Alex Toussaint argues that receiving validation from his father was the ultimate turning point that allowed him to move from a state of external motivation to internal purpose.

“my dad called me for the first time in my life and said yo I'm proud of you that's dope a lot of people won understand y'all understand this as being young black man when your father call you said I'm proud of you bro that was the ultimate milestone in life I I literally broke down crying because th”

He believes that reaching adulthood often reveals that former mentors were actually just as immature as the children they were raising.

“you hit adulthood and you realize the reason they were so great is cuz they were your age mentally. And then once you pass them, you can start seeing”

He views his father's constant dreaming and business schemes as a form of detachment from reality.

“There was no obstacle that couldn't be overcome. Just frame things a little differently. But that also meant he was kind of divorced from reality.”

The primary goal of parenting is to help children figure out their own identity and values rather than to be their friends.

“I think about parenting as though our job is to help you figure out who you are and that means learning how to Think Through decisions learning how to come to terms with your own values learning the weight of the consequences of decisions and that the whole point of parenting is for you to grow up a”

Parents should let their children discover who they are rather than trying to live vicariously through them.

“I think a lot of parents bring their kids into the world so they can live through them and in doing that make them play soccer until their bones are aching make them get straight A's because that's what they wish they would do make them do this make them do that until like they don't even know who t”

Parents should show vulnerability to their children because it models that being human is okay.

“by showing your kids that like you guys are also human like allows your kids to feel those things too as they start to grow up”

Parents should create experiences that align with their children's interests to build a stronger connection.

“don't make them do the [ __ ] that you like to do go do with your kids what they like to do even if you don't like their friends invite their friends to be with you because then your your child is going to want to hang with you”

Parents should provide a supportive buffer and allow adult children to live at home when necessary due to the high cost of living.

“And if I can, you know, provide a buffer by just like, you know, hanging they can hang out at home a little bit longer. I'm more than happy to do it.”