PLOT TWIST: WE FOLLOW THE RULES TOO

Okay if we go out to dinner and I don't allow my kids to get a soda or a drink, me and my wife aren't ordering a soda or a drink. We lead by example in this house. If I ask my kids to do a sport, I'm doing a sport. That's why I train every day. That's why I compete. My wife trains, she competes. We do various trainings and competitions all year long, just like we expect our children to. As a stepmom, my wife has carte blanche to discipline and talk any way that she feels necessary. And this was something that was super important when we first got together. At once she became a fixture in this house. I told my kids that if it comes from her, it's also coming from me. And none of my kids need to run to me to ask for permission or ask if what she said was okay, because they knew from day one. And we talked about it that if she said it, it's already been discussed and it's probably something we've already had a conversation about. And they damn well better listen to her. Because if she says it, it's likely we've already talked about it. My wife and I don't allow the kids to get tattoos. Some of them, my daughter's 16, a couple of their friends that are in high school have. And there's no tattoos in this house unless they're 18. Something else that we do, my wife and I also prioritize recovery. So when I'm making my kids do the cold plunge, I'm doing it too. When I'm making my kids do the sauna, I'm doing it too. We prioritize recovery. And we never really make the kids do anything that we're not willing to do. Also, we lead by an example in this house. These things are not comfortable. The sauna is almost 200 degrees. The cold plunge is 41 degrees. These things are very uncomfortable. We're trying to show our kids what it looks like to be uncomfortable and to get comfortable in uncomfortable situations to build mental resilience, to prioritize recovery, health, and longevity. So if we're telling our kids to do something, we're doing it too.