Author Dr. John Piper writes, “Freedom is when you have the desire, the ability, and the opportunity to do what will leave you with no regrets forever.”  True freedom is deeper than politics, deeper than the economy, deeper than your circumstances.  We all desire liberty, but are misled far too often.  Here are 10 Ways to Truly Be Free. And an essential part of freedom is knowing your purpose.

Huddle up with your kids and take a picture of them bringing their mom breakfast in bed for our May Instagram Challenge.

It’s a funny thing about habits—they have consequences whether they’re good or bad for us. Form a good habit and it pays good dividends. Drag around a bad habit, though, and you’ll eventually reap bad outcomes.

Whether it’s about the food on your plate or the way you spend your time or money, it’s up to you to help your family form good habits and kick the bad ones out the door! We’ve put together a list of Top 10 Habits to Break as a Family (including a tip from iSpecialist Dr. Greg Smalley on stopping sibling rivalry) to help you identify trouble spots and start moving in the right direction.

If there are several areas where you need improvement, don’t be overwhelmed! Start with one habit. And remember, repetition is key to forming a new habit to take the place of the old ones…so stay with it until it starts feeling natural!  When your family does break a bad habit, celebrate!

Huddle up with your kids tonight and ask: What’s one good habit we could start as a family?

The promise of summer and the freedom it brings dances in the head of your child this time of year. Another school year is nearly complete. It can be very hard for them to concentrate, but it is important that they finish strong. Our job should be to encourage our kids to help them remain focused and upbeat until that last bell rings. The great French writer Anatole France once said “nine tenths of education is encouragement.” All Pro Dad’s Year End Lunchbox Notes can help you do just that.

Huddle up with your kids and give them an inspiring pep talk worthy of the greatest coaches in history. Then, tomorrow morning, send them off to school fired up and ready to work!

If you’re like most men, your wife’s biggest complaints are that you don’t really listen to her and you don’t spend enough time with her. Your cell phones can be one of the biggest distractions. The smarter your phone gets, the more you get sucked into it like a black hole. Instead of listening to and spending time with your wife, you’re answering calls, responding to texts and emails, watching the latest viral YouTube video, checking Facebook and Twitter, or playing a hot new game from the app store. There is a time and place for everything, so be sure to put the phone away and tune into your wife more than your phone.

But wouldn’t it be great if there was a way to use your phone to impress your wife?  Well, there is! Wait until you’re in the same room, and then send a text to her that says, “I love you.” Instead of laughing at the video by yourself, watch it with your wife and enjoy it together. Find a game app that you can play together. For more ideas, here are 3 Apps to Impress Your Wife and an additional 23 ways men with iPhones can use their phone to love their wife.

Huddle up with you wife tonight and: Take a picture of her on your phone and set it as your background.

How do you teach your child to be compassionate? I think my dad had a pretty good idea. Often he’d say, “Today, I want you to look around on the playground. If you see anyone who’s left out, or has no one to play with–that’s who you’re supposed to play with today.” He didn’t just tell me to “be nice,” he gave me a very specific idea of how I could identify another child with a need and respond with compassion.

It can be difficult to explain to your kids how to practice the character traits we want them to possess. Take a look at these 7 Ways to Build Kids with Character which have practical ideas for your kids to try today.  Don’t feel badly about sharing these ideas with your kids. Explain that we show love and care in our families by helping each other.  They might actually take pride in being able to help you, if they’re given a chance.

And if you missed it last week, here’s how you can make your kid go from good to great.

Huddle up with your kids tonight and ask: Who can we do a secret good deed for?  What can we do?

If you are an All Pro Dad, here are some of the things you can’t do.  And that’s encouraging.  So keep on not doing.  It’s just what your children need.  Additionally, here are 10 Things All Pro Dads Don’t Do.

But All Pro Dads do Mother’s Day well.  Don’t forget it’s this weekend!  Here are some fantastic iMOM Mother’s Day cards for your kids to give your wife.

Here’s one thing you can do: Join All Pro Dad President, Mark Merrill, and many fathers across the country by digging into this men’s study as we strive to be All Pro Dads.

Huddle up with your kids and take a picture of them hugging their mom for our May Instagram Challenge.

Once a year, there’s a special day just for the appreciation of mothers; you know it, Mother’s Day. The day you and your kids set out to make your wife feel like a million bucks! The things you do for her, especially, on this day warm her heart and make her feel like the special woman she is.

All moms could use the extra words of appreciation and encouragement. Even your own mom would appreciate these simple gestures! Here are 3 Easy Things Kids Can Do to Make Mom Feel Special.

Huddle up with your kids tonight and think of ways to make Mother’s Day special this year.

A man and a friend are playing golf one day when a long funeral procession goes by.  The man stops in mid-swing, takes off his golf cap, closes his eyes, and bows his head in prayer.

His friend says: “Wow!  That is the most thoughtful and touching thing I have ever seen. You truly are a kind man.”

The man replies: “Yeah, well we were married 35 years.”

Not cool.  Your wife needs to be a priority in your life.  Statistically speaking, she will be the one caring for you as you are dying.  No one else will ever love you or serve you more than she will.  With that in mind, here are 10 things you need to say to your wife to show her how important she is to you.

It’s almost the end of the school year and now is the perfect time to talk to your kids’ principal about hosting an All Pro Dad’s Day next year.  Make an appointment today to speak with them.  It will revolutionize father involvement at your child’s school.

Huddle up with your wife tonight and ask her:  How can I do a better job at letting you know how important you are to me?

A doctor and a boy were fishing. The boy was the doctor’s son, but the doctor was not the boy’s father. Who was the doctor?  Find out the answer to this along with 10 more great riddles to tell your kids.

Huddle up with your kids tonight and share these riddles with them.

A Play of the Day subscriber wrote us the following:

“I went to parent/teacher conferences and I was told what a nice, pleasant girl my daughter was. Once, as I got up to go, I was feeling pretty good, but by the time I got to the door, I had a new set of questions, so I turned back and sat back down. Lots of tension suddenly…but I asked my questions: ‘How do you challenge a pleasant kid? When your child is the likable, helpful, compliant person, are they being noticed?’  My daughter told me that I wasn’t allowed to go to any more conferences after that because all of her teachers suddenly were paying attention to her, giving her extra work, making her work harder. Never felt bad about that.”

If you have a “good” kid, that’s wonderful.  But there is always room for improvement.  Nudging them from good to great.  Here are 10 Ways to Make Good Kids Great.

Huddle up with your kids and, if you haven’t already, take a picture of them serving their mom for our May Instagram Challenge.