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Dad’s out-of-office reply has a ripple effect
Better conversations, bolder outfits, and the lasting benefits of Dad staying home.
Greg Sullivan
October 20, 2026 • Est. Reading Time: 3 minutes
“Before I got married I had six theories about raising children; now, I have six children and no theories.”
― John Wilmot
What happens when Dad closes the laptop, the conversation moves beyond the weather, and women stop dressing to blend in? Today’s issue has a little of each. We’re exploring the reach of paternity leave, Tod Perry has four words for those awkward conversational pauses, and 17 older women have some excellent advice to go with their outfits. Then we’re off to Sydney for an opening night that was a very long time coming.
Society
Paternity leave does a lot more than help with diaper duty.
Newborns have an impressive disregard for office hours, vacation balances, and the concept of sleep. Giving dads a few weeks off might sound like a simple way to spread the chaos around. But there's more going on than a better-shared diaper schedule.
When her second child arrived, family-science educator Megan Kuykendoll watched her husband take several weeks of paternity leave. During that time, he took their older child to playdates and birthday parties, grew more comfortable taking the lead as a parent, and built connections with other local families. A decade later, those relationships and the more balanced parenting dynamic are still benefiting the family.
And she's far from alone. One dad's seven-week leave dramatically changed his perspective on parenting, while research suggests that time off for fathers can have implications for family health, relationships, and even the motherhood penalty at work. What starts in the nursery doesn't necessarily stay there.
GOOD reader Susan Schustak shared this dramatic view from the Vista Point Trail. I love the backlighting in the clouds!
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How has your approach to getting dressed changed as you’ve gotten older?Your closet may have a character arc. |
Yesterday’s Results
In yesterday’s issue, we shared why your brain sometimes mixes up memories.
And we asked: Which everyday memory lapse gets you most often? Blanking on someone’s name led the way with 41.5% of the vote, followed by forgetting why you walked into a room at 33.5%, and then by… wait… I forgot.
Forgetting why I walked into a room (33.5%)
Blanking on someone’s name (41.5%)
Losing something I just put down (14.2%)
Forgetting whether I already told someone a story (10.8%)
GOOD reader Kim Camac put my whole social life into one sentence. “It's on the tip of my tongue...”
People Skills | Courtesy of Upworthy
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The 4 words that can keep conversation flowing forever, even between socially awkward people | ||
You can keep seamlessly transitioning to more interesting topics. | ||
By Tod Perry | ||
Many people find making small talk to be an excruciating experience. They think it’s boring to talk with a stranger about the weather, sports, or weekend plans. They may also feel like they don’t have anything to contribute to the conversation, or they don’t understand the point of having one in the first place. | ||
However, those who excel at making small talk have a tremendous advantage in their professional and romantic relationships, as well as in forming new friendships. Most importantly, small talk is a window to transition into medium talk or, eventually, deep, meaningful conversations. The problem is that many people get stuck in small talk, and things stall before progressing to something beneficial. | ||
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Life Hacks
Fierce styles and matched advice are this season’s hottest trends.
We live in a world that teaches women to disappear with age. Some people accept that. As Mark Wales reports, these 17 women absolutely do not. Featured by the Instagram account @advancedstyle, they show up in bold outfits, sharper opinions, and a refusal to go quietly.
“Get over yourself. This is that simple. Just get over it.”
Research on “enclothed cognition” suggests that what we wear actually changes how we think and feel. Confidence is not just projected outward. Read the whole story to meet the women, see the fits, and get the science that ties the whole ensemble together.
53 years ago today, Queen Elizabeth II officially opened the Sydney Opera House after 14 years of construction. Danish architect Jørn Utzon’s soaring roof shells evoked sails on the harbor, but making them stand up proved considerably harder than drawing them. Construction began before the roof’s engineering was resolved, and repeated redesigns, structural fixes, and changes to the interiors helped push the cost from an estimated A$7 million to A$102 million. Some perspective for anyone waiting on a kitchen renovation.
The breakthrough was surprisingly elegant: shape every roof shell from sections of the same sphere, allowing its concrete components to be manufactured in repeatable forms. Sydney celebrated the opening with fireworks and Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony, finally welcoming a building that would become as recognizable as the city itself.
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💬 From the group text…
My question is: how dare you keep them apart for two years to begin with!
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Until tomorrow, may you exercise your enclothed cognition to the utmost!