Daughter needs braces and there's some disagreement on the timing and cost. We're 50/50 custody but my ex has full insurance through her job. The orthodontist says sooner is better for alignment. She wants to wait another year because of finances even though her plan covers most of it. I'm willing t...
She texted me this morning asking if she could swap weekends because her new boyfriend is taking her to the coast. I have plans with the kids already, nothing crazy but we promised them mini golf and pizza. This happens like once a month. I'm trying to be flexible because I want the kids to see thei...
Just me and the kids, ages 5 and 8, at a state park about 2 hours away. Tent setup was chaos, I forgot the stakes so we improvised with sticks and some paracord. First night the 5 year old was terrified of the dark and spent half the night in my sleeping bag. Second day we hiked to a waterfall and c...
Was grinding 60 hour weeks, always on calls, missed a lot. Decided to step back to 3 days a week in the office so I could be more present. Lost some income and status I guess, but I actually know what my kids are learning in school now. The guilt about money is real sometimes, but my oldest asked me...
Kid walks in while I'm in the bathroom and asks what I'm doing. I say 'I'm reading.' He says 'reading what?' and I say 'The owner's manual, I lost the instructions for this part.' He didn't get it but my wife heard from the hallway and threatened to divorce me. Best joke I've told in months.
We were at dinner and my 7yo complained she was bored. I told her 'I used to be bored too, but then I had you kids.' She just stared at me and then I said 'Now I'm a dad, tired!' Wife kicked me under the table but my son was laughing. That's a win in my book.
Had PPD after my first kid but didn't know what it was, just thought I was tired and unmotivated. This time around I know what to look for and I'm not doing well. Everything feels heavy. My wife is doing great but I'm struggling to bond with the baby and I feel like such a failure for not being happ...
My daughter is three weeks old and I feel like I'm just going through the motions. I love her but I don't feel that instant crazy connection everyone talks about. My wife seems way more bonded already. Is this normal or am I a bad dad? I'm worried it means something is wrong with me.
Started this project back in March thinking I'd be done by summer. Life, work, and honestly just not having time and energy with a young kid at home meant it dragged on way longer than expected. But I finally finished the man cave yesterday. Put in new drywall, painted, installed some shelving, set ...
My 11 year old has gone full Fortnite zombie. I told him weekdays max 30 mins and he's literally counting down the hours at school. Started arguing about homework time, says he can play while doing assignments. His friends are all playing and I feel like the bad guy but I can't let him stare at a sc...
Made a promise to my youngest I'd help him build a birdhouse this Saturday. Got an invite to go fishing with some buddies that morning but told them I had to pass. My word means something to my kid and to myself. Too many men break promises to their kids without thinking twice about it. We've got to...
Wife's been stressed about her job, my dad's health took a turn for the worse, and the basement flooded last week. Realized this is when my boys need to see me stay calm and figure things out instead of panicking. Been trying to handle each problem one at a time and keep the household feeling stable...
So I banned my 12 year old from Fortnite for a month because his grades slipped. Thought it would motivate him. Instead he just plays on his friend's PC at their house after school now and I have zero visibility into what he's doing. Ended up lifting the ban but putting parental controls on our netw...
Spent the last 4 months converting our basement. Got a bar, comfortable seating, 75 inch TV, and my motorcycle workbench in the corner. Took way longer than expected because I kept changing my mind about layout but man it feels good to have my own space. Total cost was probably more than I told my w...
My wife thinks I'm being too strict. We let him do 30 mins on school nights which I think is fair, but on Saturday and Sunday she wants to bump it up to 90 mins so he can play Minecraft with his cousin who lives out of state. I get that it's social time but man, 90 mins just feels like a lot. What a...