My boy is turning 12 and I realized he still does that weak dead fish grip thing. Sat him down and taught him the proper way: firm grip, eye contact, brief pump, genuine smile. We practiced with each other about a dozen times. A man's handshake is everything. It's one of the first things people judg...

I work from home and literally everyone acts like I have it easy. My wife keeps asking me to handle stuff during the day because I'm 'right there', my boss emails me at 8pm and expects answers, and my kids don't understand that a closed door means I'm working not that I can play with them. I love be...

Got 8 weeks off for my third kid and man I'm going to miss this. Woke up with baby in the morning, got kids to school, came back and had time for my wife and the newborn without anyone needing anything from me work wise. Now I'm dreading Monday because the real world starts again and I know the firs...

I know this sounds small but I'm counting it as a win. Usually bedtime is a whole production with negotiations and meltdowns. Tonight I let them pick which books to read, gave them two choices for pajamas instead of just telling them what to wear, and we did it all without raising my voice once. The...

My 9yo came home asking why his friends at school make fun of him for saying grace before lunch. My heart sank a little but I'm also proud he's standing out. We talked about how being a Christian isn't always the popular thing and that's ok. Told him some of the best people I know are the ones who d...

Left my job in finance making good money to take a role at a nonprofit that pays 30k less but I'm done by 5. Took a deep breath and made the jump last month. Haven't regretted it yet. Money is tighter but I'm not missing my kids's lives anymore. Anyone else do something like this? Would love to hear...

I have a wife, three kids, go to work every day, but some nights I feel completely alone. Like nobody really gets what's going on in my head. My wife tries but I don't want to burden her with all my stuff. Don't really have close friends I can talk to like that. How do guys build real connections?

My oldest came home with a test grade that he could have gotten away with not telling us about. Instead he brought it straight to us and admitted he didn't study. Instead of getting mad I told him I was proud of him for being honest. We talked about what he needed to do differently next time. His mo...

Cleaned out the grill today, got new propane, and fired up some burgers for dinner. Kids actually asked for seconds which never happens. There's something about food cooked outside that just hits different. Been looking at some pellet grills but the wife would kill me if I spent that kind of money r...

Spent the morning mounting a rod rack I built in the garage. Wife said it looked good which is basically a miracle. Got about 8 rods up there now and can actually find the one I want without digging through a corner. Small win but feels big. Might hit the lake this weekend if the weather holds.

Got some bonus money at work and was thinking about upgrading my gaming PC and getting a better monitor. It's been like 5 years since I upgraded anything and I'm running pretty outdated stuff. My wife thinks I'm crazy for spending money on this but it's literally my only hobby where I can chill for ...

Got up at 5am Saturday and threw a 14 lb brisket on the offset smoker I built last year. Kept it at 225 for like 12 hours with some cedar and oak. Wrapped it in butcher paper around hour 8. Let it rest for 30 mins then sliced it up. Came out pretty tender and had that nice bark on the outside. Wife ...

Had three kids in four years and became the definition of a family guy. I miss just... doing whatever I wanted. Sleeping in. Taking a random road trip. Spending money on myself instead of kids clothes and braces. My identity used to be about my hobbies and my career. Now I'm just "dad" and while I l...

So I picked up a PS5 last year and I'm honestly obsessed. Between work and the kids I only get like an hour or two at night after they go to bed but I've been working through the Uncharted series and it's amazing. My wife thinks I'm crazy but this is my decompression time. Does anyone else here use ...

Just fired up the smoker for the first time this year. Doing a 12 hour brisket and I could not be more excited. Got my playlist ready, couple cold ones waiting, and the whole day ahead of me. This is what being a dad is really about.