The guy I was before kids vs now is completely different

JoeyNew Dad

1d ago1 min read

I used to care so much about my car being clean, my house being perfect, my job title. Now I've got goldfish crackers permanently ground into my truck seats and I genuinely don't care. Before I had kids I thought being a dad would be boring. Turns out the stuff I thought mattered doesn't matter at all. Yeah I miss sleeping past 6am and doing whatever I wanted on a Saturday but I'd take this life every time. My priorities aren't the same person anymore.

13 comments222 views

Comments(13)

TTrevorNew Dadjust now

Becoming a dad rewired my entire brain. The stuff I used to stress about seems so small now. Your priorities just shift completely.

RRexNew Dadjust now

This hits hard. Used to be all about the status and the appearances. Now I'd rather have 20 minutes of play time with my kids than any promotion.

DDerekNew Dadjust now

Man, this hits different. I used to spend hours detailing my car on weekends. Now I'm just happy if there aren't french fries under the seats. Priorities shift real quick when you become a dad.

WWade G.Regular1d ago

I used to stress about keeping everything perfect but now I'm just happy if my son and I finish a LEGO set together without someone losing a piece. Priorities totally shift once you're a dad.

KKevinRegular1d ago

The car thing especially. I have a 2019 that looks like it's been through a war zone. But honestly? I don't even care anymore. Those moments with my kids matter way more than a clean interior.

MMatt D.Regular1d ago

My truck looks like a goldfish cracker crime scene too, honestly stopped caring once I realized the kids are more important than how clean everything looks. The car will be clean again someday.

TTyler K.Regular1d ago

Yeah man, trying to keep three kids fed and happy doesn't leave much room to worry about the state of things. You become a different person and honestly it's for the better.

TTrevorNew Dad22h ago

Real talk - priorities shift in a way you can't predict before you're a dad. I was wound pretty tight about success metrics and now I measure my day by whether the kids went to bed happy.

CChris R.New Dad16h ago

This is so real. My house looks like a toy explosion happened and I've made peace with it. The before version of me would be horrified but current me is just happy everyone's fed and relatively clean.

CColin M.New Dad14h ago

This hits different now that I'm doing the work-from-home thing. I used to be all about my job title too and it just doesn't matter anymore. I'd take one more year with my kids at this age over any promotion.

DDerek P.New Dad10h ago

Totally get it. I used to stress about my job title and climbing the ladder. Now I'm more concerned about whether I'm actually present when I'm home. The before-dad me wouldn't recognize the guy I am now and that's actually pretty cool.

DDerek S.New Dad5h ago

The car thing is funny because I used to have the same mindset and now my car is basically a mobile trash can. My kids could care less about my job title either. They just want to know if I'm coming to their soccer game.

PPedroNew Dad5h ago

The car thing gets me. I used to vacuum mine weekly. Now there's goldfish crackers permanently lodged under the seats and I just... accept it.