22: Fatherhood as a Calling | Spencer Smith

Your Life Calling is not restricted to a job title or personal brand; it can be a life role. Parental figures are the first example of the world to any child. What does it mean to fulfill Life Calling through being a parent? Today’s episode is a conversation with the adventurous and caring Spencer Smith on finding Life Calling through fatherhood.

Spencer Smith is someone I highly respect. He is the husband of Annie, and father of three boys. When the boys were much younger, Spencer and Annie came to a decision on their dynamic to maintain a healthy environment for the family. Spencer took on the role of the primary caregiver, while Annie took on a full-time career as a physical therapist. Agreeing to this dynamic allowed Spencer to be a stay-at-home parent for 14 years with a sense of purpose and fulfillment.

We talked about motherhood as a calling in episode 16 with Laura Booz, and now we’re highlighting fatherhood. Spencer shares what it was like to make that first crucial decision to stay home with his young boys. He shares why focusing on the skill set of each person in the relationship can help parents come to an agreement on a parental dynamic. After communicating with each other, Spencer and Annie’s parenting became about staying committed. There was pushback, and the couple lost a few friends, but together they took things one day at a time.

Spencer is not only a father, but he still recognizes himself as an individual. Professionally, Spencer is a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) working part-time in accounting and finance. He also holds a passion for mission work and adventure. In this conversation, Spencer honestly shares his thoughts on taking time to regroup when feeling overwhelmed, the joy of long-term gains from early efforts, and being a role model as best as any imperfect human can try to be while raising other imperfect humans.

We often feel that we have to choose between work and family. We often think we must split duty from fulfillment. That’s not true. We can do both. Spencer is an example of that.

Time stamps:

• [00:18] - Spencer Smith acts as the primary caregiver for his three boys. How else does he identify himself?
• [02:31] - Spencer says he originally went to school for Psychology. After exploring multiple degrees, he found his way to Accounting.
• [04:32] - When Spencer and Annie agreed on him being the primary caregiver, Spencer says he didn’t have any other examples to follow.
• [07:01] - Did Spencer experience any pushback for choosing to be a stay-at-home father?
• [09:12] - What is the best part of being the primary caregiver? What is the most challenging part of being the primary caregiver?
• [11:03] - Spencer recalls how much his boys changed. Listen to him reminisce about going on trips with his sons.
• [13:19] - Spencer describes how the idea of Life Calling relates to fatherhood.
• [15:48] - How does Spencer’s faith impact how he approaches his role as a dad?
• [18:11] -  Spencer’s commitment to fatherhood gave him priceless long-term benefits.
• [20:38] - Listen to Spencer share what he’d like his parenting to be summed up as if his sons describe him.
• [23:33] - Here is Spencer’s advice for first-time dads.
• [26:13] - Friends, thank you for listening and engaging! Catch you next time!

Links:

• Chris Heinz
• Chris Heinz Co.
• Song: I Want To Be Just Like You (Phillips, Craig & Dean)
• Book: Win at Work and Succeed at Life (Michael Hyatt & Megan Hyatt Miller)
• Song: Cat's in the Cradle (Harry Chapin)