Parenting from a Distance: Emotional Presence, Co Parenting Strength, and Fatherhood Resilience

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Parenting from a distance tests emotional presence and connection. Many fathers work through separation, travel, or shifting co parenting routines. This episode of 15 Minutes with Dad focuses on parenting awareness, emotional healing, relationship communication, and family empowerment. Lirec Williams shares personal insights and research from the American Psychological Association and Dr. John Gottman to help fathers create steady connection, trust building habits, and mental peace even when they are not physically near their kids.

You learn how emotional safety grows through consistent communication, supportive co parenting, and small habits that strengthen family resilience. The episode highlights parenting resilience, supportive parenting, youth communication support, and fatherhood reflection. You get tools for emotional regulation, parenting balance, and parenting emotional awareness that keep your family bond strong across distance.

Key points
 • Five ways to stay connected during parenting from a distance
 • How to build emotional safety and trust through simple routines
 • Co parenting communication skills that reduce conflict
 • Why emotional presence supports child growth
 • How to manage guilt, loneliness, and mental load with steady emotional resilience

 A grateful and energized intro that celebrates the global reach of 15 Minutes with Dad. Highlights impact across 403 cities and 57 countries, acknowledges listeners for their support and invites them to continue the mission through holiday engagement, podcast ratings, social sharing and picking up Man Up, From Our Trauma to Being an Impactful Father. 

 A warm, exciting closing message that reinforces the show’s growth in fatherhood, emotional healing and family empowerment. Thanks listeners for their support, encourages episode feedback, ratings and social media tags, and offers a holiday reminder to gift Man Up, From Our Trauma to Being an Impactful Father to someone focused on personal growth and healthier parenting. 

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Episode Transcript

SPEAKER_00 (01:21):
What's going on, brothers?
This one today is for thefathers who don't get every day
with their kids.
The ones who love from milesaway, the ones who face time
instead of tucking, the ones whosend voice notes instead of
morning hugs.
Today's episode is calledParenting from a Distance.
How to stay connected when youcan't be there.

(01:43):
Because even when life pulls youapart physically, emotionally,
and through circumstance, youstill can lead, guide, and love
with presence.
That's what we're going to talkabout today.
Let's get into it.

(02:04):
Being away from your kids hurt.
Whether you're separated,co-parenting, deployed, or
working long hours, thatdistance hits different.
You literally start questioningyourself: am I still a good dad
if I'm not there every day?
You are.
But being a good dad from adistance requires intention.

(02:29):
It's not about showing upperfectly, it's about showing up
consistently.
Research from AmericaPsychological Association found
that consistent communication,even short positive
interactions, have a lastingimpact on the child's
self-esteem and emotionalsecurity, no matter how far away

(02:49):
the parent lives.
It's not how often you'retogether, it's how intentionally
you connect when you are.
Let's talk about what fathersdon't often admit.
We don't often admit the guilt,the loneliness, the feeling like
you're missing moments you can'tgive back.

(03:12):
That guilt can make youwithdraw, thinking, if I can't
be there fully, maybe it'sbetter to stay quiet.
But silence builds distance, anddistance breeds
misunderstanding.
The truth is, our kids don'tneed perfect communication.
They just need consistentreassurance.

(03:33):
They need to know that you'restill mine and I'm still yours.
I wanted to make sure that Ispend some time and reflect on
my personal life in regards tothis subject because one, my
first child, my daughter, 17years old now, you know, in the

(03:58):
beginning of her life, I spent alot of time co-parenting and
learning how to co-parentthrough a very terrible process.
It was trial by fire, even.
And what I what made it sodifficult was the fact that I
was far away, and I was alsobeing bullied in that

(04:26):
environment where I couldn'tspend time with my child, even
if I traveled to go see her, orI wasn't able to call her
because a number changed, or Iwasn't able to find her because
she moved and I didn't knowwhere they lived, different
things like that, and that toreme to shreds for so many years.
But it didn't make me stopfighting.

(04:46):
And currently, you know, thatwas the past.
My daughter currently lives withme 100%, but in the that was the
past, but in the present rightnow, I have a son in which me
and her his mother are no longertogether, and I have to navigate

(05:08):
this space again.
And he lives two hours away fromme.
And so having to, and he's onlytwo years old, so this
relationship is gonna changeover time, but it's still
important that I make sure thatno distance is far enough for me

(05:30):
to stop being engaged in thislife, and and I will never let a
moment go where I can't see him,spend time with him and love
him.
And so right now we're workingthrough the co-parenting stuff
and you know, and trying tocontinue to pour into his life

(05:52):
at the age of two and let himknow that daddy's here and
you're my son, and I love you.
So I'm gonna give you fivepractical ways to navigate this
distance.
And we're gonna call it the fiveC's of distance parenting.
The first one we're gonna talkabout is consistency.

(06:16):
It's important that we set arhythm, even if it's five
minutes a day.
A daily text, a bedtime call,routine equals safety.
If it's five, if every day isdifficult for you, then make it
every other day.
But be consistent.
Create a routine.
Number two, it's be creative.

(06:37):
Record short videos, sendhandwritten notes, draw together
online, make connection fun.
With technology, it's easy toconnect with your loved ones.
Everyone's engaged ontechnology, even at a young age.
Number three, communication.
Don't just talk to your kids,talk with them.

(07:01):
Ask open-ended questions if theycan talk, if they're that at
that age where they can createsentences and articulate their
feelings, ask open-endedquestions.
Like, what made you smile today?
What's something I don't knowabout your week?
For collaboration.
If you are co-parenting, workwith, not against, the other

(07:25):
parent.
Keep your child out of themiddle.
And the last one is care.
End every message, every call,every conversation with love.
Kids remember the emotional tonemore than the words.
So even if you're separated bydistance, you can build

(07:46):
emotional presence right whereyou are.
Now, sometimes co-parenting canfeel hard, can be pretty
difficult.
And if you're co-parenting andcommunication is strained, you
got to stay focused on yourchild's experience and not your
frustration.

(08:07):
That's what helped me in thepast.
That's what continues to help menow, is that my communication is
strictly about the kids.
Can't put all of your feelingsand all the things that you
wanted to say and wanted theperson to feel about how you
feel into your co-parenting.
Dr.
John Gottman's research showsthat children in high conflict

(08:29):
co-parenting situationsexperience twice the anxiety and
insecurity of those incooperative ones.
So take the higher ground, evenwhen it's hard.
You cannot control the otherparent, but you can control the
peace you bring to your side ofthe relationship.
Your steadiness is the anchoryour child needs.

(08:53):
So, brother, even when you'renot physically there, your
presence can still be felt.
Kids remember the sound of yourencouragement, the tone of your
care, the comfort of your words.
Tell them stories from your day.
Share lessons.
Ask for their opinion.
Let them know they're seen,valued, and loved.

(09:16):
You may not share a roof, butyou can still share roots.
So if you've been distant for awhile, here's how you begin
again.
Start small.
A simple text, maybe a letter,maybe a simple call.
Don't overpromise, just begin.

(09:39):
It's easy for us to get on acall and want to give the world
in order to make up for all thelost time.
Don't do that.
Just start small.
Don't overpromise.
Just start with the conversationand then end the conversation.
Make sure the second part is toacknowledge that there is a gap.

(10:00):
Tell them, I know I've beendistant and I want to do better.
I know I've been away.
I want to show up better.
I want to show up moreconsistent.
And then you have to staysteady.
Kids don't need grand gestures,they need follow-through.

(10:23):
I remember distinctly when I wasyounger, and I, as a young
father, I would, when I was awayfrom my daughter, I would come
into town and then I wouldpurchase some tickets to some
crazy thing to take her tobecause I haven't spent time
with her.
And to make up for lost time,like I took her to the circus, I
took it to all these things, andshe don't even remember the

(10:45):
circus.
We were talking about it theother day, and she has no
recollection of the circus.
Because she asked me, she waslike, Dad, would you ever go to
the circus?
And I was like, you know, that'sinteresting because I took you
to the circus when you were suchand such age.
Like kids don't remember thegrand gestures, they just need
follow-through.
The last part I would say is tolead with vulnerability.

(11:08):
Admit your flaws.
Build admitting your flawsbuilds trust faster, but admit
your flaws.
And don't pretend to be perfect.
You don't have to, hey, your momdid this, or yeah, your mom did
this, and your mom may have saidthis, but this ain't like don't,
it doesn't matter.

(11:30):
Admit your flaws and build yourtrust.
It's never too late toreconnect.
So here's this week's challenge.
Do one thing this week to bridgethe gap with your child.
Send a message, schedule a call,and then follow through.

(11:54):
Write a note or tell your childwhat you love about them.
In this message, in this call,in this note.
Even if you're miles away, yourwords carry power.
Your consistency builds safety.
Your love builds legacy.
And that, my friend, isparenting with presence, even

(12:17):
with distance.
Because fatherhood isn't aboutproximity, it's simply about
purpose with God's speed.