My youngest keeps asking for "screen time" now because his older brothers get it. He's obsessed with watching Bluey clips on my phone. I feel like 4 is too young but also I'm exhausted and sometimes I just need 20 mins of peace lol. My older two turned out fine with screens... but this feels differe...
So my company is relocating our office closer to my house (finally some good news) but it means I need to adjust pickup times on my custody weeks. I'm asking to do 4:15 instead of 3:45 on Tuesdays and Thursdays. My ex is saying this "disrupts the routine" even though we have aftercare that keeps the...
I know everyone complains about it but honestly I kinda look forward to the 15 minute drive where my kids tell me about their day before they get bored and start fighting. It's like built-in conversation time and I get to hear stuff that matters to them before they see their friends. My wife thinks ...
My son's elementary school has both our numbers on file but every single time something happens—illness, behavioral thing, whatever—they call his mom first. I'm the primary contact on the emergency form at my address. Is this normal? Am I being petty for being annoyed about this? Feels like I have t...
My son is 3 weeks old and we're still doing the every-2-hour feeds. My wife pumps and I bottle feed at night so she can sleep, which sounds great in theory, but I'm absolutely losing it. I've been up since 11pm and have feeds at 1am, 3am, 5am scheduled. The worst part is the 3am one where he takes f...
unpopular opinion maybe but after trying to enforce the whole '1 hour a day' thing for like 6 months, we've just... let it go. Our kids aren't glued to devices all day but they get more than the experts say. They're doing fine in school, they play outside, and honestly the constant negotiations abou...
Since people ask about recommendations - here's what actually moved the needle for me: **Headspace** - tried Calm, tried others. Headspace's dad-specific meditations are weirdly helpful and I can do them in 5 mins **Garmin watch** - sounds dumb but tracking my sleep and getting notifications about...
Okay so I'm writing this because I bottled fed my 3-month-old today without feeling like a failure for the first time. My wife tried exclusively breastfeeding and it was a nightmare - supply issues, latch problems, bleeding nipples, the whole thing. She started pumping and bottle feeding and felt in...
Want to get more into grilling this summer but I don't want to buy some $2k beast if I'm just gonna use it twice and lose interest lol. Looking for something that's like... entry level but actually decent quality? Budget around $300-400. Charcoal or gas? Go.
Been separated 8 months and finally got an apartment with enough space for both my boys (5 and 8). Last weekend was our first overnight together since I moved out. Ngl I was nervous - had no idea if I set up their room right, if they'd feel weird about it, all that stuff. But they actually seemed ex...
After a year of chaos, here's what finally clicked: **Mon/Wed**: In office all day **Tue/Thu**: Home, do focus work before 9am (kids still sleeping), 10-12 is meetings/collab, then afternoon is flexible/pickup time **Friday**: Fully remote, kids at school, deep work only It's not perfect but my ma...
Followed a YouTube guide for like 3 hours on the smoker last Sunday. Temp control, wrapping at the stall, the whole nine yards. Ngl I was skeptical the whole time but when we cut into it at dinner everyone went silent for like 10 seconds. Then my 11-year-old said "Dad this is better than that place ...
So my wife and I have been praying about some serious financial stuff. We're not broke but tight you know? Well Monday my old boss texts me out of nowhere asking if I want some freelance work. It's exactly what we need and honestly felt like the Lord just opened a door. Sometimes I forget to expect ...
Finally bit the bullet and built two 4x8 raised beds in the backyard. Wife was skeptical but I showed her some pictures of what people grow and she's actually excited now. Spent last weekend getting soil and planting seeds. The whole neighborhood is gonna smell like my tomato plants by August and ho...
Nothing crazy happened - just work stress, kids being difficult, wife and I bickering. But normally by Wednesday I'm in a dark place mentally. This week I actually used some of the coping strategies my therapist taught me (breathing exercises, specifically naming thoughts vs facts, asking for help)....