I'm a mechanic and honestly most of my kids have wanted to be football players or astronauts or whatever. But today my 7 year old walked into the garage, watched me work on a carburetor for like 10 minutes, and just said 'Dad I wanna fix stuff like you do.' I put down my wrench and we just talked ab...
Wife took the kids to get some stuff while I ran an errand. I finished early and went to find them and my 3 year old spotted me from like 30 feet away and just screamed 'DADDY!' and started running toward me. The whole store was looking but I don't even care. That feeling never gets old.
Started hitting the gym last year because I couldn't pick up my 4-year-old without my back killing me. Now I'm actually jacked for the first time since college. The shift is weird though - I see myself differently, my wife sees me differently, my kids think I'm some kind of superhero. But I've trade...
My 10 year old came to me upset because another kid at school was pushing him around. First thing he asked was if he should fight back. I told him no, but here's what you do. First, you tell a teacher. If that doesn't work, you tell me and we go talk to the principal together like men. That's how yo...
My wife says I'm old fashioned because I make sure we eat dinner together with phones put away and the kids use proper table manners. No elbows on the table, napkin in your lap, chew with your mouth closed. My daughter complained last week that none of her friends have to do this stuff. I told her t...
Long time lurker but wanted to celebrate. After 18 months of court stuff I finally got custody worked out. Its 60/40 with me having the kids most of the time but my ex gets them weekends and Wednesday nights. It was expensive and stressful but at least now everyones on the same page legally. The kid...
Got a bunch of guys coming over Sunday for burgers and dogs. I'm doing my usual grilled corn and baked beans but looking to switch it up. Wife keeps pushing potato salad but I'm thinking maybe coleslaw or something with grilled veggies. What do you guys usually bring or make? And yeah I know store b...
Been a dad for 6 weeks now and honestly I still feel like I'm just going through the motions. I love my daughter but I don't feel that overwhelming connection everyone talks about. I read the guides, I change diapers, I feed her, but it all feels mechanical. Am I broken? When did the actual parentin...
My father taught me that your word is your bond and it's a lesson I'm working hard to pass down. My 8 year old promised his sister he'd help her with homework and then wanted to play video games instead. I made him honor that commitment even though he was upset. Later I explained that being a man me...
A few months ago I felt convicted that we weren't being intentional about praying as a family. So we started gathering around the dinner table before bed and each person shares something they're thankful for and something they want prayer about. It's simple but man, it's opened up conversations I ne...
My 2yo pooped right as I finished putting on a fresh diaper. I looked at my wife and said 'Well that's just crappy timing.' She didn't laugh. My son did though and honestly that's who I'm trying to impress anyway. These are the moments they don't tell you about in parenting classes.
So we have a formal agreement. She's supposed to have them Tuesday and Thursday after school plus every other weekend. Lately she's been asking to swap days constantly, saying she has to work late or whatever. I'm not trying to be a jerk about it because I want her to see them, but I can't just rear...
Just wanted to share that switching to Apple Screen Time instead of trying to manually police things actually helped. Set it up so my kids get 2 hours a day and it auto locks at 8pm. No more arguments about whether they've been on long enough because it's literally enforced. They still complain but ...
Had my first solo morning with the baby while my wife slept in. Changed what I thought was a normal diaper and somehow got poop up the back, in my shirt, and across the changing table. How are these tiny humans capable of this? Now I understand why people have like 10 outfits ready at all times. Wil...
Taking a 6 hour drive next month with the kids. Want to load up some movies they haven't seen yet to keep them entertained. Usually we do the main Disney stuff. Any underrated recommendations? Trying to avoid anything too overstimulating so they actually sleep part of the way.