So this is my horror story. I got the idea to build a simple platform in the oak tree in our backyard. Seemed fun, right? WRONG. First I had to deal with getting the wood, then figuring out how to actually build something safe (did way too much research on Reddit), then my 11yo "helped" which meant ...
I've been making my kids (8, 10, 13) help rake leaves and pull weeds on weekends. My sister says I'm making them hate nature and outdoor work, but I think teaching them responsibility is important. They get paid a little bit but it's not about the money. Curious what other parents think - am I being...
Everyone talks about self-care but for dads it seems impossible. Like 20 minutes for a bath? I can't even shower without someone needing something. Looking for actual realistic suggestions from people with kids, not the typical bullshit. What do you actually do that's sustainable and actually helps ...
My wife and I have a 7-week-old and we're splitting nights 50/50. I take 10pm-2am, she takes 2am-6am. Problem is I can't fall asleep BEFORE 10pm because I'm wound up waiting for my shift. And then when 2am hits I can't immediately fall asleep either. So I'm basically getting 2 hours of interrupted s...
This is probably dumb but genuinely asking: after a draining work day how do you switch mental gears and actually be WITH your kids instead of just physically present while your brain is still at the office? I try to like... leave work at work but by dinner time I'm thinking about emails and the th...
Just back from 4 days in Boston for a conference. My 3yo asked "Is this the man who lives here?" when I walked in the door. Wife found it hilarious. I found it soul-crushing lol. Do they actually forget or is it just the awkward readjustment?
Okay I need to vent because my wife thinks I overreacted. I was building this fairly detailed birdhouse with my older kids (10 and 8) - planning to stain it and everything. Left it in the garage for like 30 minutes and came back to find my youngest had taken it apart and covered it in markers. I yel...
Got offered a director role at my company in Austin. Would be a $30k bump and honestly great for my career. But it's 40% travel, and my wife and I are already stressed to the max. She's been incredible holding things down while I've been grinding, but I could see it breaking us. Told my boss no yest...
Okay this is silly but my 9-year-old made me a "dad of the year" certificate on construction paper during a rainy afternoon at my place. Spelled "year" as "yeer" and everything. We'd just had a rough few weeks - missed one of his soccer games because of work, his mom had been bad-mouthing me (he to...
Been putting it off for like 3 years. Kept telling myself I didn't have time or it was too expensive. Finally bit the bullet and found a therapist who does evening sessions. First few weeks were awkward (sitting with my own thoughts is weird) but I'm actually noticing I don't snap at the kids over d...
Okay so we've been working on this ALL summer. Like, every other day we'd go out to the parking lot behind the community center in Raleigh and practice. Kid was terrified, kept saying his legs weren't long enough (they are). Today he just... did it. Went like 50 feet down the sidewalk completely on ...
Been meaning to do this since we moved in. Last Saturday I just... did it. Pegboard, labeled bins, tools actually hanging up instead of scattered in a pile. Spent like 6 hours on it and felt more satisfied than I should admit. My wife walked in and was like 'oh nice' (which is her way of saying she'...
My 9yo asked me why I'm always looking at my phone and I realized... he's right. I AM always looking at my phone. Work stuff, scrolling, whatever. And when I'm actually with him I'm not really *with* him, you know? Started a challenge where I put my phone in another room during his homework time and...
Started doing one night a month where my wife and I just... go out. No kids, no planning, no talking about logistics. Just us. Sounds dumb and simple but holy shit it made a difference. We were in a rough patch—both resentful, disconnected, stressed—and this one small thing helped reset us. Also gav...
Tried Coparently for 2 months and noped out. The UI is terrible, it's slow, and worst part - my ex figured out how to screenshot our messages and use them out of context in our mediation. Nothing illegal in what we discussed but she twisted the tone. Switched back to email (boring but logged automat...