Overheard my 10yo telling a kid at school to stop making fun of his friend for being bad at sports. The kid actually stopped. Teacher told me about it at pickup. I didn't even have to teach him this explicitly - he just... got it. Been riding high all week.
Okay this is probably random but I'm celebrating because my 12yo came to me last week and said he wanted to stop playing Fortnite because "all the cool stuff costs money and I'm tired of feeling left out." LIKE... a kid actually came to that realization himself? He still games but plays Minecraft an...
Had a moment today where my 9 year old refused to take credit for something his friend did wrong, even though nobody would have known. He said he couldn't do that because it wouldn't be right. I never sat him down and lectured him about integrity but there he was showing it without even thinking abo...
Unprompted hug and kiss when I got home from work today. That's it that's the post. I'm running on that for the rest of the week.
Started having bedtime prayers where each of us says something we're thankful for and something we're worried about. It's been maybe two weeks. Last night my 6yo prayed for his friend who's moving away and asked God to help him not be lonely. My 10yo prayed about doing better on his test. The honest...
Like actually in shape. Went to the gym five days a week, ran on weekends, ate clean, looked decent. Then kid number one showed up and suddenly I'm at 230 with no gym membership and a dad bod that just keeps growing. The weird part is I care less about it now than I did then. Too tired to care I gue...
Picked up two nice NY strips from Costco and want to try the reverse sear method for the first time. Should I let them sit out for 30 mins first? Also wondering about temp - should I aim for 225 in the smoker area then sear hot on the other side? Any other pointers would help. Want to impress the fa...
Used to commute 45 minutes each way and barely saw the kids before bedtime. Now I work from home and can do lunch with my family, help with homework in the afternoon, and actually be present. My boss is cool with it as long as I get my work done, which I do. Yeah there's some blurred lines between w...
Wife left 18 months ago, took me a while to process everything. Life looks completely different now. I'm the one doing school runs, packing lunches, helping with homework on weeknights. Some days are hard and I miss having a partner, but I've gained this really strong bond with my kids that maybe wo...
Before kids I had my friends, we'd go out whenever. Now I'm home with the kids while everyone else is still doing their thing. My wife gets her adult interaction at work but I'm mainly with the kids all day. By the time they're in bed I'm too tired to hang out with anyone. Do other stay at home dads...
Got the kids this weekend and they seemed distant. My ex has been making comments about how I'm not as available as she is and I think they're picking up on that narrative. I work long hours but I'm still paying child support and trying to be present. It's starting to feel like no matter what I do I...
Some days I wake up with this crushing weight in my chest about whether I'm doing right by my kids. Am I patient enough? Smart enough? Teaching them the right things? It's like my brain won't turn off. I've talked to my doctor about it but haven't done anything yet. Just wanted to know if other dads...
Attempted to take my youngest on a medium difficulty trail because my wife needed a break. Thought the carrier would be fine. It was NOT fine. Three miles in my lower back was screaming, he was asking why the trees looked that way, and I realized I had packed literally nothing useful. We made it bac...
My ex and I just finalized a 50/50 schedule with alternating weeks. I'm nervous about the kids adjusting but want to make sure I'm doing this right. Do you guys keep stuff at both houses or move everything back and forth? What's worked for you in similar situations?
She literally just told me "go play, I've got the kids, back by 6" and I nearly cried right there. Didn't expect it, didn't ask for it. Went to a coffee shop with my Steam Deck and felt like a human again for the first time in weeks. Not sure if this is a one-time thing or new arrangement but either...