"Yes, you still need to brush your teeth." "Yes, even if you brushed them yesterday." "No, rinsing with water doesn't count." "Because cavities hurt and cost money." I'm convinced he's messing with me at this point. Every. Single. Day. Anyone else dealing with this or is my kid just special?

4 months ago I posted here about starting freelance copywriting after my kids went to bed. Just hit $800 in revenue this month (admittedly small potatoes) but it feels good to have something that's just mine. Working 5-6 nights a week after bedtime though, so my wife and I barely see each other. Try...

My ex wants to switch from 50/50 to her having the kids (ages 7 and 10) for the full summer because she's doing this camp director thing. I had plans for a father-son trip to Colorado with my oldest. I said no, suggested she could adjust her schedule since I gave her the flexibility on spring break ...

My dad called and I told him I've been struggling with anxiety. Instead of just venting and moving on, I actually ASKED if he had time to talk. He drove over and we sat in the garage for like 2 hours. Didn't solve anything but it felt really good to not pretend everything's fine for once. Tiny thing...

So I've been seeing a therapist for about 6 weeks now (took me forever to actually book it) and yesterday something kind of clicked. We were talking about how I lose it on my kids over stupid stuff - like when they don't put their shoes on fast enough in the morning - and she pointed out I'm not act...

We decided last year that I'd do Thanksgiving even years and Christmas even years (so this year is hers). That made sense at the time. But my family is huge on Christmas gatherings and my mom is pushing hard for me to have the kids for her Christmas party which is always the afternoon of the 24th in...

My 14yo has decided she "doesn't want to go to dad's" this weekend and my ex is just... letting her stay. Says I can't force a teenager. But we have a legal custody order. Do I have any actual recourse here or is this one of those things where if they're old enough to have opinions I just have to ac...

Prepared for complete chaos - got snacks, sunscreen, water, the whole thing. Surprisingly everyone stayed relatively content the entire time. My 6yo got super interested in the amphibian section and kept asking these detailed questions. Ended up being one of those days where I actually enjoyed it in...

I'm genuinely asking—what counts as self-care when you literally cannot be alone for more than 12 minutes? I tried the "take a bath" advice and my 4yo and 7yo both ended up in the bathroom asking me questions. I've heard people talk about hobbies but like... when? My wife works late 2 nights a week ...

My 3-month-old is finally on a decent sleep schedule and I'm thinking about getting back to CrossFit like 4x a week. My wife thinks I'm crazy and that I should wait longer. Ngl I'm going insane without exercise. But also... am I abandoning her? This is my first kid so I genuinely don't know what's r...

We're paying $2,400/month for one kid in the Seattle area. They just announced a 12% increase effective next month. That's basically another car payment. My wife makes less than what we're paying in daycare. Like genuinely considering if she should just stay home at this point but she doesn't want t...

I have a conference next month (3 nights in Vegas) and I hate how this is making me feel. Logically I know my kids will be fine with my wife. But I keep catastrophizing - what if my 5yo gets sick? What if something happens at school? What if they forget I exist lol. This is my second trip this year ...

Quick question - when something's going on with the kids (like school issues or medical stuff), do you tell your manager? I've always kept it private but lately I'm realizing that pretending everything is fine might actually be making me less effective at work. My boss mentioned I seemed distracted ...

What's everyone doing for daily screen time? We've been saying 1 hour on school days but summer's here and I don't want to be a total tyrant about it. Don't want them glued to iPads all day but also like... sometimes I need 20 minutes of peace to make dinner. What's reasonable?

We got the Snoo on a Craigslist deal (like $400 instead of $1500 lol) when our son was born. Seven months later - it's genuinely the best thing we bought. He slept in it way better than the regular Pack and Play we had with our daughter. Is it worth the full MSRP? Probably not. Is it worth hunting f...