Was skeptical as hell but about 6 weeks in and I'm noticing real changes. My therapist helped me see that a lot of my stress comes from trying to be perfect and comparing myself to other dads. Turns out I'm not actually failing, I was just setting impossible standards. Getting better at identifying ...
We got rained out on the second night, tent started leaking, forgot the good sleeping bags, and somehow both kids got poison ivy. My wife was not happy about any of it. But when we got home and my oldest was telling everyone about "surviving in the wilderness" I realized he didn't care about the rai...
Finally finished the treehouse project we started last month. Kid wanted a "secret base" so I grabbed some 2x6s, deck screws, and safety rope. First trip forgot the lag bolts. Second trip got the wrong size rope. Third trip because I miscalculated the platform dimensions by about 8 inches. But man, ...
Started at 280 pounds and completely out of shape. Couldn't play catch with my kids without getting winded. Joined a gym three years ago just to prove I could do something for myself. Lost 85 pounds, ran my first 5K, then a half marathon. But the physical stuff was only half of it. My confidence cam...
So my son knocked over a full glass of milk at dinner and I caught it mid air with one hand while continuing to eat my food with the other. The whole family just stared at me. My wife said I've finally found my calling. I told her I've been training for this my entire parenting career. Worth every m...
First few years after my son was born I literally became just 'dad' to everyone including myself. Every conversation was about him, every plan involved nap schedules, I didn't have a hobby anymore. My buddy called me out on it and it stung because it was true. Been slowly rebuilding stuff - started ...
This is gonna sound cheesy but I'm just in a reflective mood. Five years ago I was the guy saying I didn't want kids, wanted to stay flexible, travel whenever, sleep till noon. My wife wanted them and I was like nah. Then we had our first and honestly it's the thing that actually made me feel like I...
Honest question. My son is 6 months old and sometimes I still feel like I'm just playing house. Like I'm waiting for someone to tell me I'm doing it wrong or to come take him back. I love him more than anything but theres this weird detached feeling sometimes where I'm watching myself be a dad inste...
She's 4 days old and we decided my wife sleeps from 10pm to 2am and I take 2am to 6am. She's eating every 2-3 hours so I'm basically up all night anyway. Is this a good system? How long are we gonna be able to keep this up? I'm already feeling like a zombie but I also don't want my wife destroying h...
Woke up this morning to burnt toast, scrambled eggs that were a little crunchy, and orange juice that's definitely watered down. It was the best meal I've ever had. She was so proud of herself and my wife had to stop me from helping. Just sat there eating and telling her it was amazing. She's 7 and ...
Spent three weekends working with him in the park. Lots of skinned knees and frustration from both of us but something clicked yesterday. I let go and he just kept going. Made it like 50 feet before wobbling but he DID IT. Now he wants to go every single day. Love seeing that confidence boost when t...
My 8 year old lied about breaking a lamp today. I wanted to explode but instead we sat down and I asked why he was scared to tell the truth. Talked about how we all mess up and that's why Jesus came. Explained consequences matter but so does confession and forgiveness. Made him apologize to mom, do ...
Just wanted to celebrate a bit here. My custody case is officially done as of yesterday. Got primary custody of both kids which is what I wanted. It was brutal, cost me a fortune in legal fees, and my ex made it way harder than it needed to be, but we're finally stable now. The kids can stop worryin...
Okay so technically we know it's probably just a muscle reflex and not a real smile yet but our baby gave us what looked like a genuine smile today and honestly I teared up. My wife laughed at me but I don't even care. I'm just amazed at this tiny human we made. The exhaustion and stress doesn't eve...
I was really hesitant about going to therapy. Felt like I should just be able to handle things on my own as a dad you know. But I've been going for about 3 months now and it's genuinely helping. My therapist is helping me work through some stuff from my own childhood that I didn't realize was affect...