I'm working full time, coaching my son's baseball team, trying to help with homework, wife's got her own job stress, house needs repairs, car needs service. I feel like I'm barely keeping my head above water. I snap at the kids for no reason. I haven't slept well in months. I've talked to my doctor ...
My 15 year old got his first smartphone last year and it's like a switch flipped in his brain. We can't eat dinner without him checking Instagram. He has his phone in his room at night despite my rules and I catch him texting at 1am. His social media is all performative and he's constantly comparing...
My 7 year old asked me why mommy and daddy don't live together anymore. I kept it simple and honest - we love him very much but sometimes grown-ups decide they're better as friends than married partners. But man, it was hard not to go into what really happened. Any advice from guys who've been throu...
Six months of back and forth but we got it done. Wanted to share what helped us actually communicate instead of fight: 1) Use a co-parenting app (we use OurFamilyWizard), 2) Keep conversations about the kids ONLY, 3) Set expectations in writing, 4) Have a lawyer review everything but try to work stu...
Because his son kept telling him he had to bring home better grades. I'll be here all week (because the kids have no school and my wife left me in charge).
Because he wanted to draw the curtains. My 6 year old groaned so hard he made that face where his whole body convulses. This is my life now and I regret nothing.
Used to be that guy who couldn't function before 10am. Now I'm up at 5:30 every morning whether I like it or not because my kids treat 6am like it's a reasonable time to be awake and demanding breakfast. What I miss: sleeping in, staying up late watching movies, having quiet mornings with coffee. Wh...
Had a situation today where my boss asked me to cut corners on a project. It would have saved money but it's not right. I told him I couldn't do it and honestly thought I might get fired. Ended up having a good conversation about integrity and he respected my position. My kids were proud of me which...
After months of planning and spending way too much money, my garage wood shop is finally dialed in. Got a nice table saw, miter saw, and a workbench that actually fits in the space. Made my first cutting board yesterday and honestly it turned out pretty decent. Anyone else get that satisfaction from...
I told him I was just trying to raise his *standards*. He groaned so hard I think he threw out his back.
Been telling my kids for months that I'd take them somewhere special for their birthday. When the day came I took them to the... *long johns* restaurant and acted like it was my big plan the whole time. Took my daughter like 20 seconds to realize and she actually punched me. Worth it.
Seriously, there's something about standing in front of the BBQ for two hours that just clears my head. The smell, the smoke, the simple task of making sure the temp is right. Wife thinks I'm crazy for spending that much time out there but it's my zen. Plus free dinner for everyone.
So my 14yo daughter was spending hours on TikTok every day and it was killing her attention span. I told her she could switch to Discord to chat with her friends instead. At least on Discord she's typing and actually talking to people she knows rather than doom scrolling. She seems happier. Am I jus...
Took my boy out to the lake last weekend to fish just like my old man did with me growing up. We didn't catch much but we sat there in the quiet for hours and he asked me about life and work and relationships. That's when real conversations happen. Feels like something getting lost these days is jus...
My daughter is 6 weeks old and gave me this huge gummy smile this morning while I was changing her diaper. I know logically it's probably just gas but I don't care, it looked real. Almost teared up at work just thinking about it. My coworker was like dude why are you smiling at your phone like that....