My 10yo just discovered Fortnite through school friends and suddenly that's ALL he wants to talk about. I let him play for maybe 45 mins a day on weekends. The thing is... it's not a terrible game? He's not getting toxic, he's actually learning strategy and teamwork. But omg the DESIRE to play more ...
We want to raise kids who genuinely care about serving their community not just check a box for a merit badge or whatever. We've been doing some stuff with our church but I want to know what's actually making a difference in your families. Are you volunteering together? How do you make it meaningful...
UPDATE: My 12yo spent $47 on Robux without asking me. FORTY SEVEN DOLLARS. On virtual currency for a game. I had my card saved to his account for "emergencies" which apparently includes limited-time avatar skins. I've now removed the card, turned on purchase restrictions, and he's doing chores to ...
We drove up to Asheville with the kids (ages 6, 8, 11) last weekend on like 48 hours notice. Usually road trips are a nightmare but something just clicked this time. Downloaded a bunch of podcasts, stopped at weird little roadside attractions, let them each pick one lunch spot. The Biltmore is expen...
My 11yo had his mic on in a squad match last week and I overheard a grown man drop several F-bombs and some genuinely disturbing stuff. I thought the game had built-in filters but apparently not with crossplay? Anyway, he's on party chat only now with just his friends from school. Just a heads up to...
Before kids I was getting up at 5am hitting the gym regularly, always trying to PR. Now my workout is chasing my toddler around the backyard for an hour and then carrying his 35lb self up two flights of stairs five times a day. Don't get me wrong I'm probably in better functional shape but my six pa...
Remember that treehouse post from like 2 months ago? Yeah, I went ahead and did it. Spent like $300 in materials, used a design from this YouTube channel (can't remember the name but search 'simple treehouse build kids'). It's not fancy. It's literally a platform with railings and a rope ladder. Bu...
No agenda, no plan. Just sat on the living room floor with my daughter for like 4 hours doing a 500-piece puzzle. She organized pieces by color, I did edges, we bullshitted about random stuff, no screens, no nagging about cleaning up toys. When did these simple afternoons become so rare? She's alrea...
This is probably debated a million times but I'm curious about this community's take. My kids are 9 and 11 and I keep getting pressured to sign them up for team sports because "that's what kids do." They're more interested in individual stuff - skateboarding, rock climbing, art classes. Should I be ...
Had a conversation with my wife about whether I should pursue the director-level role that's opening up (would require more hours, likely more travel) or stay where I am and keep things stable for the family. She said "you have to decide what matters more to you." Which feels unfair because the answ...
Looking for good state parks or national forests in Wisconsin/Minnesota area for car camping with 3 kids (ages 4-10). Preferably places with decent hiking nearby and not too crowded. We usually go in July/August. Any recommendations? Tried Wisconsin Dells area last year and it was packed.
Tried to have 'the talk' about online safety with my 10yo and it did NOT go how I planned. I was trying to explain that sometimes people online aren't who they say they are and he immediately got defensive like I was accusing HIM of something? Then he said 'you don't trust me' which wasn't the point...
How do you do it? Honest question. I come home after 8 hours and my tank is empty. Kids want my attention, my wife wants to talk about her day, there's dinner and baths and bedtime. I feel like I'm going through the motions instead of actually being there. Not getting angry or anything, just... che...
My ex has a habit of texting me at like 11pm asking if I can switch weekends because something came up. For 2 years I've been saying yes because I didn't want to be "that guy." Last week she did it AGAIN and I just said no. Cited my own plans (which were legit - friend's birthday). She got annoyed...
This is a rant but I need to get it out. My wife keeps hinting that I should stop taking so much paternity leave and "just come back part time" or whatever. We have a 4-month-old. I was planning to take the full 12 weeks and honestly I feel like I'm finally starting to get the hang of this dad thing...