We spent the Fourth of July at my in-laws' cabin in northern Minnesota.

My son and I played golf and we rode dirt bikes. We painted rocks while storms rolled through, and then we had s'mores around the fire. Nothing beats celebrating 4th of July at the lake with family and friends.

My daughter loves animals. Its no secret in our house that she may have a future in veterinary medicine.

Before our trip we surprised her with a new purple fishing pole. After we arrived she was so excited about it that she went into the garage, grabbed it herself, and headed straight for the dock, purple rod and purple haired jig in hand. I grabbed my rod and walked down with her.

She had JUST started fishing off the edge of the dock, underneath the boat, when I heard it.

"Dad!! I got a fish!!"

I moved over and we pulled up a beautiful little rock bass together. She loves animals, so she was gentle with it — holding it carefully, proud as could be. I stood there watching her and just felt it. That thing you feel as a dad when your kid does something completely on their own and surprises you.

She didn't need me to ask her. She just went and did it.

The fish was almost beside the point. Seeing how happy and proud she was that she put the worm on the hook and caught the fish herself, was everything.

That is the whole point of this newsletter.

How to fish with your child who has never done it before

You do not need a boat, a lake cabin, or expensive gear. A simple spincast rod/reel combo, a bobber, and a hook with a worm will work anywhere there is water.

Keep the setup simple enough that they can do it themselves. Show them how to cast once, then hand it over. Stand next to them and watch. When they feel the tug, say "keep reeling" and let them do the work.

Resist the urge to take the rod. The fish they reel in with their own hands is worth ten fish you caught for them.

Start shallow. Start small. Let the fish do the teaching.

Garage Ethos officially relaunched this week.
The Instagram page is live with a new mission — built for dads who want to be remembered for what they built with their kids, not what they accomplished at work. I filmed the origin story Reel this week and it will be up soon.

Come find me at @garage_ethos. That is where the content lives between newsletters.

See you next Sunday.

Tommy

Dad, Husband, Founder, still figuring it out