My kids break for summer in like 6 weeks and I'm already anxious about it. I work full-time and summer camp is expensive. Just thinking about endless days of "Dad I'm bored" is stressing me out. Do I just resign myself to screen time? What do other working dads actually do here? I feel like I'm supp...
In the hospital they made holding look so complicated. Now at 2 weeks I'm still nervous about his neck, like it's going to snap. I know it won't but I'm not confident yet. Do you just... eventually feel normal holding your own kid or does this anxiety stick around?
She was clearly overwhelmed last week (I see that now) but I was also exhausted and just tried to keep my head down. She finally snapped at me about not stepping up and it turned into this whole thing. I apologized but also... how am I supposed to read minds? Do other couples communicate about this ...
Been working with my therapist on anger management (specifically not yelling at my kids when I'm frustrated) and I managed a whole week without losing my cool. Had moments where I felt it building but actually took a break, went to another room, took some deep breaths. It's dumb but I'm proud of it....
New shelving system, labeled bins, everything has a place. Took a picture and sent it to my dad because I was genuinely proud. This is what my life has come to. But also - if anyone needs a recommendation on those wall-mounted pegboards from Home Depot, they're legit solid and way cheaper than the f...
I snapped at my 4yo this morning because she wanted cereal instead of toast. Like actually yelled. She didn't do anything wrong. I feel like garbage about it now but I can't figure out why I'm so on edge lately. Been like this for a few weeks. Wife says I need to 'chill out' but that's not helpful l...
Cool cool cool. So I found out yesterday that my son figured out how to get to TikTok on my iPad and has been watching god knows what for the past week while I thought he was watching Bluey. He was watching some guy do parkour stunts and apparently decided to try it off our deck. Not a huge fall, th...
My 8yo gets genuinely stressed on days she switches between houses. Won't eat much, gets clingy, complains about stomach aches. Ex says she's the same way at her place but I don't think she realizes how bad it is. Has anyone dealt with this? I've tried talking to her about it, doing calm activities...
My tech company started offering 4-day compressed weeks (10 hour days) and I jumped on it. Having Fridays home with my 5yo and 7yo has been incredible. We do projects, go to parks, actually have quality time without the Monday-Friday grind stress. Obviously I'm still working 40 hours but the mental...
Why are we spending $300+ on a 5-year-old's party? I'm not judging people who do it but we just did Chuck E Cheese and it was $40 and the kids had a blast. My daughter asked for a "princess party" and I told her she could pick 3 friends and we'd have cake at home. She was literally just as happy. ...
My oldest is 8 and I still feel like I'm winging it 90% of the time. Occasionally something goes right and I think "oh maybe I do know what I'm doing" and then the next day I forget about a school project due that day. When does the confidence kick in? Or is this just permanent? Asking so I know whe...
Admitted to my brother last weekend that I've been dealing with depression and anxiety for like two years. Expected him to tell me to "man up" or whatever. Instead he told me he's been on meds for five years and goes to therapy. We just sat there talking about it for an hour. It was the weirdest, be...
So I promised my son a treehouse last summer and finally got around to it this past weekend. We used a tutorial from this YouTube channel 'Backyard Engineering' and honestly it was way simpler than I thought. Used 2x8s, some lag bolts, and a bunch of rope. Cost maybe $200 total. Best part? He actua...
So my role got restructured and suddenly I'm down from 2 weeks/month on the road to just 1. It sounds amazing in theory but now I'm home more and... I don't know what to do with myself? Like, I don't want to just be a paycheck that shows up for dinner. My kids (7 and 10) don't really want to hang wi...
Spent last weekend setting up a little woodworking space and made a birdhouse with my 8yo. First time in like 5 years I've done something just for me (well, with my kid but not parenting-related?). Felt really good actually. Nothing fancy but it reminded me I used to do things that made me feel like...