My wife thinks I'm being ridiculous teaching my kids to stand when she comes into the living room or when guests arrive. I disagree. It's not about thinking women are fragile, it's about showing respect and teaching them that courtesy and small gestures matter. My daughter actually likes it and my s...

My 13 year old mouthed off to me in front of his coach yesterday. I felt that heat rising in my chest and could have gone off on him right there. Instead I took a breath and handled it calmly that night at home. Explained why that behavior is unacceptable and what it means to show respect to your el...

Seriously? For a pump? I looked at doing it myself but it seems like the kind of thing that could really go wrong if I mess it up. Anyone dealt with pool guys before? Are these quotes normal or am I getting ripped off?

So the company approved my request and I start in 2 weeks. Should be excited right? But honestly I'm freaking out. My boss made it clear that a junior dev is taking my projects and I'm worried they'll realize they don't need me. Plus I've been the provider for so long that being home full time with ...

Got tired of fighting with my old propane setup so I pulled the trigger on a Kamado style grill. First cook was a brisket that turned out incredible. The temp control is insane and cleanup is way easier. Worth every penny. Now I just need to figure out how to keep my kids from running around it.

My daughter asked why I'm bald. I said 'Because I have so many things on my mind that my hair got tired and left.' She literally told me that was the worst joke she'd ever heard. But then she told it to her friends at school so I guess I won somehow?

Grew up where men opened doors, said yes ma'am and no ma'am, stood up when a lady entered the room. My mama was strict about it but it took. Now I got a 7 year old and a 9 year old and the world keeps telling them that stuff is old fashioned. Their mother doesn't care much about manners either. I'm ...

Fired up the smoker for the first time this year last weekend. 14 hour brisket that turned out absolutely perfect. The bark was crispy, meat was tender. Made me realize how much I missed this. There's something therapeutic about tending to a fire and just... being outside by yourself for hours. Wife...

When my son was born I was working 70 hour weeks at a job I hated trying to climb a ladder nobody wanted to climb. After he was born something just clicked. I realized I was missing everything. We made the tough call - took a job making less money but reasonable hours. Best decision we made. I actua...

My son is 3 weeks old and I don't think I've slept more than 2 hours at a time in like 2 weeks straight. Wife and I are just trading off nights but even when it's supposedly my turn to sleep I can't because I'm listening to every sound he makes. Every cry has me jolting awake thinking something's wr...

Took my two kids camping up at the lake and it was exactly what we all needed. No screens, just fishing, cooking over the fire, and sitting around telling stories. My oldest actually put his phone down the whole time without complaining. We caught some decent bass and I burned the hot dogs but they ...

This is kind of hard to admit but I feel really alone even though I'm literally never by myself. Wife, three kids, always someone around. But I don't really have friends I can talk to about real stuff, you know? Just surface level guy talk about sports and work. I think I need to make some real conn...

Woke up at 4am Saturday to start a brisket. Trimmed it nice, seasoned it up, got the smoker dialed in. I was so hyped to share this with the family. Smoked it perfectly for 14 hours. Brought it in at like 8pm, it was absolutely beautiful. My 9yo took one bite and was like 'can I have chicken nuggets...

We were talking about going to the zoo and I said 'I'm looking forward to it, sounds like a real roaring good time.' My 4yo literally gasped and goes 'Dad that was a JOKE joke!' Like she finally understood wordplay. I know it's not much but that right there is the culmination of everything I've been...

Decided I'd build a small deck in the backyard. Watched some YouTube videos, had a plan, rented tools. Measured once, cut twice. Posts weren't level, boards weren't straight, nails I used were too thick and split some boards. My neighbor came over and was very nice about pointing out my mistakes. En...