Trading my identity crisis for a diaper identity

Apr 19·1 min read

I used to spend hours thinking about who I was and what I wanted to be. Pretty existential stuff. Then my first kid was born and suddenly the question became way simpler: am I doing enough for them? It's less abstract and honestly more grounding. I don't get to think about myself much anymore which sounds bad but actually kind of freed me from overthinking everything. New identity is just dad now. It's weird but it works.

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Comments(3)

MMason T.New DadApr 21

This hits different man. I used to read philosophy books and think about the meaning of everything. Now I'm genuinely excited about getting 6 hours of sleep and my biggest question is whether my kid's current growth pattern is normal. Honestly though I think I like this version of myself better.

RRyanRegularApr 20

Haha yeah but real talk the diaper identity actually pays better. I mean it doesn't pay at all it's just different motivations right. You trade wondering if you matter for knowing 100% that you matter to someone who literally can't survive without you. That's something.

PPhil M.RegularApr 20

The identity shift is real. I went from spending weekends on hobbies to spending them on making sure two kids are fed and not destroying the house. But here's the thing nobody tells you: watching them figure out the world is way more existential than any book I read. Different kind of meaningful.