Took 3 months off when my second was born and it was incredible. Now I'm back at work and the guilt is real. My wife is juggling the baby and our older kid and I feel like I abandoned them. Work feels pointless compared to what matters. How do you guys handle this transition? Does it get easier?

Took a Saturday and just went through everything. Got wall mounted pegboards, labeled plastic bins, cleared out all the junk I've been hoarding for years. The look on her face when she walked in was priceless. Now I actually have a workspace to tinker on projects without tripping over stuff. Feels g...

I love my kids and my wife but lately I feel like nobody really gets what I'm going through. I work 50 hours a week, come home, help with dinner and bedtime, then collapse. Weekend is spent doing chores and activities. When do I get to just be myself? When do I get to talk about the stuff that's act...

Took me 3 months to actually start this project but knocked it out in like 2 hours on Saturday. Got some cedar from Home Depot, drilled it all together, filled it with soil and planted some tomatoes and peppers. My 6 year old helped dig the holes which took forever but she was so pumped about it. Wi...

My oldest is 8 and youngest is 5. We've got a tent collecting dust in the garage that I got years ago. Has anyone done car camping with kids this young? Worried about the bathroom situation mostly, and keeping them entertained when there's no screens. Was thinking of hitting up a state park like 45 ...

We've watched through the entire series like 4 times now. My kids can quote it better than I can. Is this just what TV is for us now? Comfort show on loop while we eat dinner?

My 6 year old asked me to play with him yesterday and I just couldn't do it. I felt so empty and tired. He looked disappointed and went off to play alone. I hate that I can't show up the way I want to for my kids. I'm in a rough spot mentally and I feel like I'm failing them. Any dads dealing with t...

Been doing freelance stuff on nights and weekends for the past 6 months trying to make extra money. Thought it would help us get ahead but honestly I'm exhausted all the time now. My son asked me last weekend why I was always on my laptop and it hit me hard. The money is nice but I'm missing out on ...

So I promised my son we'd build a treehouse last spring and kept putting it off. Finally did it this past weekend. We spent Saturday afternoon drilling, nailing, and measuring. Nothing fancy, just a platform with a railing and a rope ladder. When we climbed up and he realized we actually built somet...

Did a trail about an hour from our place that I've never been to. Pretty easy walk, lots of creek crossing which the kids loved. My 8 year old literally just bent down to grab a rock and goes 'dad is this a fossil?' and... it actually was. Some kind of shell thing. Called a local museum and they sai...

This morning my little guy looked at me while I was making breakfast and said 'Daddy you're the strongest and the nicest.' No context, no prompt. Just out of nowhere. I legit got teary eyed. I know he's young and won't remember saying it but I'm gonna remember it forever. These are the moments that ...

My kids want to play Fortnite constantly and I'm trying to figure out reasonable boundaries. I don't want to be the bad guy who bans it completely but also don't want them on it for five hours a day. Right now I'm doing an hour on school nights and maybe two hours on weekends but my 11 year old keep...

Wife surprised me with a Traeger for my birthday and I'm both excited and intimidated. I've smoked meats before on a regular grill but never committed to a real smoker. Planning to do a brisket next Saturday when my in-laws visit but I'm nervous about messing it up. Anyone here have a Traeger? What'...

So my doc put me on sertraline two weeks ago after I finally admitted I've been depressed for probably 2 years. I kept thinking I could just push through it like I always do but my wife basically forced me to go. Honestly not feeling much different yet but I'm not worse which I guess is something. T...

This has been going on for 3 months now. Every time it's my weekend, she texts Friday saying something came up and asks to swap. Last weekend my daughter had a soccer game she was supposed to miss because of the schedule we agreed on in court. When I reminded her mom of the custody agreement, she sa...