Take your pick Friend or Father

Ramon Weatherall Sr (00:00.534)

This is the Raising Carter podcast and I am your host, Ramon Weatherall Sr. And this is my son, the star of the show, Carter. And the Raising Carter podcast is a podcast for fathers, fathers with young sons who wanna be more connected, who are having problems just wondering if, you know, they're doing everything they can do as a dad. But dads, I got a question for you.

Ramon Weatherall Sr (00:31.01)

Are you your son's friend or are you his dad? Are you one of these dads who get so scared about always being your son's friend? Never making him upset with you or mad at you. You just always wanna be his friend. Or are you like me? Or are you just concerned about being a dad?

Ramon Weatherall Sr (01:01.89)

So, Carter, I got a question for you. When I say the word friend, what does that mean to you? Like, if any kids are watching this, have you ever had like a play dirt or something? You know like friends play with you, they play soccer with you, or if you're in the WWE, they play like with your action figures with you. Friends, oh.

Ramon Weatherall Sr (01:31.666)

are like always like never real to you. Sometimes they just don't wanna talk, but sometimes, but most of the time they're really nice to you. Okay, so that, so you said basically a friend is a person that you have things in common with and they're nice to you. So do you think that your dad, me, or any other dads out there can be both?

Ramon Weatherall Sr (02:01.614)

friend and dad? They could be both if they have a lot of time because some dads like mine Work at nighttime and that means they have to go to they have to sleep a lot so if So if your dad like works in the daytime or like works at nighttime He will have some times to play with you But when he does play with you

Ramon Weatherall Sr (02:30.71)

It won't be for a long, long time cause he has to sleep and all, but I kinda like my dad as a dad more than a friend. Okay, okay. All right, we're getting it straight from, straight from his, you know, these are his answers, not rehearsed. So dads, when you watching this video. Or sons. Or sons, but dads.

Ramon Weatherall Sr (02:59.546)

Ask your son these questions, ask your son the same questions or any questions that are like this. See what he says. Here's another question.

Ramon Weatherall Sr (03:14.21)

Do you feel that your dad acts like a friend? Or how do you feel when your dad acts like a friend, me, versus when he acts like a dad? And which do you prefer? Kind of might have answered that question already, but which do you prefer, when I'm a dad, a friend, or when I'm being your dad?

Ramon Weatherall Sr (03:44.57)

I'm just gonna start off strong. When you're being a friend, it's just weird. Like I'm used to you being like my dad and like... Like I'm used to you being my dad, but like it's not every day that you like, um, like say do you wanna play action figures or do you wanna play the game? I don't, yeah that's not every day, so it makes me like feel weird. And when you being a

Ramon Weatherall Sr (04:13.202)

I'm just gonna start a story when you be a dad is this It's this like no like it's normal. I have I have to do it I like he has to do it every day and I see it every day You prefer this is Carter seven years old he prefers me to be his dad

Ramon Weatherall Sr (04:43.266)

So because you hear a lot of people say, oh, you know, my dad, he's my best friend, but is he really being a dad? Because here's a seven year old who's saying, I just want you to be my dad. The friend stuff is kind of weird. So here's another question for you. I just want to say, before we move on to the next question, I kind of would like you to like play action figures with me, but not.

Ramon Weatherall Sr (05:10.498)

Every single day every single day. That's this weird like I Don't like school that much like I don't like school that much but like at that point it doesn't like if You were my friend that means you would like I'm just like straight up from me. I don't like school. So if you this took me out of school

Ramon Weatherall Sr (05:39.262)

I wouldn't even be mad, because I don't like it. But that's something a friend would do. Yeah, that's another show. That's another show. OK, but I think I understand what you're saying. If I was too much of a friend, like I was taking over your action figures and just being too much, it would be kind of weird. So it's cool that we play wrestling with action figures sometimes, but.

Ramon Weatherall Sr (06:09.09)

Just basically saying just don't go too far with it, dad. Be easy, be easy. Take it easy, take it easy, dad. Do you think it's possible for your dad to be your friend and still teach you life lessons, important things that you need to know about life, or you don't really think it's possible for a dad to do that when he's too busy trying to be your friend? Oh, it's possible, but.

Ramon Weatherall Sr (06:37.874)

Not every single dad can do it. Like, it's like not like a superpower or anything. It's like not anything special, but like some dads just choose to be like, like they don't wanna be your friend. They just wanna straight up be your dad. But I kind of get those dads cause like they're meant to be your dad. Like you have friends at school, but like.

Ramon Weatherall Sr (07:07.034)

You can have friends at your house if your dad lets you, but my dad is more like of a dad.

Ramon Weatherall Sr (07:16.31)

All right, okay. What'd you say your dad is more of a friend or more of a dad to you overall? What'd you say I'm more of a friend or more of a dad overall and why? Well, I'm just gonna start a show. You do get me a lot,

Ramon Weatherall Sr (07:43.806)

all of the wrestlers that I like, you know who they are, and sometimes you buy the action figures. But sometimes you don't know who those wrestlers are. If I ask him, can I get a great Khali action figure? He'll say, who's that? But if I ask him to get a Randy Oran action figure, he'll be like, yeah, that's one of my favorite wrestlers.

Ramon Weatherall Sr (08:11.662)

No joke that actually is one of his favorite wrestlers. Yes it is. Okay here's another question. Do you think it's easier or harder to have a dad who is your friend and why? So do you think it's easier or harder to have a dad that's your friend? Well

Ramon Weatherall Sr (08:39.994)

I don't know this thing because I haven't done it before, but all I'm going to say is that it might be harder because you're going to have to go to work and then you're going to have to go to sleep. Like he has to do that because he works at night time. I already said that. So it might be harder for him to go to like play with me, but it might not be for all the dads or kids watching.

Ramon Weatherall Sr (09:09.238)

Do you think, I think the question is more, do you think it's easier when your dad is just your friend? He's just your friend. You know, he's more of a friend than a dad. Do you think, would that be easier or harder? You know, if I was just friend, I did play stuff for you, but dad stuff, I didn't really do well. Well, if you didn't do dad stuff very well.

Ramon Weatherall Sr (09:39.938)

That means you're not talking, that means you're talking about like, like you're talking about you don't do like teaching kids stuff well. Some dads strive, some dads don't. You're talking about like cooking is important but not all dads do that. Like and you're talking dad and you're talking about like not doing your job well. So I'm saying like.

Ramon Weatherall Sr (10:08.178)

Sometimes on weekends when you're off and I don't have school, like we can go outside and play with like a football or like a soccer ball. I have a soccer ball right over there. So like, like on a weekend, like we can play, but like not every single day. Okay. All right. Do you have any questions for me on this subject? Yes.

Ramon Weatherall Sr (10:38.106)

I do. So, do you think it would be easier to be a friend or a dad? Do I think it would be easier? I think it would be easier if you just were a friend. That's where a lot of dads, that's where a lot of dads who haven't had male role models in their lives,

Ramon Weatherall Sr (11:06.434)

They just venture off into the friend zone with their kids. And as they grow older to teenagers and adults, and that's not what they need. I'm not saying you can't be friendly with your children. You can't have a good time. You can't enjoy the same things. He likes wrestling. I like wrestling. You know, I let him hear some of the music that I think is appropriate for him to hear.

Ramon Weatherall Sr (11:35.742)

And he likes some of it that I listen to, but you're not their friend. And sometimes you're gonna have to do things that they don't like and they're not gonna like you at times. And that's the job of a dad. So yeah, it's easier being a friend cause you know how to, yeah, you guys get along, you have fun, you do stuff together, you eat pizza, spaghetti, you go out, you play and crap and do all kinds of, but you don't never.

Ramon Weatherall Sr (12:06.078)

You don't ever, no discipline, no nothing. No, that's not what's needed. You need to be their dad first, friend, fourth or fifth. Be your son's dad. Because once he's a grown man, I have a 28 year old son, he's a grown man now. I can't tell him what to do. He's 29. 28, he's 28, just turned 20. He's a grown man.

Ramon Weatherall Sr (12:36.21)

And our relationship is different. I can suggest things for him to do. We can talk, he can ask for my advice, but at the end of the day, he makes his own decisions. So while your son is seven years old or six years old or young, be their dad, not their friend.

Ramon Weatherall Sr (12:56.93)

So that is the Raising Carter episode number six. My man, Carter, do you have any closing words you wanna say to the Raising Carter family out there? Yes, I do, so. Step up to the mic. Any, so if your dad likes soccer or.

Ramon Weatherall Sr (13:23.214)

Anything that you like, you can make that into something else. I don't recommend your dad always being your friend, but while you're like, if you have a son that's like three or two, have fun with them now, because soon they're going to go off to college and then be an adult and they won't have enough time to spend with you.

Ramon Weatherall Sr (13:51.542)

So while they're young and like three, two or five, like or six, have fun with them because soon you're not gonna be able to do that because like they're in college or they're an adult or they have jobs. Right, they'll have their own life and basically you have to get in where you fit in and they're gonna remember.

Ramon Weatherall Sr (14:19.266)

the things that you did or you didn't do for them.

Ramon Weatherall Sr (14:28.028)

Be your son's biggest supporter. Help him, help him find his way, help him find his purpose. Not the thing you wanted to do. Not the thing you wanted to do and you didn't do it. Help him find out what he wants to do in life and help him do that. Help him be the best version of himself and you'll always be in his life. So that is.

Ramon Weatherall Sr (14:53.09)

The Raising Carter episode number six. We wanna thank everybody for listening. We want people to share this on social media, like and comment on YouTube. Tell your friends about it. If you know a father out there with a young son, tell them about it and have them check us out on Spotify, Apple and YouTube. And we wanna say peace.