Dads: Then Vs. Now with Stephen Bargatze | Life of Dad Ep #7

Episode #7 of Life of Dad welcomes the show’s first guest, Stephen Bargatze, as hosts Tom Riles, Lee Kimbrell, and Mike James take a trip down memory lane and compare what growing up looked like then versus now. From driving farm trucks as kids and disappearing for hours without anyone knowing where you were to the everyday responsibilities children used to have, the group shares stories that would be almost impossible to imagine today.

The conversation also explores how parenting, grandparenting, and family life have changed over the years. Stephen reflects on lessons learned raising a family, while the guys compare childhood experiences across generations and laugh about the things that were once considered completely normal. Along the way, they swap stories about road trips, family memories, growing up in smaller communities, and the different expectations placed on kids then and now.

Funny, nostalgic, and full of the kinds of stories families tell around the dinner table, Episode #7 is a reminder that while the world keeps changing, the memories that shape us—and the lessons we pass on—have a way of sticking around.