9 Rules Joe Rogan Thinks All Parents Should Follow — After Growing Up In An Abusive Household
Joe Rogan may be a lot of things, but one thing he isn't is a bad parent.
YouTube Joe Rogan has a widely successful and famed career in his podcast, The Joe Rogan Experience, but outside of his work life, the 54-year-old man has a wife and three daughters, all of whom he loves dearly.
On his podcast, he’s spoken about how he grew up in an abusive household with a “scary” father and has talked about the things he thinks parents should focus on when it comes to raising their own children.
Here at 9 rules that Joe Rogan thinks all parents should follow.
1. His kids are allowed to hit him as hard as they can.
Before his time as UFC commentator and podcast host, Rogan was a taekwondo champion.
“I went from being a kid who was terrified of conflict to being a martial arts champion,” Rogan told Cigar Aficionado. “The reason why I became a martial arts champion is I was being picked on all the time. I was like, I do not like this. So I am going to become what I am terrified of.”
He shares that wisdom with his kids, ensuring that they learn how to fight and teaches them martial arts.
“My kids are allowed to hit me as hard as they can,” Rogan said. “I teach them — they’re taking martial arts classes — but I teach them … It hurts.”
2. Men shouldn’t be taking paternity leave.
Back in October 2021, Rogan was talking to comedian Bridget Phetasy when the subject of Pete Buttigieg taking paternity leave came up.
The politician had recently had two twins with his husband, Chasten, and decided to go on paternity leave in order to care for the newborn children.
“Isn’t that supposed to be for the person who gave birth?” Rogan asked before saying that the idea that “parents should get maternity and paternity leave at the same time is a little weird.”
Rogan doesn’t think that paternity leave is necessary, despite how difficult it is to raise children at the same time as managing a full-time career and how many parents could benefit from having the freedom to take a career break to raise their kids.
3. Both parents shouldn’t have full-time careers.
At the same time, however, Rogan believes that the two parents of children should not be working at the same time.
“People think they can have a kid and have careers too,” he said during his podcast. “And everyone has a career. The mom has a career, the dad has a career, everybody has a career. And when are you watching the kid? Who’s watching the kid?”
Rogan believes that if both parents are operating in full-time careers, then the child will have no one to watch them or take care of them.
Of course, many working parents do not have the luxury of being able to afford to be stay-at-home parents. Equally, those in single-parent households know that sometimes there is no option but for kids to be in childcare when parents try to support the family
4. You should be vulnerable with your children.
During his podcast episode with Theo Von, Rogan talks about his experience as a parent and the things that made him nervous starting out.
“[I was] nervous to be vulnerable, nervous to love something that much, nervous to have that kind of responsibility, nervous about all of those things, you know?” Rogan said. “It changes you.”
He goes on to talk about the kind of person you are before you become a parent should evolve when you do become one — you should be better.
Not only that, but becoming a parent means that you open yourself up to the possibility of messing the child up or having harm come that child’s way — you have to be prepared for all of it.
5. You shouldn’t drink while trying to be a parent to your child.
During an episode of the Joe Rogan Experience, Rogan tells Al Madrigal the story of a time he went to a party and there was a little kid going around punching people (adults and children) and calling them losers while the father was off drinking with the mother.
“Well they go to parties and they drink and they leave the kids outside,” he says. “These particular parents, they don’t watch the kid ever. This is, like, what they’re famous for, apparently, in their group.”
He goes on to talk about how they likely didn’t even want to be parents, and how the father apologized to him afterward and didn’t show any signs of changing the way he raises the kid, again bringing up the fact that he may be drinking as an escape from it all.
“Who knows why? You know, drinking because he doesn’t like being married. Drinking because he doesn’t like being a dad. Drinking because he doesn’t like being sober, who knows?” he says. “But in that moment... the sheer ignorance and incompetence and irresponsibility was so infuriating.”
6. Don’t just be your children’s parents, be their friends.
In the same interview, Rogan explains the way that he treats his children and addresses them as equals.
“I watch them, I talk to them, I communicate with them,” he said. “I didn’t have a good childhood, so for me, it’s important to be a good dad and spend as much time as I can communicating with them.”
He wants to be present in his children’s lives and wants to be there for them every step of the way since his father wasn’t able to provide the same for him.
“Treating them like I’m not just their dad, but also I’m their friend and I care about them,” he said.
7. Don’t feed young children soda and sweets.
“I have a friend who keeps feeding his kid sugar,” he continues in his conversation with Madrigal. “This kid just eats nothing but sugar all day.”
Madrigal talked about how it’s a problem when all parents do is give in to their child’s demands and let them eat whatever they want.
“‘He doesn’t eat he doesn’t eat,’ I go ‘What do you mean he doesn’t eat? He’s always eating cookies,’” Rogan retells the conversation with his friend.
“‘He won’t eat his food, I gotta feed him something,’ I go ‘No dude. You gotta tell him “you can’t eat the cookies. You got food, you got actual food.”’”
He talks about how when he goes over to his friend’s place, he always sees the six-year-old with a root beer or a full can of Coke, and stresses that it’s important to feed kids real food and not give them sugar and sweets.
8. Don’t let electronics babysit your kids.
Madrigal tells Rogan a story about a time when he was on a plane and he noticed that the parents of three children on the plane sat in first class while the kids sat in economy.
“They gave each of them iPads,” he continues, drawing an “Oh my God” from Rogan.
He says that the oldest one is either six or eight years old, and then four and three.
“This is a new world though,” Rogan states. “This world of electronic babysitters and a world of putting the kids in coach and you go into first class like ignoring kids.”
He circles back to the idea that these are the career parents who don’t have the time or care to raise their kids, “And the kids are just ‘What do I do? Who’s raising me?’”
9. You will hold unconditional love for your children.
During an episode where Rogan talks to Duncan Trussell, Trussell announces that he has a baby on the way and talks about his experience being around and standing beside a woman who has a baby growing inside of her — how it’s such a transformative experience.
“It’s love,” Rogan explains. “It’s real love and it’s love where you know you’re going to be able to love your children unconditionally, in a very strange way, that we really have a hard time [doing] with other people.”
He goes on to explain that your child not adopted is literally a part of your DNA it came from you and your partner and was formed inside of one of your wombs.
“It’s a psychedelic thing,” he describes the process, explaining that the bond you hold with your child because of that is inescapable and beautiful and grants you a newfound appreciation for all life.
While many of Rogan’s views are often seen as controversial, it seems like he has a compassionate understanding of what it means to be a parent and how to love your children.
Isaac Serna-Diez is an Assistant Editor who focuses on entertainment and news, social justice, and politics. Since graduating from Rutgers University, he spends most of his free time gaming or playing Quadball. Keep up with his rants about current events on his Twitter.