light up when they see me if I’ve been gone for a while. It’s crazy that there’s these little people who love having me around when I couldn’t stand myself for the majority of my life.

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