I've been dating someone for about 8 months now and she's great with my kids. My son (12) and daughter (10) already like her. She wants to stay over next weekend when they're here and honestly I think it's fine and natural at this point. But I'm worried about how my ex will react when she finds out....
My 7yo looked at me this morning and said "Dad, you look tired" and I was like yeah buddy, that's because you woke up at 5:45am. Then he goes "No, I mean you always look tired." LMAO. She's not wrong though. Sleep is a luxury I apparently no longer have access to.
Quick question - if I'm fighting to increase my custody time from 40/60 to 50/50, does child support automatically adjust? Asking because that's her main push-back even though she admits I'm a good dad and the kids want more time with me. We're in Texas if that matters. Don't want to pay a lawyer if...
Currently using Our Family Wizard but honestly the interface is kind of clunky and I keep missing notifications. Anyone using anything better? Price isn't really the issue, I just want something where messages are clear, I can see the custody schedule without clicking 6 times, and maybe share photos...
So my ex and I have 50/50 with the kids (ages 6 and 9) and Halloween falls on my ex's night this year. The kids are already asking if they can trick-or-treat with me instead. I don't want to be that dad who creates drama, but I also hate missing out on this stuff. Last year we did a split schedule b...
Ouch. That one landed. I'm scrolling through work Slack and Outlook when I get home, barely present with my 8yo. He asked straight up: "Dad why do you like your phone more than playing with me?" I don't have a good answer. I'm working on it but man, that hurt.
Been EBF since birth, totally our choice, but now that I'm going back to work part-time my wife needs to be able to give him a bottle so I can actually leave the house for more than 45 minutes. We've tried like 8 different bottles - Tommee Tippee, Dr. Browns, MAM, literally everything. He just screa...
Real question: I had a genuinely good day with my 3 kids today. Everyone was happy, nobody cried, I wasn't stressed. But then later I felt this weird guilt like... was I ignoring some problem? Should something have gone wrong? I swear my brain immediately starts looking for what I must have messed u...
Before I became a dad I was the guy who could talk your ear off about movies and music and tech stuff. Now when people ask me what's new I just talk about my kids' developmental milestones and which formula didn't give them gas. I don't even recognize myself sometimes. Had to consciously remind myse...
Just wanted to post this for the new guys out there spiraling in the newborn phase - it gets SO much easier. Like ridiculously easier. My son is almost a year and a half now and the first 6 months feel like a fever dream honestly. I was googling 'is my baby normal' like every 47 seconds and now he e...
Picked up a lightly used SNOO Smart Sleeper from Facebook Marketplace in Chicago for $750 (retail is like $1600 lol). People kept saying it's a waste of money but honestly our 2 month old sleeps like 4-5 hour stretches in it and we finally feel semi-human. I know you can't use it forever but for rig...
Been thinking about giving my boy an allowance but want to make sure he learns the value of a dollar and not just thinks money grows on trees. My pops had me doing chores for money by age 7 and I turned out alright but times are different now. Anyone else struggle with this? Want to do it the right ...
He's 3.5 years old and apparently at daycare they call teachers by first names. Now he's started doing it at home. "Hey Mike, can you help?" It's... weird. I know it shouldn't bother me this much but there's something about being called 'Dad' that makes me feel like a parent, you know? When he says ...
Been doing 50/50 with my ex for about 2 years now (kids are 7 and 9). The original schedule was Mon-Wed with me, Thu-Sat with her, alternating Sundays. Sounds simple right? Except now she's started picking them up early "when she can" and dropping them off late, and I'm supposed to just roll with it...
Work is insane right now, kids are 6 and 8, wife's got her own stuff going on, and I literally cannot remember the last time I did anything just for me. Not even anything crazy—just like, sat quietly for 20 minutes. Everything feels urgent and I'm running on fumes. I know the answer is probably "tak...