My ex keeps telling our daughter to relay messages to me instead of texting me directly. Stuff like "tell your dad he needs to buy you new shoes" or "tell your dad we changed your soccer schedule." I've asked her multiple times to just text me but she won't. We've been divorced 2 years and I'm so ti...

Seven months ago I made the jump. Worked nights for 12 years, slept all day, barely saw my kids awake. My wife got a promotion that made way more sense financially for us to flip it. Now I'm the primary parent and honestly it's been a total identity shift. I miss the adult interaction and the routin...

Second kid, took 6 weeks off work. Was expecting it to be messy but actually my family unit ran great. I took night shifts with the baby, helped with school runs for my oldest, actually knew what was going on at home. Now I'm back at work and everything's chaotic again. My wife is drowning, kids are...

Every time I message my ex about schedule or money stuff it somehow escalates. I keep it short and just facts but she reads into everything. Like I'll say 'hey can you pick up Jake 30 mins early Friday' and suddenly she's mad that I'm being demanding. I'm trying to co-parent here but this is exhaust...

Was making pancakes this morning with headphones in and apparently my full body interpretive dance to old school hip hop is worse than I thought. My teenager walked in and just said 'Dad please stop' without even looking up from their phone. Didn't even crack a smile. I'm still doing it though, the ...

She's been struggling with math all year and we've been doing homework battles every night. Just got the email from school that she made honor roll. She put in the work, stayed positive, and it paid off. Taking her out for ice cream tonight. This is what it's all about.

Had a buddy weekend planned but it got cancelled last minute. Instead I'm replacing some rotted boards on the deck. Honestly not mad about it. Got my coffee, some podcasts, and nobody's asking me for snacks. This might be better than the original plan.

Nobody tells you that you'll spend 20 minutes trying to convince a 5yo that chocolate milk isn't a vegetable because it comes from a cow. Or that you'll have entire conversations about why we can't feed the dog pizza. These are the real dad moments right here.

She's 3 and couldn't remember so I told the cashier 'I guess you could say she's still loading... she'll have her name in a few years.' Wife was not amused but I thought it was gold.

First time doing a full 14 pounder. I'm starting at 5 AM to hit it with some oak and hickory mix. Temp at 225, planning for about 12-14 hours total. I've got a cooler ready to wrap it in for the rest phase. My brother in law says I should go hotter but I want that bark. Should I trust the internet o...

Leaving Friday morning for 2 nights. We've got a big Coleman tent, sleeping bags for everyone, and I'm doing all meals in a camp cooler. Just realized I forgot to grab more propane for the camp stove so that's happening today. The baby is 18 months so I'm mostly worried about keeping her entertained...

So the company actually came through. 12 weeks fully paid starting next month. Part of me is excited but the other part is terrified. I haven't taken more than a week off in 5 years and my inbox is already giving me anxiety just thinking about it. How do you guys actually disconnect when you're on l...

Been working on this for like two months. He kept getting frustrated and wanting to quit. Today he just got it and rode twenty feet down the driveway on his own. The look on his face was priceless. He wanted to do it over and over. I got maybe 100 videos of it. This kid is growing up too fast but ma...

Director role opened up, they asked if I was interested. More money, more stress, way more travel. I actually sat down and thought about what I'd be missing - my 7 year old's soccer season, bedtime stories, maybe actually eating dinner with my family on weekdays. Told them no. My buddy said I was cr...

Saturday morning I made pancakes, bacon, and eggs. Nothing was charred. Kids actually asked for seconds. Wife said it was the best breakfast she's had in months. Normally I just stick to cereal but I'm feeling pretty confident now. Maybe I'll attempt waffles next week.