7 Nuggets of Dad Advice from Doctor Who

A few weeks ago, fellow dad blogger DadScribe posted an article called 9 Things Han Solo Taught Me About Being a Dad, where he shared parenting tips that he learned from the beloved character from Star Wars. It got me thinking about what fictional character has unwittingly given me advice on how to be a better father. Sorry Chewbacca, it’s not you.

With a new season of Doctor Who fast approaching (the U.S. premiere will hit select movie theaters beginning on August 23rd) and a new Doctor (Peter Capaldi), it got me reminiscing about the previous Doctors and the lessons that they taught me during their respective runs (Note: I apologize in advance for only including quotes from the last 2 Doctors).

As I was putting this post together, I got scooped by the Ask Your Dad Blog. He wrote a fantastic article entitled 6 Parenting Lessons I Learned from Doctor Who. Since the Time Lord is always undeterred in his quest to save the world, I decided that it was only fitting for me to complete my journey. Plus, I was almost done and since his post was already published, there was little chance that our articles would cross time streams. Therefore, we could avoid tearing a hole in the fabric of space and time, thereby destroying two thirds of the universe.

So with a crisis averted, here are 7 nuggets of dad advice from Doctor Who:

The Eleventh Doctor

“Every life is a pile of good things and bad things. The good things don’t always soften the bad things, but vice versa, the bad things don’t always spoil the good things and make them unimportant”

From the episode Vincent and the Doctor

Nugget of Dad Advice: Life is chock full of ups and downs. Some days it will feel like everything you touch is metaphorical poop and sometimes it literally will be poop that you are touching. The baby’s diaper will blow out half way up his back, but you won’t notice that his clothes are also covered in poop, until you pick him up after finishing the diaper change. Around this time, you will realize that you accidentally got some of the aforementioned poop on your fingertip, which you just used to scratch that itch on your nose.

The Tenth Doctor

“Let’s hope that from now on, this country can find its heroes in smaller places. In the most ordinary of deeds.”

From the episode Human Nature

Nugget of Dad Advice: While the media may tell us otherwise, many dads pull their weight in the parenting department. It would be amazing if people started to give pats on the back and high fives to ordinary people who do ordinary things because sadly, parents normally only make it on the news when they do something horrendous.

The Eleventh Doctor

Because it goes so fast, I’m not running away from things, I am running to them. Before they flare and fade forever.”

From the episode The Power of Three

Nugget of Dad Advice: Embrace life and fatherhood because it goes by in a flash. There are countless times that you will wish a certain phase will pass and there are moments that you will want to last forever. Cherish them all, the good and the bad. Bonus quote: “Faster than you can believe. Don’t turn your back. Don’t look away. And don’t blink.”

The Tenth Doctor

“Never say trapped, just… inconveniently circumstanced.”

From the episode Voyage of the Damned

Nugget of Dad Advice: As a parent you have to remember that no situation will ever imprison you like the Pandorica. The sleeping issues that we are currently going through with Popeye are, thankfully (soooooooooo thankfully), temporary. In the moment, especially when that moment is 2:30 in the morning, it’s very easy to feel trapped. The Doctor gets out of a lot of jams merely by keeping his wits, so even when your screwdriver lacks sonic goodness, keep your head up and find your way.

The Eleventh Doctor

“I’ll be a story in your head, but that’s okay, because we’re all stories in the end. Just make it a good one, eh?”

From the episode The Big Bang

Nugget of Dad Advice: Never forget that your destiny is completely in your hands. Sure, there are unforeseen circumstances that can derail your plans. But unless it’s something devastating, it’s up to you to choose your path. As a parent, it’s also up to you to write the prologue of your child’s story. The better stage you set, the greater the possibility that their story will be amazing. Think of them as your very own regeneration, only you get to stick around.

The Tenth Doctor

“Oh, how to explain the mechanics of the infinite temporal flux? I know: Back to the Future. It’s like Back to the Future.”

From the episode The Shakespeare Code

Nugget of Dad Advice: The very first post on this website mentioned Back to the Future, our baby announcement was an homage to Back to the Future, and many of the posts reference a very specific DeLorean. Is it a coincidence that Doctor Who also mentions Back to the Future? Probably. In fact, it’s most definitely just a silly coincidence. Carry on.

The Eleventh Doctor

“In 900 years of time and space, I’ve never met anyone who wasn’t important.”

From the episode A Christmas Carol

Nugget of Dad Advice: Even the most ordinary among us are important to someone and this is especially true if you are a parent. Never forget, that like psychic paper, your offspring sees in you what you want him to see. He looks up to you unconditionally, so never take that for granted. You have the amazing opportunity to mold a confident, but not entitled, human being and you are already their hero. Make it count and make sure they know that they are important.

I’m going to leave you with this amazing video by the artist Stephen Byrne where he reimagines Doctor Who as an animated adventure series. It features the Twelfth Doctor (Peter Capaldi) with Clara Oswald (Jenna Coleman) as they get into hilarious hijinks while traveling through the wibbly wobbly timey wimey.