{"type":"rich","version":"1.0","provider_name":"Transistor","provider_url":"https://transistor.fm","author_name":"Raising Men","title":"When Boys Drift Before they Collapse with Ryan Riley","html":"","width":"100%","height":180,"duration":2788,"description":"In this episode of Raising Men, host Shaun Dawson sits down with Ryan Riley, an entrepreneur, TEDx speaker and author of the Books for Boys character and leadership series. Ryan explains how boys drift before they collapse, and how parents can catch emotional withdrawal early. He defines drift simply: change outpacing our awareness. Shaun and Ryan talk about why so many dads struggle to find connection, and why pushing an 18-year-old out the door can set him up to fail. Ryan is a father of five, and he shares the hard lesson of a family crisis he didn't see coming. He walks through his model of moving from daddy to mentor to peer, and explains why being your teenager's friend backfires. There's also a $300 toilet paper story you won't forget. You'll walk away with practical ways to stay present, make small corrections early and be the anchor your son can count on.\nKey Takeaways\nRyan defines drift as change outpacing your awareness. Drift is neutral in itself. It only becomes dangerous when it goes on long enough that you're left reacting instead of choosing.\nParent the way you drive a car, with a light hand on the wheel. Small, steady corrections keep things smooth, while noticing late leads to the panicked overcorrection that causes the crash.\nBe an anchor. An anchor sits in the mud at the bottom and doesn't move, and your son needs to know you're that constant presence when he needs you.\nMove from daddy to mentor, and later to peer, rather than to friend. A mentor is someone your son calls for help, listens to for advice, and who lets him make mistakes without judging him.\nSet your son up for success long before he turns 18. A standing promise like \"call me, no questions asked\" only works in a crisis if you said it a thousand times before he needed it.\n\"I define drift as when change outpaces our awareness.\" - Ryan Riley\n\n\"You can't begin setting your kids up for success right when they're ready to go out of the house. It has to begin early.\" - Ryan Riley\n\n\"The...","thumbnail_url":"https://img.transistorcdn.com/2uuITx2j-lZJp2iIhjw55xbaGtfwoyDcHPS-ELTBlxA/rs:fill:0:0:1/w:400/h:400/q:60/mb:500000/aHR0cHM6Ly9pbWct/dXBsb2FkLXByb2R1/Y3Rpb24udHJhbnNp/c3Rvci5mbS9mZmQ1/ZGM3MjJkNTdmODY0/MjE0MmYyYWQzMDE0/ZDhiMi5wbmc.webp","thumbnail_width":300,"thumbnail_height":300}