Before kids I could sleep until noon, go to bed whenever, nap whenever. My schedule was completely mine. Now I'm up at 6 AM whether I want to be or not. Going to bed early because I'm exhausted. Weekends are structured around nap times and bedtimes. Sounds terrible when I write it out but honestly I...
My wife found 7 baseball caps in the car yesterday and asked why I need so many. I told her they're not for me, they're for all the different dads I become depending on the situation: work dad, gym dad, yard work dad, etc. She did not laugh. I think I have a problem but also I don't care.
Everything around us seems to be pulling my kids in different directions. Social media, peer pressure, materialism. We try to keep them grounded in faith and teach them about what really matters but it feels like swimming upstream sometimes. My 12yo is already asking for expensive shoes and comparin...
My son is two weeks old and honestly I'm terrified. He cries and I panic. I don't know if he's hungry, tired, gassy, or just unhappy. My wife seems more confident but she's admitted she's also just guessing half the time. Last night he cried for like 45 minutes and we literally tried everything. Eve...
We agreed I pick up Tuesdays and Thursdays. Now she's saying she needs those days sometimes and wants me to be "flexible." I'm flexible plenty but I also count on those days with my kids. How do you guys handle this without it turning into a big fight? My lawyer said to document everything but I hat...
Been working on this for like 6 months. Got my fishing wall up, pool table installed, and a sweet little bar area. Wife said I could have my space if I promised to finish the garage shelving first. Totally worth it. Now I got somewhere to retreat to when the kids are driving me up the wall. Anyone e...
My 12 year old and 10 year old would rather sleep in on Sundays than go to service. I keep taking them but they sit there on their phones or looking bored. How do I teach them that faith matters when they're not buying in yet? I don't want to force it but I also know this is important for their spir...
Week on, week off schedule. I love my kids more than anything but man, going from full house to empty house every other week is rough. Anyone else deal with this? How do you stay sane on your off weeks? I'm thinking about getting into the gym or something but it just feels weird being alone after ha...
I'm constantly worried I'm messing up my kids. Did I yell too much today? Am I teaching them right values? Is that one bad moment going to affect their future? My wife says I'm overthinking but I can't turn my brain off. I love my kids more than anything and that's almost making it worse because the...
Between work and kids and house stuff I haven't had a real break in like 2 years. My wife suggested I take a day to myself and I felt guilty the whole time. Came home early because I thought something would go wrong. This is ridiculous right? How do you guys actually practice self care without feeli...
My 13 year old and I started playing Minecraft together and honestly it's been great. We have time talking while we build stuff and he opens up to me about school and friend drama. Not saying screen time is a replacement for normal parenting but this has been a solid way to connect with him on his t...
She wanted a toy I wasn't buying. Instead of giving in or losing my cool, I got down to her level, let her have her feelings for like 30 seconds, then asked her what we were actually here for. She snapped out of it and helped me find the stuff on our list. Some lady in the aisle actually told me I h...
Set up parental controls and thought he was locked out. Apparently he's been sneaking into my wife's iPad after we go to bed watching some influencer guy for like two hours. We've talked about trust and boundaries but clearly the talk wasn't enough. Going back to stricter monitoring. Anyone else dea...
Bedtime has been a nightmare for months. Tonight I made it into a game where they had to beat their personal record from last night. 8 and 5 year old both asleep by 8:15. My wife asked what I did different and honestly I have no idea but I'm riding this high.
In this texting world I'm making sure my boys understand there's something about a handwritten note. When Grandma sends a gift, we sit down and write her a proper thank you. Takes fifteen minutes. My oldest asked why it matters so much and I told him it shows you care enough to take the time. That's...