I love this show! Full disclosure, I do listen to some of the shows the hosts have separately (not all their shows, but at least one each) and hearing them drop their personas to and their barriers to share their stories about growing up no matter how painful and the stories of the parenting challenges they face is refreshing from that point of view. But for anyone who doesn't know who they are, this is still a podcast that is pretty unique in the space. No religion. No single narrative they all agree on. And no bounds.Great mix of education and entertainment.

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Stumbled upon this podcast after finishing up another dad podcast and love it. Great humor while talking about the real experiences dads/men deal with and aren’t afraid to open up about real everyday topics.

This is funny and informative. Modern parenting focused

I have a theory that Chipper Sloan is Kyle Crosswhite. He looks like Dave and Jeanie Crosswhite if he was on amphetamines for his entire life. I don’t know how this is relevant.

I love dear old dads. I have been a loyal every week listener since the first episode. I love talking ship, serious inquiries only, d and d minus, good awful movies, scathing atheist, Skepticrat, citation needed. Pretty much anything this gang puts out I listen to and love. I would give 5 starts except this review is here to leave one criticism of the cast. During the trump election episode the entire panel seemed to agree that this election (luckily) won’t affect little kids and so keeping the information from them is only helpful. The day after the election my son same home crying. He is half Mexican, 1/4 Hawaiian, 1/4 white. He was bullied at school. He told us the bully made fun of his brown skin. He cried and cried and said over and over he wished he had white skin. That there must be something wrong with him because no one wants to be his friend. Trumps message was hatred of minorities. Racial minority status is impossible to conceal. This election absolutely does affect little brown and black kids. There are children who need to understand what is happening. So they know it’s not because there is something wrong with them.

I identify so strongly with Thomas when he talks about how difficult it is sometimes to manage personal feelings of stress vs making sure your kids are having a good time. Anytime I go out to do something with my kids, my biggest concern is that I’m not going to be able to handle whatever it is we’re doing. I feel like such a failure of a mom in those scenarios… so it’s validating to hear other parents talk about that struggle. Thanks dads!

I’m a childfree woman, and I still love this podcast. The way that at least on person throws the other two off completely every episode brings me immense joy. All three hosts have charm and chemistry between each other that makes me smile while listening.

Mr. McKenna was speaking of FRESH SHROOMS. That's around 7 grams dried. Trust me, it will take you off the planet. Especially todays strains.

Great show, about progressive fathers. Was the start to listening to the rest of their podcasts. Great balance of humor and topics that are growth focused. Enjoyable and thoughtful.

I am a child-free woman, yet this is my favorite podcast.

…and I’m not a dad. I’m going through the backlog and listening to every single episode. Each one has at least a single nugget of truth or wisdom that I can apply to my life, even as a woman without children. Often there’s humor, sometimes childhood anecdotes, and frequently there are truths. Note to the Dads: The episodes regarding mental illness really made me stop and think about my and my partner’s health and how we take responsibility for things in our relationship and friendships. Thank you for your insights and helping me put my thoughts into words that I can take into a conversation.

This podcast isn’t just for parents or Dads. I’m neither a dad nor a parent (I’m female) and I love listening to this show. So many of their discussions is relatable in some way. I like how between the 3 of them there is a variant of backgrounds and morals (though often their morals align) This isn’t a advice podcast but a hey this is what we do and this is how we were parented. If you’re looking for a podcast that you want to feel understood then this podcast is for you.

It took me several episodes to figure out but this is a podcast where three slightly effeminate adult men have a political range from left to far left and are completely oblivious to how narrow their perspectives are. You might hear “toxic masculinity” a half dozen time and they’ll talk about not caring if they raise a child who’s at all “tough”. In one episode they talk about how it’s weird for fathers to kiss their small children on the lips but then go on to make multiple jokes about inappropriate relations with their children. I’m not kidding. What is that? These are upper middle class, privileged, effeminate wyt boys from CA who are espousing leftist ideologies with zero self awareness. Hard pass.

A great show (at times) for positive masculinity; whether you’re a dad or not, you get a great discussion each episode. It’s made me examine how toxic I was brought up and basically I feel like Thomas’s dad and my own shared the exact same parenting styles. When the guys are good, they’re great! Holy cow the negatives though! First, is the “auto ads” Eli jokes about being so bad. And yeah, my record is SEVENTEEN ads out of nowhere in a 50 minute podcast. Depending on how many pop up in the free feed, some episodes are almost unlistenable. One episode I had more ads than episode content. Second, poor editing. Third, Thomas in the two parter on self-defense keeps saying your kid should just not fight an attack. The others bring up sexual assault and he still just says to not risk it and let the criminal justice system handle it later. I have major issues with saying a kid should just lay back and take a rape; especially from a podcaster currently in court with the alleged sexual predator he used to cohost with on another podcast. Fourth, just privilege. So much privilege. One host (who makes his living being anti-religious, hosting multiple podcasts as an anti-theist) has his kid in a Jewish preschool in a state where preschool costs as much as a university to attend for a year. Plus a nanny that seems to be in most of his stories.

Hosts are extremely funny, but I had to unsubscribe. This last episode of hand-wringing about teaching a child how to defend themselves from a hypothetical attack left me cold. Tom sounded honestly unhinged. He is clearly not thinking rationally about the risk of a violent encounter in America (low). The show hits its sweet spot when they are just cracking jokes. Also, one of the hosts casually mentioned that their nine year old can’t read. That sounds like a parenting challenge that would be worth talking about, instead of wasting two episodes of arguing about increasing implausible scenarios involving your child being attacked.

Eli is the funniest person in podcasting and has no ego. Tom is Ron Swanson but liberal. Thomas is somewhere in between and often uses the podcast to process his painful upbringing, which usually works. The three of them can sometimes drag each other so far left that it approaches “apologizing for being a white male” territory, but as long as it’s supported with quality discourse I’m here for it. Their parenting stories are funny, raw, entertaining, and great jumping-off points for discussion. They’ve done a great job with this podcast from the jump.

According to a recent episode, 2/3 of these dads employ nanny services. I’m not really sure that a genuine parent will find much value in their input. Sometimes the show has been kinda funny, but the hosts spend most of the time whining about trivial difficulties. The show seems superficial, and I’m over it.

Can’t make it though a full episode. Parts are funny, not a regular listener because it’s just not that on the ball.

I’ve listened to numerous episodes because it’s refreshing to hear white men attempting to do the work of being good humans, spouses, and parents. I do have to take a long pause sometimes though for 2 reasons: 1. I hit overload with one of the hosts just constantly interrupting the other 2 and talking over them and telling us things that are irrelevant and making everything about him. I just can’t anymore sometimes so I have to stop and not listen for a few months. 2. While it’s refreshing to hear them talk things like about weaponized helplessness, there is still a decent dose of unrecognized privilege going on. It would be helpful if they listened to voices who weren’t male and white more to hear actual lived experiences (outside of their wives’). Example: in one episode one host says he teaches his son to do things like decide whether his school assignments count toward enough of his grade to be worth his time doing. I have a lot of thoughts about teaching kids they can blow off school work without considering the teacher might just have a reason for why the kid needs to learn something, but the bigger issue is that this reasoning only works when you’re white, male and wealthy. A person of color would instantly be labeled “lazy” for taking this approach and that label would impact them for the rest of their school years, if not their whole lives. If you don’t believe me, ask someone who isn’t white and male. Its disappointing to hear no acknowledgment that the approaches they espouse work only for people in their shoes. I know they are personal opinions but when you have a platform you have a responsibility. But other than those 2 things I enjoy this. And I like that they often have different perspectives from one another and explain why and listen to each other (when not being interrupted).

Adventures in moving, adventures in sports memorabilia. In which Eli does the most spot-on impression of Thomas. I listened to it at least five times!!! I’m still gasp laughing!

Hits all the marks! Funny, Irreverent, Insightful, Touching, Informative, Candid, on and on. Thanks for making this guys!

Please don’t talk about sports cause you don’t know nothing about it love the podcast But when it comes to sports you are not qualified thank you

Seriously, not even a dad and it’s great. As a teacher, appreciate the diverse insights into interacting with young kids. Tomorrow, we’re doing a lesson about where the dog is buried. Kidding.

It’s a great podcast. The commercials are jarring, but I understand. It’s two really funny and fun interesting guys, and one that thinks he is and talks over the others while they are patient.

Have listened to Tom on cognitive dissonance and Eli on god awful movies for years, and I really enjoy this show. The only critique I have is Thomas Smith’s tendency to monopolize, talk over, or bring up a quick story that ends up being 5 side tangents and half the show. I would love to hear more from Tom Curry and Eli Bosnick

Eli is my favorite

Beating a opossum to death with a shovel isn’t the hilarious story they think it is

All three of these guys are helping me to have a better, and more modern approach to being a dad. I definitely enjoy this podcast, and look forward to every new episode so far. On the episode about couples fighting, I relate to Eli so much through the whole episode

Dear old dads is a great podcast. I recommend it to my own dad. Thank you for a great podcast

This has quickly become one of my favorite podcasts. I love all three hosts on their other shows, but they make a great group with amazing chemistry. The show is hysterically funny while being both really insightful and heartwarming. I am a mom, but I absolutely love this show and recommend to anyone, whether or not they are a parent!

I’ve listened to this pod and was a paid subscriber for the better part of a year, but given Thomas and Eli’s complicity with Andrew Torrez and his prolific alleged sexual assaults, I don’t think either of them should be giving any kind of advice about parenting or in general this world. Listen to Tom instead over on Cognitive Dissonance. Again, Thomas and Eli were both complicit with Torrez’s alleged acts and have zero credibility.

This is my favorite podcast. I love all of your other podcasts. Tom, Cecil, and the Puzzle in a thunderstorm crew are all brilliant and I’m heartbroken to hear about the other shows from Thomas which i also had loved.... But this is magic guys. The three of you have the best chemestry I’ve ever heard in a podcast. I find myself belly laughing every show. Well done gentlemen.

This trio goes above and beyond with their depth of what it means to be a father, what masculinity is and what it can be, and how to speak to your children. They discover through self-reflection their own acheivements and failings as parents, husbands, and men.

This has become my new favorite podcast. They are a great mix of personalities and backgrounds. They have conversations about real and meaningful subjects. Even if you aren’t a dad it’s a great listen. I became a patron right away!

I listened to the first 17 episodes, and I'm unsure if I'm going to continue. First off, I really started out liking the show. It's hard to come by a podcast where dad's talk about parenting, while also not spouting problematic rhetoric and being inclusive. So that's great that these guys do. But at one point, and I'm not sure where, they slipped into some weird and unrelatable dynamics. Eli, it turns out, is extremely privileged (I mean, good for him) to the point where I can't get on board with anything he says. He doesn't want his kid to have to work a day in their lives, or say "sorry" to someone if they push them down. Like, what? Cool you're rich, cool you have a nanny in your house 98% of the time. The other guy with the voice (I forget his name, sorry) explained how you should love your wife more than your kids, which is an odd stance to take. But to each their own. He also writes a blog to his boys to read when they're older, and also reads on the show a little too much. He also preaches inclusivity and equality, yet tells his son(s?) to always open the door for women, pull out chairs, get car doors, be the sole bread winner so his wife doesn't have to work, and all this that goes against what he harped on 2 episodes ago. Anyway, I'll probably be done with the show now, yet I appreciate what they're going for but at the end of the day, these dudes aren't your typical dad's. It would be nice to have a POV of someone who isn't wealthy, white and privileged.

There’s just so much love and good intent! I learn so much from them

I’m a fan of all the podcasts you do but this one has a genuine sweetness to it that is very touching. I’m a mom and a grandma and I love to hear your more contemporary ideas about dadding. Thank you for all you do.

I really love this show even though I am not a parent yet. It’s hilarious and empathetic at the same time. Just one note, sometimes it feels a teeny bit like Thomas is hogging the conversation which is a bummer because each of you have great diverse perspectives. Anyway, keep making great content!

An honest, deep dive into fatherhood and it’s joys and challenges, “manhood”, “masculinity”, and their experiences with their own parents, these guys provide consistently interesting and variable stories and takes while all being understanding, empathetic human beings, putting themselves out there for us to hear, so maybe we can relate or learn. Love it!

i’m a young(ish) woman with literally zero desire or intention of ever parenting a child, and this is one of my absolute favorite podcasts. these guys are hysterical and brilliant; and, not to get too meta, but this show is kind of a mining operation into the depths of the human condition shown through the magnifying glass of navigating the complexities of raising and teaching people.

I have listened to every single episode yet I Can not fathom how much of it kinda makes me want to DANCE

Love having 3 takes on issues and my personal views are matching up with different people all the time. Please don’t stop - don’t know if it makes me a better dad but I love discussing the issues (in my head) with you

Can relate. Take your goddamn pain meds.

I’m not a dad, I’m not even a mom, but I had a dad once a long, long, long time ago. I love this podcast because I love humor, honesty and humanity.

I started out loving this, but things took a horrifying turn as the astonishing extent of Eli’s privilege became apparent. He’s joked about “quitting society” before and it’s clearly not a joke - his plan for dealing with just about everything is opting out. School, jobs, risks, responsibilities, just use money to make it go away! It must be nice to have three adults to take care of a single child and mountains of other resources to go with it. I love y’all, but you cannot in good faith put a Paetron plug after an hour of talking about how you want to put your kid in a hammock for their whole lives. Someone made that hammock, grew the figs, made the cheese - those people are your listener’s kids.

Eli, Thomas and Tom are like the three Dad’s I never had. I love these guys and am shocked at how much I can connect with them based on their messed up childhoods.

Love all these guys from other shows and had to try it out. My dad left when i was 4, and I grew up in a house with only women. We did ok, and i have always wondered just what it is that I missed because I didn’t have a father. It’s anthropological for me. So this show has been fascinating to listen to these guys discuss the fathers they think they want to be versus their own fathers, versus society’s concept of fatherhood/masculinity. I only know 2 things at this point: 1. I missed learning ways to manipulate your husband or father and the different ways these patterns develop and become embedded in children’s psyche, and 2. I think i would prefer Eli to be my father - though the other guys are ok - i would love a variety of vegan snacks offered to me when I whine!

A fan of each of the hosts from their other podcasts, I subscribed when this podcast launched, but as a non-parent I wasn’t sure I’d ever listen. Today I found myself facing an all-day car ride without an audiobook queued up, so decided to give it a listen. Ten episodes in on a day-long binge, I’m glad I did. Eli, Thomas and Tom are thoughtful and humorous storytellers, and listening to their conversations on their experiences and expectations as fathers and on their memories of being the sons of fathers made for a very enjoyable and engrossing podcast experience. I’ll definitely be keeping this one in my active rotation, and hope they find the show worth continuing for many episodes to come.

And I never plan to be. This show is endearing and funny and perfect for anyone who had a childhood as well as parents. Actually, the comedy and honesty from Thomas, Tom, and Eli are helping me process my own dad issues… so thanks y’all! Keep being awesome!