He's 11 and never really showed interest in working with his hands. Saw me fixing the deck railing and asked if he could help. Spent the whole Saturday showing him how to measure, saw straight, and use the level. At the end he did half the work himself. He was so proud. I was proud. That's the stuff...

Three sections were completely rotted out. Spent all day Sunday pulling out old boards and setting new posts. The kids thought it was hilarious watching me get filthy and sweaty. Used up like half a bottle of ibuprofen after but the fence is solid again. Sometimes you just gotta get out there and do...

Three years sober now. Used to be the guy at every party, knew everyone, always had plans. Turns out a lot of those friendships were just drinking buddies. Lost most of them when I quit. What I gained is actually knowing my kids. Not like, knowing about them, but being present. I'm a better dad. Cl...

Before kids I was all about me. Spent money on stupid stuff, went out whenever, had a clean truck. Now I'm the guy clipping coupons and driving a minivan with Goldfish crumbs in the cup holders. I miss the spontaneity and my old friends but what I've gained is being someone my kids actually look up ...

So my 6 year old somehow memorized my iPad password and downloaded like 12 apps including some sketchy stuff before we caught him. Now he's demanding his own tablet. I want to set up parental controls but I don't even know where to start. Should I get him a kid-specific tablet or put controls on an ...

Looking to upgrade my grill situation this spring. Been using a cheap Walmart special for like 5 years and it's falling apart. Thinking about going with a nice pellet grill but my wife says I'm spending too much money on what amounts to a hobby. Guys, help me justify this purchase. What grills do yo...

My son is 3 weeks old and will only sleep if I'm holding him. The second I put him down in the bassinet he wakes up crying. My wife and I are running on maybe 2 hours of sleep total. Is this normal? When does this phase end? I'm not complaining about bonding time but man I need like 20 minutes to sh...

So my son has gotten completely hooked on Roblox the past few months. It started innocent enough but now he's asking for Robux constantly and getting upset when we cut him off. We've tried setting daily limits but he sneaks extra time on the iPad. I'm worried about his eyes and just the overall scre...

Got hit with a code brown this morning that somehow went up the back and into the baby's hair. How is that even possible? We went through 2 outfit changes before breakfast. I thought I was prepared but nothing really prepares you for this. My wife is laughing at me which makes it better I guess.

My son got really into some youtuber and now he just keeps watching recommended videos for hours. He doesn't understand that YouTube is literally designed to keep him watching as long as possible. I want him to understand this stuff but how do you explain that to a kid without sounding like a conspi...

Director role opened up at my company and I would have crushed it. But it meant traveling 2 weeks a month. My kids are 4 and 7 and they need me here. I told my boss no thanks and you know what, I feel lighter. Yeah the money would have been nice but missing my sons growing up isn't worth it. Anyone ...

So I took 4 weeks off when my second son was born and it was amazing but now I'm back at work for 2 days and I feel like I'm failing at everything. My boss already piled on three projects, my inbox has 200+ emails, and I'm trying to be present at home but I'm exhausted by 8pm. My wife asked me to he...

My daughter asked me about her mom's new boyfriend and I just kept it neutral and told her to talk to her mom about it. Thought I handled it well but then my ex texted me saying I was asking questions to get information. I literally didn't even ask anything! How do you guys deal with this kind of ac...

I said, 'You.' He said, 'That's so sweet, dad!' Then I said, 'Yeah, and your mom is my second favorite thing about being a dad.' He did not find that as funny as I did.

Got offered a promotion that would mean traveling 40% of the time. More money, better title, the thing I've been working toward. But my kids are 6 and 8 and I'm finally at a place where I'm coaching my oldest's soccer team and having dinner with them most nights. Anyone been in this spot? Is there a...