The Relational Parenting Podcast

Hi Friends,

I’m on here today, unfortunately, to inform you of Papa Rick’s passing.  Today is Feb 29th – leap day – 2024. Papa Rick passed away on Feb 1st, just after midnight from a massive heart attack.  He was at home with his partner, Judy, and neither she nor paramedics could successfully resuscitate him.  

Over the past 4 weeks, my two brothers and I, along with the help of our family and friends, have been sorting through our father’s life, taking care of things legally and financially, and we planned and held his memorial services.  

Since returning home from all of this, I’ve been in a deep state of grief and just taking things day by day.  As you can see, the podcast was put on pause.  I knew I wanted to continue this project for all the reasons we started it in the first place. I just wasn’t sure how to move forward and keep all the parts we both loved about it going.  I knew I needed some time.  I knew I needed to pivot.  And I knew I needed to find a way to honor my dad before I could keep moving forward without him.  I honestly don’t know if I would have even had the courage to get started if it weren’t for him agreeing to be my cohost. 

Part of the services we held for him included a request for donations to the podcast in lieu of flowers.  At first, I felt very unsettled about this, but our pastor and my brothers felt strongly that it’s what dad would have wanted. After some time, I came to feel very honored that every person I met from his life and his church told me how he was always talking about the podcast and how proud he was of me and of this project we were doing together.  So, if you are feeling pulled to honor Papa Rick in any way, I will post the donation link below. Rest assured, these funds are going directly into the business account and being used to fund the costs of producing the podcast. And we are so grateful for any and all support you have to offer.

Last, but certainly not least, we will be getting back to production in the next week or two.  Our first episode back will be an episode with myself and my two brothers, honoring my dad’s influence and legacy on us, as well as the parenting world and beyond.  We will share more about his life, his passing, and his parenting philosophies too. Keep an eye out for the release of that episode – click subscribe to receive reminders – and tune in with us.  After that episode, I will resume the podcast with our guest experts and a few new surprises on the way. 

Stay Tuned, Thank You for being here, Happy Parenting and Good Luck Out There.

To Donate in Honor of Papa Rick: https://everloved.com/life-of/richard-p-hayes/donate