It is with a heavy heart that this will be our last official podcast recording for Just2DadsTalking.  Together CJ and I have dug deep each week for the past 2 years to share our hearts to the Dad-0-Sphere as a continuous source of encouragement and inspiration. We wanted you to know that your role as a dad, single dad, step-dad, granddad has significant worth.

I believe that we've shared will stand the test of time. I hope and prayer that we've impacted lives and will possibly impact even more in the future.  This episode is about what we hope the legacy of this show will be...

1. Being a dad is one of the most rewarding experiences you can have in this lifetime
2. Your role as a dad has a value that has been researched, documented, and proven
3. Being a dad must be intentional
4. The best dads are focused on being the best versions of themselves
5. Everything counts, so the best dads must be present and engaged for moments, both big and small

Every dad wants to be a good dad, but few know how to achieve it. Today, we are going to go over seven New Year resolutions that will give confidence to dads about being good dads.

1. Write Down Your Resolutions

2. Connect with Your Parents

3. Create a "Your Special Day"

4. Read Child Raising Books

5. Be More Emotionally Accessible

6. Focus on Self-Care

7. Develop New Family Bonding Moments

During the Thanksgiving holiday, I visited both of my grandmothers. I met with each of them at their house. It was truly a unique and enjoyable experience and I was left with some incredible lessons that all dads can benefit from.

• 1 on 1 visits foster connection
• Understanding our family members fosters a deeper understanding as to who and why we are the way we are
• We have the opportunity to teach our family who we are and how we think

A deeper understanding of our family provides us dads a more grounded sense of self. This then manifests itself in how we show up as loving fathers, grandfathers, and husbands.  A rooted and grounded dad is a beacon of light in his household.

There are many variations on Christmas celebrations across the globe. If you think of Santa Clause with a white beard, wearing a red suit, and delivering gifts on Christmas Eve while everyone sleeps, you have bought into the creation of an American cartoonist in the Victorian era.

Here are some things you can do to decide how you and your family will celebrate Christmas.

1. Decide what you celebrate and why

2. Share your celebration with others, don’t withhold your beliefs

3. Determine how you treat Santa Clause and Jesus—like Mickey Mouse, or God?

Lamont Boyd and CJ Powers discuss the acronym T.O.A.S.T. to help dads remember to:

Time—Spend quality time with their family
Opportunity—Take opportunities to be present
Active Engagement—Directly contributing to the family experience
Steadfast—Resilence in spite of mistakes
Trust—Keeping your word

Lamont Boyd and CJ Powers discuss the 7 forms of respect worth teaching our kids. They include:

1. Greet others with confidence
2. Open doors for others
3. Clean up after yourself
4. Place orders with politeness
5. Thank your elders, coaches, and teachers
6. Share words of affirmation 
7. Take care of entrusted things.

As Dad's, we may often find it difficult to maintain a work/family balance. In today's episode, Lamont Boyd and CJ Powers will offer 5 tips to help establish and maintain a work/family balance.

1. Define your "why" when it comes to work/family balance
2. Define what "balance" means to you
3. Endeavor to schedule time In
4. Learn from what works and what doesn't and adjust accordingly
5. Strive for Consistency

Lamont Boyd and CJ Powers discuss how to tell a great impromptu bedtime story to your kids.