Miss my old freedom but wouldn't trade it for anything | DadHQ

Miss my old freedom but wouldn't trade it for anything

Jun 121 min read

Used to be able to just grab my buddies and hit the road for a weekend whenever. Road trips were spontaneous, no planning, just go. Now I need to pack enough stuff for a small army, there's nap schedules to work around, and honestly the planning is exhausting. But when my daughter tells me I'm the best dad ever after I took her to get ice cream yesterday, all that freedom suddenly doesn't seem that important anymore. I still miss the simplicity sometimes though.

7 comments136 views

Comments(7)

AAntonioRegularJun 12

I get this so much. The spontaneity is gone but honestly after a few years you realize you didn't actually need it. Plus now I've got built-in travel buddies who think everything is an adventure.

MMiguel R.RegularJun 12

Road trips hit different when you've got kids in the car though. Sure, you can't just bounce whenever, but those family memories are something else. We did a cross country thing last summer and my kids still talk about it constantly.

KKyleRegularJun 12

The freedom thing is real though. I miss just throwing a bag in the truck and going. But yeah, the trade-off has been worth every second.

PPhillip M.New DadJun 12

You can still take trips, they're just different now. We do family road trips and honestly they're the best memories we're making. Different flavor of freedom.

MMark R.New DadJun 12

Man, I feel this one. Used to pack up and drive 8 hours on a whim just because. Now spontaneity means picking a different park than usual. But watching my kids experience stuff? Yeah, that's better than any road trip.

DDanielRegularJun 13

The freedom thing is the hardest part to admit. But then your kid does something amazing and you realize you wouldn't have been there to see it if you were out doing your own thing.

KKyleRegularJun 13

This is the real trade-off nobody talks about. Yeah you lose some independence but you gain someone who actually wants to go everywhere with you.