Your Voice Is Their Inner Monologue

“Speak to your kids like they’re listening… because one day, they’ll sound just like you.”
— Unknown

They hear you, Dad.

Even when they’re pretending not to.

Even when they’re wearing headphones.

Even when they’re 38 years old and driving to work and that one dumb thing you said back in 2009 shows up uninvited.

That’s the power of a dad’s voice.
It echoes.
It lingers.
It becomes the background music of how they talk to themselves.

If you’re constantly barking about how they’re lazy, messy, or “never get it right,” don’t be shocked when their confidence is as stable as a folding chair in a hurricane.

But if you speak with honesty, love, and a little humor—even in the hard moments—you build something solid inside them. A voice they can rely on when the world gets loud.

You don’t have to be a saint. Just be intentional.

Talk to them like you’re not just parenting now—but also parenting the future voice in their head.

Because you are.