Thought I'd impress the family with some low and slow smoking Sunday morning. Put that bad boy on at 5 AM, was aiming for 12 hours at 225 degrees. By hour 6 my temp was all over the place, bouncing from 190 to 250. Apparently my offset smoker needs more work than I thought. Brisket turned out a litt...
Been working with a buddy for five years and we were close. Recently found out he was treating one of the younger guys on the team like garbage behind closed doors. Called him out on it privately and he didn't take it well. Now things are awkward but I can't pretend I didn't see it. Honor means doin...
Had a conversation with a younger guy about marriage and he was complaining about his wife in front of everyone like she wasn't there. Told him straight up that's not how you carry yourself as a man. You protect her dignity, you speak about her with reverence, you make decisions together. Marriage i...
Was at the grocery store and another dad told me his kids were on their best behavior because they saw mine listening and not running around crazy. Made my whole week honestly. We put in the work with consistency and boundaries but you never know if it's actually working until someone else notices. ...
This is gonna sound small but I need to share it. A few weeks ago I committed to praying with my youngest before he goes to sleep. Just simple stuff, thanking God for the day, asking Him to watch over our family, whatever comes to mind. Last night he asked me if God could help his friend's dad stop ...
So we switched from the 50/50 every other week thing to 4 days on 3 days off because my ex wanted to be closer to her new job. The kids are asking why the schedule is different and honestly I'm not sure how to explain it without sounding like I'm blaming their mom. How do you guys handle this? My 7 ...
Got offered a director role that would mean more travel and longer hours. My kids are 8, 6, and 4. I turned it down because I'd barely see them during the week. My dad worked constantly and I swore I wouldn't do that. But now I'm second guessing myself. Is this a mistake? Will I regret not taking th...
This is gonna sound weird but I feel really alone even when the house is full. My wife doesn't get it when I try to explain. I have work buddies but we don't really go deep. No close friends really. Just feel like no one actually knows me, you know? Anyone deal with loneliness like this? How'd you w...
Used to sleep till noon on weekends, go out drinking with the boys whenever I wanted, and my free time was actually free. Now I'm up at 5am no matter what, my buddies stopped inviting me to stuff, and I'm researching stroller reviews at midnight. I miss sleeping but honestly? Seeing my daughter laug...
So we started tummy time with our 2 month old today and I swear he went from happy to absolutely furious in like 10 seconds. His face got all red and he started screaming. We only lasted 2 minutes before I felt bad and flipped him back over. Is it supposed to be this awful or are we doing something ...
My oldest is up by 6:30 AM every single day no matter what. Used to be able to be a zombie for half the day on weekends but those days are gone. I'm not gonna lie, some mornings I resent it. But we get the whole day extended and I've actually started enjoying early morning cartoons with him while dr...
Divorce was messy two years ago but things are finally settling down. We were able to discuss my son's soccer schedule without it turning into a fight last week. Took everything in me but I apologized for some things I said during the split and she actually responded positively. Not saying we're bes...
Been having panic attacks at work for the past month. My heart starts racing, I feel like I can't breathe, and I'm convinced something is seriously wrong with me even though the doctor said I'm fine. Haven't told my wife because I don't want her to think I can't handle things. Haven't told my boss b...
Let my 6 year old watch what I thought was safe content on YouTube Kids and somehow he went from Bluey to these weird robot videos that look like they're made in someone's basement. The whole app feels like a minefield. Does anyone actually trust it or are we all just using it as a babysitter anyway...
Every Sunday around 5pm I start dreading work on Monday. My job is fine, my boss is fine, but I just hate the grind. I feel like I miss my kids growing up. This is supposed to be the good years and I'm spending 8 hours a day staring at spreadsheets. Wife says I'm being dramatic but some days I genui...