FATHER KNOWS BEST
“Hello, I’m Dr. Larry Mitnaul, your friendly neighborhood child and adolescent psychiatrist.”
You might have heard those words if you’ve ever caught one of the YouTube videos where Wichita psychiatrist Dr. Larry Mitnaul addresses common childhood dilemmas like tantrums, stuttering, sleep habits and ADHD. Or perhaps you’ve seen one of his viral Instagram reels where he comedically deals with screen time, chores, “the talk” and other child and teen issues.
But his social media presence is just a small part of who the “TikTok Doc” is: Mitnaul’s smart advice for parents is backed by years of working with children and parents in his clinic, as well as 13 years of on-the job training as a father of five. He and wife Katie have four boys, ages 13, 11, 9 and 7, plus a 4-year-old girl.
What’s his favorite part of fatherhood? “I love the comedy,” he said. “Whether it’s me doing something dumb and laughing about it — or more often my kids saying something completely hilarious.
And I love watching my kids take on a challenge. We have some musicians who are learning some new things, and some kiddos who are playing sports, too. It’s really wonderful to watch them, whether they are successful or not — I can’t get enough of it. I would do that over anything else.”
The family moved to Wichita in 2017 when Mitnaul joined Ascension Medical Group Via Christi — and they’ve brought their extended family along for the ride. Two of Mitnaul’s three younger siblings and their families have since moved to Wichita, as have his parents. “I’m really glad they decided to follow us here,
because if your kids can grow up within a village, that certainly helps out the parental role of trying to be everything for your child,” Mitnaul said. “Our kids thrive on being affirmed and noticed and praised for their uniqueness, and with more eyes trained on them, they flourish.”
Despite a busy schedule, family time is a priority for the good doctor, and it’s common to find the Mitnaul crew together playing board games and sports — tennis is a favorite — and spending time outdoors. Ahealthy work-life balance was a principle Mitnaul saw modeled by a superior while he was in his residency.
“At the end of the day I’m presenting to my preceptor, Dr. Matthews, in his office and he’s sitting in taekwondo gear. And he says, ‘We do family taekwondo on Wednesday nights.’ It was great to see someone prioritizing family life and also doing some amazing work.”
New Media
When Mitnaul was deciding what direction to take his pre-med biology degree, a talk he heard about the intersection of science and public health caught his attention. His interest piqued over questions like, “Who has done the most for science: the person who invented a specific surgery or the person who told people they should wash their hands?”
With each step of his education, Mitnaul began to hone in on his passions: public advocacy, medicine, mental health, children and adolescents. The final pieces of the puzzle came during residency at Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center in New Hampshire where he landed in a child psychiatry clinic and discovered it was “the greatest experience in all of medical school.”
Meanwhile, ideas were running through his mind about how to reach people in a way that could change entire communities. “Residency was the first time I thought, OK, television and new media is the place.
That’s the place where you reach kids, that’s the place where you reach families,” he said. “By using the tools of new media you can reach people you otherwise wouldn’t.”
With some encouragement from colleagues, Mitnaul started using social media to provide a library of helpful videos for parents, as well as videos aimed to reduce the anxiety of incoming patients.
Some of Mitnaul’s most popular YouTube videos are about ADHD and the brain, tips to help anxious kids, and mental health and athletes.
In 2021 he branched into Instagram Reels with 7- or 8-second sketches aimed toward parents. Set to music or prerecorded audio, they provide comedy relief, but also offer solid advice in the captions. The reels have tapped into Mitnaul’s thespian side.
“There is a little anxiety and trepidation in the space to feel
like, can I pull this off? Can I do something that does two things at the same time — something silly and approachable that catches someone’s eye, but also has substance and can actually teach someone something important?”
It seems to be working. So far his most viewed reel is on the subject of whether to give teens smartphones. (With a 13-year-old son, it’s a question Mitnaul gets asked a lot in real life — and no, his son doesn’t have one.) “It’s been neat to see what parents resonate with,” he said.
One of his most important messages for parents is that, whether they believe it or not, they can be their kids’ number one influencer. That’s something Mitnaul is witnessing firsthand as his children grow. “Every once in a while I can catch some way that I've influenced them that I didn't even know. My eldest son and I
were working in the garage and I said, ‘Son, put on your mix.’ His mix had Motown hits and it was so exciting! I thought, ‘You’ve been listening to what I've been listening to and it’s become a part of you, too.”
Dr. Mitnaul’s Tips for Dads
Dr. Larry Mitnaul lives, works and breathes parenting — from raising five kids together with wife Katie, to shepherding young patients as a child and adolescent psychiatrist, to doling out parenting advice on his social media channels and online courses. So what are some keys to being a good dad? Dr. Mitnaul shares:
Dads, your presence matters. No matter what message you’ve heard or what your experience has been, you’re needed for so many reasons. Your affirmation makes a big difference in the life of your kids. A father’s presence improves kids’ chances of completing high school, performing well academically and staying out of the detention center. Being present, aware and intentional can be very life giving. I don’t want dads to take that for granted.
Be intentional about finding ways to be in the life of your child. Their sports, activities and music might not be your favorite, but your attention to those things is transformational. You don’t have to agree with everything they agree with or jump fully into it, but showing interest and having some knowledge of their
passions is so important.
Encourage the virtues you see your child exhibiting. For instance, “I know you didn’t make the baseball team, but it’s the hard work you put in that I’m really proud of.” Dads have a way to champion that message. Even if we dads aren’t the most emotional ones, we can encourage those virtues.
Be present. We’re always trying to disentangle kids from their devices, but it’s a struggle for us dads, too. It might be turning off the game and saying, “So tell me about that friendship,” or just being a listening ear. Dads have lots of things to get done, but if there’s a way to make the child a part of it, you’ve created
an opportunity to hang out together. The other day I needed to take some tree limbs to the curb and as I was working I thought, I don’t think I’ve heard my youngest read today. So I’m cutting and she’s reading the book to me. If we can look for windows to involve our children, that matters.
Where to Find Him
@doctormitnaul