How life changed since becoming a dad. Identity shifts, things you miss, things you gained, the transformation of fatherhood.
755 threads
I was the guy who was always out, always the life of the party, defined myself by who I was hanging with. Then my daughter was born and everything just clicked into place in a weir
Married a woman with two kids five years ago and honestly I was terrified. I wasn't a natural at this. But I showed up every day even when it was awkward. Went to their soccer game
I was always the 'too tired' dad. Too tired to play in the yard, too tired to take the kids hiking, too tired for anything. Couple years ago I was like 80 pounds overweight and my
I'm writing this because I never thought I'd be here. A decade ago I was that guy showing up late to pickup, missing school plays, making excuses. My kids barely knew me. Hit rock
Spent 15 years climbing the ladder, making great money, hating my life. Always told myself it was for the kids but really I was just running from being present. Finally quit 6 mont
Used to be that guy who went out with friends every weekend, stayed up till 2 AM, didn't care what time I woke up. Now I'm excited about a 8 PM bedtime and I'm googling how to get
Before kids I could sleep 12 hours on a Saturday and still feel tired. Now I'm waking up at 5:30 AM every single day with like 6 hours of sleep and I'm somehow more energized than
Before kids I had this whole image of who I was. Had hobbies, worked late, spent money on stuff I thought mattered. Then my first was born and I just felt lost for like a year. Cou
Took the leap 18 months ago. Left a stable VP role with health insurance and a 401k to start a consulting firm. My wife thought I was insane. First 6 months were terrifying, checki
Seven months ago I made the jump. Worked nights for 12 years, slept all day, barely saw my kids awake. My wife got a promotion that made way more sense financially for us to flip i
Wanted to share this because I know a lot of guys on here are going through separation or divorce. I spent 8 years being someone I wasn't. Spent 8 years managing someone else's emo
This is embarrassing to admit but I was that guy. Spent 3 hours a day in the gym, meal prepped everything, would get mad if I missed a workout. My kids basically grew up with me be
Crazy how life changes. I was making decent money, traveling every week, at the office before 6am and leaving after 6pm. Missed my daughter being born basically, and when I was the
Never thought I'd be one of those guys but I'm not gonna lie, having kids made me want to actually take care of myself. Used to be a couch guy, ate like garbage, drank too much bee
I used to be the guy who wanted to go out every weekend, parties, clubs, hanging with the guys constantly. Now I have two kids under 5 and honestly I dread going out. I'd rather be
I used to stay up until 2am gaming and watching shows. Now I'm up at 5 every morning because my 2 year old has a biological alarm clock that does not snooze. Honestly I miss the la
This might sound harsh but I was pretty self-centered before. My needs came first. Got married and that shifted a bit but I still had that core 'me first' mentality about a lot of
Used to put in 60+ hour weeks chasing promotions. Got one right before my first kid was born and you know what? It meant nothing. I was missing everything. Took a step back to a di
Pre-kids me would just say 'let's go to Vegas this weekend' and we'd leave on Friday. Now planning anything requires military logistics with nap schedules and babysitter availabili
Had a guitar I loved playing before kids. Haven't touched it in almost 4 years. Same with the model cars I used to build. All that stuff just got pushed aside and honestly I don't