Jason Zone Fisher discusses the importance of self care, play, and time at home

One of the most exciting things about parenting is that it’s all unexpected. There is no manual for being a good parent. I didn’t know what to expect at all. Once you think you’ve figured it out, your kid is onto something new. The whole routine is always evolving. Every day is a new adventure.

My daughter, Violet, just turned 3 years old. It gets more and more fun as she gets older and her personality comes to life. She’s been in a big “Frozen” phase lately and loves to dress up as Princess Elsa and sing all of the “Frozen” songs. I know them too now, so we sing them together. She’s also a really big fan of the Disney movie “Coco.” Watching her personality really shine and seeing her develop a sense of humor has been amazing. She’s a very loving kid. It melts my heart when, just out of the blue, she’ll look at my wife and I and say “I love you, Mommy” or “I love you, Daddy.”

Watching my daughter grow during the quarantine came with a unique set of challenges though. Luckily, Violet is at an age where she’s still blissfully unaware of the harsh realities of the outside world. She’s a very social kid and as a result of the pandemic, she hasn’t been around other kids very much in a really long time. We were using technology during quarantine to keep in touch with family. Fortunately, life is starting to return to a more normal pace now. We recently had a birthday party for her and she was able to reconnect with family members she’s only seen on FaceTime during the COVID-19 crisis. Having her spend time with our family is very important to me.

My dad was always very playful with me as a kid. Like most people, the pandemic caused me to travel and work much less outside of our home. So last summer, I digitized all of my home videos from when I was a kid. It was a project that I always wanted to do. It was really cool for me to look back and see these videos of myself when I was my daughter’s age, and see how my father was interacting with me. He was always the kind of dad who was not afraid to get his hands dirty. He’d get down on the floor to my level, play with me and get really interactive. I’m the same way. I really like to play pretend, use my imagination, and get messy. It was fun to see all of this in old videos, as I’m living it in real life.

Family Man is a great resource that I’d recommend to other dads - especially new dads - who are just learning the ropes. There’s no manual on how to be a dad, so this is another resource out there to turn to. I consider it one of many, and honestly, it’s a lot easier than reading a book on parenting. Most of the parenting books I could find started to feel like homework. With Family Man, you can open your laptop or iPhone and just click ‘Play.’ It’s pretty easy, informative and entertaining.

What I find great about the website is that it really is so well done. It’s entertaining, moves quickly and guides you through it all. It’s like a Choose Your Own Adventure. It just makes it easy to digest. There are good things to take away and it reassures the instincts that you probably already have as a parent. There are also some things you can learn along the way, which could be helpful as your child gets older and how you would handle those scenarios. Above all, it’s a really well-produced site and it’s easy to fly through. I really enjoyed the entertainment aspect of it.

Parenting is a full-time job. Yet, I’ve learned that it is still really important to find time for myself, and to find time where I can put my wife first as well. Our daughter’s health, safety and well-being is always first and foremost, but we have to also be careful not to neglect ourselves and our well-being. From physical fitness, to eating right, to just doing to things to have fun with each other that aren’t related to “Daniel Tiger” or Princess Elsa! It’s very important for my wife and I to check-in and make sure we carve out time for each other, and for ourselves, as much as we can. It’s hard to do, and I struggle with it too, but it’s so important.

With the world coming back now, I’m really looking forward to what lies ahead. This has been a period of great change for so many of us. While I’m currently co-hosting a podcast with former NBA All-Star Baron Davis, I’m also planning to launch my own podcast, “In The Zone,” in the coming weeks. It will include unique perspectives on a variety of topics through conversations with athletes, comedians, entertainers, politicians and more. It feels good to have new projects on the horizon, and to know that we’ve weathered the storm of this very trying period. I couldn’t have done it without the love and support of my family every step of the way.