My parents are offering to watch our 8 month old for one night so my wife and I can stay at a hotel nearby. Just one night. Supposedly this is good for us and will help our relationship or whatever. I am irrationally anxious about this. My parents are capable, he's been with them before for a few h...
My doctor suggested it for tracking meds and symptoms. Just started using it and it's pretty solid - super simple interface and the reminders actually help. Especially helpful because I kept forgetting my afternoon dose and then wondering why I felt terrible. Not sponsored or anything lol, just want...
My 4-month-old isn't rolling over yet and I've already read five articles about how this could mean something is wrong. My mom says 'babies develop at their own pace' which is probably true but also NOT HELPFUL when you're googling 'signs of developmental delay in infants' at 2am. When did parenting...
Short version: I was irritable, yelled at the kids over stupid stuff, took my work stress out on everyone. My daughter told my wife she was scared of me and that hit different. Started therapy, learned some stuff about my own childhood, started meditating and actually dealing with my anger instead o...
Thought we'd be nature people. Setup was chaos, kids complained the whole first night, forgot the lantern and used phone flashlights, campfire smoke followed us everywhere. But then Sunday morning we just sat there with coffee and hot chocolate, kids were calm, no screens, just talking and watching ...
Used to work 60 hour weeks and miss basically everything. Kids would show me drawings and I'd half listen while checking emails. Wife was running the house solo. Made the switch to a smaller company last year, went down to 45 hours and honestly it's been life changing. I actually know what my kids a...
Got supplies from Lowes, spent Saturday morning putting it together. My son helped me measure and hammer nails (with my hands guiding). We planted tomatoes, peppers, and basil. He's already checking it every morning before school asking if they're growing. Might be the best $40 I've spent on an acti...
He passed it down to me last year, it was beat to hell. Spent the last 3 weekends stripping it, repainting, reinforcing the legs. My oldest asked if he could help on the last day and we stained the top together. It's not museum quality but it's solid now and my kids are already asking if they can he...
Was coaching baseball and traveling weekends for years. Thought it was my identity. Wife was doing everything else. Took a year to really sit with it and realized I was avoiding my own family while trying to be a mentor to other people's kids. Stepped back this year and man, getting to actually rais...
I was that guy sneaking beers in the garage, telling myself it wasn't a problem. My oldest asked me why I smelled funny one time and that destroyed me. Finally admitted I needed help and went to rehab. Sober since day one. My kids actually want to be around me now instead of finding excuses to hang ...
After two years of saying I'd fix the deck, I finally did it this spring. Pulled up all the old boards, treated and sealed the posts, installed new composite decking. Cost way more than I wanted but it looks amazing now. The kids are actually using the backyard again instead of staring at the cracke...
We changed from the standard every other weekend to a 50/50 split where I have them Wed nights and every other weekend. It's only been a month but honestly the kids seem less stressed and I'm getting more consistent dad time instead of cramming everything into two days. It took a lot of back and for...
So I finally bit the bullet and started building that treehouse the boys have been asking for. Spent about 6 weekends on it with help from my brother in law. Used mostly reclaimed wood and some new 2x10s for safety. The kids helped with painting and hammering nails under supervision. Just finished i...
Everyone says working from home is great for dads but for me it's the opposite. I can't turn it off. I'll be in a meeting with the kids in the background, or checking email after they go to bed, or taking calls during dinner. My wife is frustrated because it feels like I'm always working even when I...
My income is inconsistent right now since I went freelance last year. Some months I make decent money, other months not so much. My ex's lawyer is pushing for a higher support amount based on my best months. I'm not trying to avoid paying but I'm worried about months where I don't have enough work. ...