7 Questions for Dads – Insights on Family Empowerment

What happens when a child takes control of the podcast mic? In this special episode of 15 Minutes with Dad, the tables are turned as my bonus son Abe (the Positive Kid) interviews me with seven questions I hadn't seen beforehand. No scripts, no preparation—just raw, honest conversation between father and son.

Our discussion quickly moves beyond surface-level pleasantries into profound territory. When asked what family means to me, I share how true family relationships transcend blood ties, centering on loving someone for who they want to become rather than just who they are today. Abe's brilliantly simple definition—someone who cares about you and who you care about in return—reminds us that sometimes children grasp life's most complex concepts with striking clarity.

The most unexpected revelation comes when I explain how Abe himself has helped me heal parts of my own childhood. Through parenting him since he was seven, I've reconnected with my inner child who experienced trauma and fear at the same age. Seeing Abe's light, joy, and exploratory spirit has allowed me to nurture the childhood self I wish I could have been—a healing journey I wasn't emotionally prepared for in previous relationships.

Using the metaphor of a tether rope from a space game we once played, I explain how healthy families provide the crucial anchoring that keeps us grounded while giving us freedom to explore the world. When Abe asks how I feel about being his stepfather, I share that it's one of life's greatest honors. His response—that he sees me as his "real father" because I care about him and set boundaries for his protection—brings our conversation full circle, demonstrating that meaningful family bonds aren't created by DNA but through consistent love, presence, and mutual growth.

Whether you're a stepparent, biological parent, or someone stepping up for a child who's not biologically yours, this conversation celebrates the power of chosen family and the profound connections we can build through honesty, vulnerability, and simply being available. Subscribe to hear more conversations about real fatherhood and personal growth, and check out Abe the Positive Kid on YouTube for his insightful content for children and adu

Chapters

• 1:42 Episode Introduction
• 2:59 What Family Means To Us
• 6:01 Learning Through Financial Struggles
• 11:07 Opening Doors of Opportunity
• 15:46 Why Family Keeps Us Grounded
• 19:07 Being A Plus Dad
• 22:29 A Son's Honest Perspective

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:51

Welcome back to another episode of 15 Minutes with Dad, the podcast where we talk about real fatherhood, personal growth and becoming the man your kids can be proud of. Today we've got a special episode that's close to my heart and a little out of my control. So I'm being interviewed by my plus son, ab the Positive Kid. That's right. He came up with seven questions to ask me and I haven't seen a single one of them. No scripts, no preps, just father and son talking from the heart. If you're a dad, stepdad or anyone stepping up for a child who's not biologically yours, this one's for you. This episode celebrates the bond we can build through presence, honesty and just being available. So buckle up and let's dive into seven unscripted questions for my bonus sign AB the positive kid. Abe, the mic is yours.

Speaker 2: 1:41

Hi Hi.

Speaker 1: 1:44

Hi, what's going on. Boy, are you excited?

Speaker 2: 1:47

Yes, I'm really excited, nervous and I really don't know what to do.

Speaker 1: 1:54

All right, me either, so I'm hoping these questions aren't too far off the wall. You are very much known for your spontaneity, so your spontaneous actions. So we'll see what kind of party we get into. Let's get into it.

Speaker 2: 2:08

All right. First question what is your favorite time spent with your family?

Speaker 1: 2:15

Ah, we're talking about family. My favorite time spent with my family Ah, we're talking about family. My favorite time spent with my family is when we're doing movie night or when we go on trips and I spend a lot of money. No, I'm joking, I like to like. My favorite time is really, honestly, when we're just relaxing with each other or you guys are playing outside and I'm able to watch you guys play, or play with y'all.

Speaker 2: 2:40

I love playing with you guys okay, second question what does family mean to you?

Speaker 1: 2:50

family means that's a big one, because for me, family, I have family. That's not that's a big one because for me, family, I have family. That's not blood, that's not like blood related to me and I have family that's like you you're not blood related to me, but you're my family. Then I have family. That's blood related to me. But I feel like family is this idea that a person loves you for who you would like to become and not just who you are today. A person that that growth and holds you accountable and even in the hard times, when you don't feel like you can do something, but being able to like love you and love you through mistakes and love you through your triumphs and love you through your hard times as well all right.

Speaker 2: 3:39

Third question when is it time or times that your family helped you in any way?

Speaker 1: 3:48

and when we say family, we're talking about you guys. Are we talking about, like my extended family, like my mom and my siblings, like any type of family? Let me see there was a time that I didn't have. There was a time I didn't have a job. I was like unemployed, I had lost my job and there and there, and it was like times where I didn't feel like I was a good dad or a good father because I wasn't able to fully support a brand new income we had.

Speaker 1: 4:28

We wasn't, we had money, but I felt like my value I had my value tied to the fact that I didn't have a job or had a job. And I think during that time, we spent a lot more time outside doing like very chill things that didn't cost a lot of money, like we went to parks. We I don't know if you remember when we got like frisbees and stuff and like we went to the park and we was like throwing tennis balls and trying to catch them with the little pads and like we had some games and stuff or we did the obstacle courses. Like I feel like that helped me or helped shaped my value in myself and how I feel and the confidence I feel as a dad or as a person, when you guys were showed me that it's okay to to be able to have to enjoy life and have fun without all the extravagance of finances. So you guys showed me what love was outside of my job and outside of my work all right what do you have to say about that?

Speaker 1: 5:36

because you're asking questions, but what does that mean to you? All right, what do you have to say about that? Because you're asking questions, but what does that mean to you?

Speaker 2: 5:47

What are your thoughts on that? Like right now, I know I'm being cared, but I know I'm being more cared than I thought before. Why? Because I didn't think that playing with us or something like that would help to figure out about love and stuff yeah, and what does family mean to you?

Speaker 1: 6:13

family?

Speaker 2: 6:14

Family means to me that, like someone that cares about me and I care about them, you can care about friends, and friends can care about you.

Speaker 1: 6:24

Does that make them family?

Speaker 2: 6:26

Yeah.

Speaker 1: 6:27

Okay, that's fair. That's pretty simple. That's a lot more simpler than I said it. I should have kept it simple like you did. That was good.

Speaker 2: 6:43

Profound, even Profound, even profound. All right, what's your next question, bud? If there is anything you could do or give to your family, well, what is it?

Speaker 1: 6:51

that's good if there's one thing that I can give to my family.

Speaker 2: 6:57

Or do.

Speaker 1: 6:58

Or do for my family. What would it be? I would grant each of you three wishes.

Speaker 2: 7:09

Nah, are you the genie. Are you the?

Speaker 1: 7:12

genie now? Nah, I wouldn't. I think I would. If I can do or give anything to you, I would give you. If I could give something, it would be inspiration.

Speaker 1: 7:33

I don't know, that's probably lame, but I think of a way of like, how can I make a lasting impact on you guys outside of giving you a thing? And I believe and it's a tough question, maybe this is good it got deeper and deeper, man, but I believe that I want all of you guys, all of my kids, to live a happy and fulfilling life life and I say inspiration or an example. I'm learning about what the fullness of life really feels like, and it's through you guys that I'm learning that Like it's, there's not a thing that will make you happy, but it's the impact that you make on people that really gives you that long-lasting joy and happiness that I want you guys to have. When y'all wake up, when you're an adult and you wake up in the morning, I want you to feel passionate and excited, to be awake and grateful, and to be awake and grateful and happy, to be you and happy, like through your life. That's what I want to give you.

Speaker 1: 8:53

I can't give you that, that's not a thing I can give you. But the closest I can do is inspire you to do that. And if I can do anything, it would be to open every door that you knock on, every door of opportunity that you knock on, every door of opportunity that you knock on in your life, that I've walked through it enough to open that door for you, at least to crack the door so you can kick it open. You know when you want to go beast, when you say I want to be an astronaut, I want to have created a connection that you could go and use to say, hey, I want to be an astronaut. I want to have created a connection that you could go and use to say, hey, I want to be an astronaut, I'm about to go knock on the door. You'd be so confident to go kick that door open because you feel like you could do anything in the world. That's a boring dad answer, but that's the best I can do with no preparation for this question.

Speaker 2: 9:48

I'm not sure if that's a boring dad answer, but okay, that was actually like I can't even explain it.

Speaker 1: 9:58

How does it? Make you feel?

Speaker 2: 10:00

It makes me feel like the last answer, more caring, because what you would do, that's what you would do for me.

Speaker 1: 10:10

Yeah.

Speaker 2: 10:13

All right. Fifth question who is the person in your life who helped you the most?

Speaker 1: 10:21

So far.

Speaker 2: 10:23

So far.

Speaker 1: 10:25

I have so many friends that I've learned things from so far. I have so many friends that I've learned things from. I have so many people I've come across in life that's taught me so much and I don't know if that's helping. Helping is hard to consider because I've learned things from people without them attempting to teach me things, so I don't know if they helped. I would say that was helping, but they may not have done anything to try and help me. They just probably was there and I was like hey, I learned something from you.

Speaker 1: 10:57

You know what. I'll answer this like this. I'll say this because I've lived a lot of life. I've learned a lot in different stages of my life, but in this stage of my life I will say that I am learning, or I have been helped a lot. I've been helped a lot from you.

Speaker 2: 11:21

What do you mean?

Speaker 1: 11:23

Because I've been in your life since you were seven. Right Before then I probably I was with someone that had a son that they were like 11 or 12 or going on 12. But I've learned a lot about the child that was my inner child at your age, or my younger self, my childhood at your age. I've learned so much about myself during this time, since we've been at like four years now and, believe it or not, like I feel, like I've learned how to care and love for a son and to love my younger child or my inner child at your age. I was exposed me to myself and I haven't dealt with a kid, except for Mariah, but she's a girl, so I didn't really feel that way.

Speaker 1: 12:24

Go through that experience of this age, of my inner child, much as like with Mariah, I was like I want to love and protect her because she's my baby and she's at this age. But with you I feel that same way, with you, but with you it exposed me to myself and it really helped me focus on a part of myself that I realized that was extremely traumatized as a kid and scared as a kid, and you embody this child that I wish that I could have been when I was your age and that's, I feel like you helped me heal in that regard, because I see you with light in your eyes and joy and exploration and excitement, and that has taught me so much. That has helped me become a better person.

Speaker 2: 13:14

Mini question. You said that I exposed you to your inner child. You also said that you had, that you also had another deaf son that was also 11 years old. Why didn't you get? Did you also get exposed to the inner child?

Speaker 1: 13:34

I think the way that relationship was I wasn't I haven't gone through enough therapy or enough even healing to even acknowledge that existed at that time, and so I didn't. I never really opened up that with him um, like we grew close. But it wasn't until the ending of the relationship that we grew close. It was very tumultuous at the very beginning but with you I get to. I've experienced, especially coming from seven years old. I got to watch you grow until 11, so I really learned a lot about how I grew from that age and how I thought and how my mental was during that age, during that time. So yeah, that's, it's just a different dynamic, I think, from the relationship. I've done a lot of therapy and during this, during our relationship, and so it's kind of shows me myself okay, what I think about that is that, like, shows me myself.

Speaker 2: 14:31

Okay, what I think about that is that, like, I am very important in your life right now. I also helped you in some ways, mostly in a lot of ways, because that's how you put it Wow, wow, oh. Sixth question why do you care about family?

Speaker 1: 14:55

I care about family for a couple reasons. The first reason is family keeps you grounded, keeps me grounded. When I go out into the world and I get overwhelmed by the no, the people saying no, or the people acting aggressive or hate that I'm experiencing at any given time, or even love that I'm experiencing, I get grounded or I get to be they call it tethered. Where I'm like, if you think of a rope being tied to my back, there's my family and then there's a rope tied to my back. And when I go off into the world to work or to communicate or to network, whatever I'm doing with my life outside of the household, I'm tethered to my family. I'm tethered to you guys. And the stronger, the healthier that we are, the stronger our family is, the stronger the rope is when I reach out and it's easier and more good for me to come back home and come back to you guys. And family grounds me and keeps me from floating off into the world without a rope and flying into the cosmos of space and getting lost.

Speaker 1: 16:05

I think without family, people get lost. They fall into bad places that they shouldn't. They just think of what's that little? You remember that game we played with the astronauts and you have to like reach and have that rope that's keeping you from flying everywhere. You got to keep putting your rope, but you're. It's like the little space. Move to space.

Speaker 2: 16:25

Yeah, I forgot.

Speaker 1: 16:28

Yeah, but you know what I'm talking about. So if you think of that and you think of all the different places you could hook your little tether to, that's what happens when people don't have family. When you have family, your rope is tied to a single source, but it's the more love and connected you are with your family, the longer your rope is and the easier it is to still come back to your family, whereas if you don't have family, you're putting your little hook in all these random places and tethering yourself to random places. That doesn't give you the space to move anywhere. You know how short that rope was when you had to keep putting and clinking it up to this thing. It's the same. I think that's the same concept of like, how family make like, why family is so important to me.

Speaker 2: 17:18

Family can do a lot of things.

Speaker 1: 17:21

Yeah, a healthy family can do a lot of things. If their family isn't healthy, then they're basically constantly cutting your rope. Every time you leave, they cut it and then you have to, like, try to. You're trying to reconnect and they just keep on cutting and your rope's getting shorter and shorter, but they're not building the rope to make it stronger or longer or anything like that Okay. You get it.

Speaker 2: 17:43

Yep, I get it.

Speaker 1: 17:45

Yeah.

Speaker 2: 17:48

I was not prepared for this. Yeah, man.

Speaker 1: 17:50

Yeah, I was not prepared for this. Yeah, man, yeah, deep, deep.

Speaker 2: 17:54

The last question.

Speaker 1: 17:57

Dun dun. Oh, it sounds my bad. You said dun dun dun. It sounded like a superhero and I was like dun dun, dun, I do. Oh, okay, all right.

Speaker 2: 18:09

How do you feel about me being your stepson and why?

Speaker 1: 18:16

I feel it's one of the greatest honors I've had to do in my life. Yeah, because being a plus dad to a kid like you, to a great kid like you who's bright and inquisitive like you're like super fun. You always find the joy and laughter in something and you keep smiles on everyone's faces, even though you're nosy sometimes but like it's.

Speaker 1: 18:53

You have your personality that really lights up the family and you bring an amazing piece in my life and you give me the experience of being a dad to a son at your age and it's just fun to watch you flourish and grow and learn and you're helping me become a greater dad at that. In that, in this realm, in our family, you're helping me become a greater and greater dad because I have to be. I have to be someone for you, just like I have to be someone for Mariah and Emmy and Imani. But you you and Mariah are helping mold me in so many ways my character traits to be even a better dad for you and I love being your plus dad and I love that you're my plus son and I get to walk this earth and know that a kid like you loves me. It makes me feel amazing and I love you and I appreciate you.

Speaker 2: 19:50

Wow, very heartwarming. I was not prepared for that answer.

Speaker 1: 19:56

Okay.

Speaker 2: 19:56

Okay, I got a question.

Speaker 1: 19:59

I got a question for you.

Speaker 2: 20:01

I thought I was interviewing you.

Speaker 1: 20:03

You were interviewing me, but sometimes the interviewee likes to give the interviewer a question. Interview me, but sometimes the interviewee likes to give the interviewer a question. What is I ask your question, but with me in it. Your last question, but with me in it.

Speaker 2: 20:19

To you, oh, I feel about you being my stepfather is I feel like I'm also being like I never had a real father. Like you, like I know you like strict sometimes, but like for the but for good, like you know what to do for stuff and you're trying to just just trying to protect me, trying Trying to save me from things, trying to not make me see the things I don't need to see On YouTube Because I'm apparently banned For seeing things I'm not supposed to.

Speaker 1: 20:59

Okay, Keep going.

Speaker 2: 21:03

Yeah, so yeah, I like Never Didn't have that at the, the real father that I really had with you. You made me like, actually, like you are, like you make me feel like you're the real, you're my real father because, like you care about me, you're doing things, even though they're strict. I don't like them, but it's back to the strict. I see you like it's for, but it's for me, it's for myself, so like I'm happy to have, it's that father like you.

Speaker 1: 21:48

That's so heartwarming, so heartwarming. Hey, you first. Yeah, I love you, bud, and I thank you for jumping on an episode with me to do this podcast. It's been a pleasure and your questions were definitely catching me off guard. I had to really think during the podcast, which is fun. I look forward to other conversations that we'll have. Thank you for having me and interviewing me. Ab, the positive kid everyone give him a round of applause. You did a great job interviewing. But you sure you don't want your own podcast?

Speaker 2: 22:21

huh, but you want to do, you want your own podcast.

Speaker 1: 22:23

I do now. I kind of do you want your own podcast.

Speaker 2: 22:27

I do now.

Speaker 1: 22:28

I kind of do. Are you going to be just interviewing everybody, anybody? All right, we'll talk about it. Thank you for joining me. If you haven't followed us on social media, you can follow us on 15 Minutes with Dad. You can follow AB the Positive Kid on YouTube. Abe the Positive Kid on YouTube. Abe A-B-E the Positive Kid on YouTube. You can follow his shorts where he gives very positive insights for children and adults as well to build a stronger family bond With that. Have a great day, folks. Bye.