My 7 year old asked me what my favorite thing about being a parent is. I said "the punchlines are free and the kids are hilarious." He didn't get it at first then he did and he lost it. Wife rolled her eyes but I saw her smile.
Just got back from a 3 day camping trip with the boys ages 5, 8, and 11. What I learned: bring way more snacks than you think you need, set up the tent before everyone gets tired and cranky, and don't try to teach them fire safety when it's dark and they're cold. One kid didn't want to sleep in the ...
Started this project thinking it would take a weekend. We're on week 3 with about 5 more to go probably. I've learned a lot about structural integrity and also that my 7 year old is way more useful than I expected. He's been measuring, holding boards, helping me figure out angles. The treehouse isn'...
Used to play competitive shooters solo. Now my 9 year old and I play co-op games together a few times a week. He's actually getting pretty good at strategy games. It's not the same as my old gaming, less intense, but honestly it's way better. This is gonna sound cheesy but watching him get excited w...
My ex has been picking up our kids late almost every other week now. She says traffic or work runs late but honestly I think she's just not respecting the agreement we made. I don't want to be that guy but I'm trying to plan my life around this schedule and it's impossible. Should I document everyth...
Been going back and forth on this job for a year. Good work but felt stuck. Well they came through today with a real promotion, decent raise, and get this, they're letting me work from home 3 days a week. Perfect timing because my wife needs me more flexible this year. Took a risk negotiating for th...
Been working 50+ hour weeks for the past month but my wife needed me home more because she's dealing with some health stuff. Cut my hours back and rearranged my schedule. Money matters but family comes first, always. That's the deal I made when I got married. Providers take care of their people. It'...
Been working on this for months. This morning he just... did it. Double knot and everything. I literally teared up at the breakfast table. My wife thought something was wrong but nah, I'm just a proud dad.
Some days I can barely get out of bed and the kids need me to be present. I feel guilty because I'm not as engaged as I should be. My wife is frustrated because she's picking up my slack. I'm on medication and going to therapy but it's slow. Anybody else struggling with this? Sometimes I feel like I...
Caught my 3 year old trying to sneak cookies from the pantry. I said 'whatcha doing buddy?' He froze, looked me dead in the eyes and said 'I'm a cookie monster now' and made monster sounds. He was fully committed to the bit. Like buddy you're wearing dinosaur pajamas and you're definitely busted but...
My wife is great and my kids are healthy and I have a decent job but I feel so isolated. All my friends without kids have basically moved on without me. I can't just go out and do stuff anymore. I'm home every night but somehow I feel lonelier now than I ever have. Is this just part of being a paren...
After the divorce I had to figure out how to be a full time parent when I'd always been the guy who worked and let my ex handle most of the stuff. Suddenly I'm packing lunches, doing homework help, managing schedules, dealing with emotions and I had no idea what I was doing. There's stuff I miss abo...
My ex got full custody and I pay significant child support. She's got a new husband who makes good money but I'm still paying what was set at the time of the divorce. I don't have an issue supporting my kids but I have no idea if she's actually spending that money on them or if it's going to her lif...
That's a win in my book. We went to a state park about 2 hours away, set up the tent together, did a campfire, made s'mores. My oldest (8) said it was the best day ever. One of us accidentally kicked over the cooler in the night but whatever. They fell asleep in the car on the way home and I got som...
My 4 year old pointed at Fruity Pebbles and said 'Dad that's the one that turns your milk into juice' and I almost fell over laughing in the middle of the store. He wasn't even trying to be funny he was just stating facts like some kind of cereal scientist.