I'm actually furious. Found him scrolling through TikTok under his blanket at like 2 in the morning. We have a rule - phones stay downstairs after 9pm. Obviously that's not working. Confiscated the phone for a week. Now he's mad at me and my wife thinks a week is too harsh. I don't care if he's mad....
Work's been insane, kids are in sports 4 nights a week, haven't had sex with my wife in like 3 months, can't remember the last time I did something just for me. Yesterday I realized I've been having a tension headache for 2 weeks straight. This isn't sustainable but I don't know how to slow down wit...
We spent like 6 weeks figuring out what works for our 3-month-old's naps - wake windows, contact nap vs crib, all of it. Finally getting predictable 1.5-2 hour chunks twice a day and it's been LIFE CHANGING. My MIL arrives tomorrow and I love her but she's a chaos agent. She'll want to hold the baby...
Picked up some untreated cedar from Lowes, cut it into pieces (I did the cuts, kids did assembly), painted them with outdoor paint. Total project maybe 90 minutes with my 6 and 9 year olds. Cost like $25 for materials to make 3 birdhouses. Now we're checking them daily with binoculars. So much easie...
We were doing the classic baking soda volcano thing with my 9yo. She got REALLY into it, kept adding more baking soda each time. Then she straight up poured the entire bottle of vinegar in at once. Erupted all over the kitchen table, dripped down into drawers, got in the grout. She was laughing so h...
Real talk: I do not like my ex. We have two kids together and we're "civil" but every interaction feels like I'm navigating a minefield. She's late to pickups constantly, cancels plans, and then gets mad when I make other arrangements. But here's the thing - she's still a decent mom when she's actu...
Second kid was born 6 weeks ago. First few weeks I felt... empty? Not sad, just completely emotionally numb. Couldn't bond with my newborn, didn't care about my older kid, felt like a failure. My wife mentioned postpartum depression for dads is real and I was like "that's not a thing" but then I lo...
Had this weird realization in bed last night. My dad was the type who just powered through everything - stressed about money, had health issues, tough marriage - but never TALKED about any of it. Just kinda imploded quietly. And I'm doing the exact same thing. My wife asked me today if I was okay an...
He's 17 and his buddies are throwing a party this weekend. He swears nothing crazy will happen and that he won't drink. Part of me wants to trust him but another part knows how these things go. How strict should I be? I want to raise a son who makes good choices on his own, not just because dad's wa...
Had a rough day at work, came home already frustrated, kids were being kids (loud, messy, typical), and I just broke. Actually cried in front of my 5-year-old. He asked if he did something wrong and I felt like the worst parent ever. Obviously he didn't do anything wrong. I was just overwhelmed. We ...
Quick question - where do people actually go for pumpkin patches? Are they mostly just instagram traps or is there one that's actually good with kids? Looking for something to do this month with my 5yo and 8yo.
So we did a whole "summer of no screens" experiment because I read some article about outdoor play being better for development (eye strain, posture, etc) and honestly? My 6 and 8yr old are SO much bored now. We're at the park constantly. But also they're actually playing together instead of sitting...
My 5yo is DEEP in a Bluey binge right now and look, I get it, it's wholesome and actually well-written compared to most kids' shows. But we're on episode 87 this week and I can feel my brain melting. I've watched the Squirrels episode so many times I'm pretty sure I could voice every character. Send...
I set up YouTube Kids for my 5yo because I thought it was "safe." But I keep finding weird stuff in the recommended section - like videos of people opening toy boxes for 20 minutes straight, or these creepy animations that are technically not "inappropriate" but feel wrong? And don't even get me sta...
My son has been swaddled since birth and he LOVES it. But he's starting to roll and I know we need to transition soon. Some people say start at 3 months, some say wait longer. He's 3 months now. Do we go cold turkey or gradually? What was your experience?