How life changed since becoming a dad. Identity shifts, things you miss, things you gained, the transformation of fatherhood.
832 threads
Spent 15 years climbing the ladder at a big company. Stressed all the time, missing family stuff, not happy. Last year I quit and started my own consulting business. Yeah some mont
Before the kids came I was living it up, sleeping till noon on weekends, going out whenever. Now I'm up at 6am doing breakfast and school drop offs and honestly I wouldn't trade it
I was a mess before kids. Drinking too much, poor life decisions, no real direction. Becoming a dad flipped something in my brain. I wanted to be better for them so I got sober, cl
Had a health scare last year that made me rethink everything. I was the guy grinding 60 hours a week, missing recitals and soccer games, always stressed about work. Ended up having
Don't get me wrong, I love my kids more than anything but sometimes I miss the simplicity of my old life. I miss sleeping past 5am. I miss going to the gym whenever I wanted. I mis
I used to take trips to Southeast Asia on a whim. Just book a flight and figure it out. Now I'm planning a trip to the beach 3 hours away and it requires a spreadsheet and like 6 d
Rock climbing, photography, building PCs. Now my hobbies are watching my daughter play soccer and trying new recipes because my son is picky. My computer is covered in stickers. My
Before kids I'd sleep till 10am on weekends, stay out till midnight, buy whatever I wanted. Now I'm up at 6, my idea of a wild night is staying up past 9pm, and I just spent 45 min
Just finished braiding my daughter's hair for her school talent show. Used to be the guy who'd come home from work, watch the game, and basically check out. Now I'm learning YouTub
My friends still rag on me for not coming to Vegas last year but I stayed home with the kids for their spring break. Before fatherhood I would've been first on that plane. Slept in
Now I'm the guy who gets excited about a good car seat sale and knows all the best quiet times at the grocery store so the kids won't melt down. I went to bed at 9:30 last night on
Five years ago I was that guy doing motorcycle trips across Southeast Asia, sleeping in hostels, working remotely from coffee shops. Now I'm the guy arguing with my 6 year old abou
Got married, had kids, and somewhere along the way I went from being the guy my friends wanted to hang out with to being the dad doing the Dad Laugh at his own jokes. Lost touch wi
Two years sober now. When my son was born I was deep in it, missed so much. His first year is basically a blur. Got help, got clean, fought like hell. Missed watching him turn 1, 2
Left my six figure job last year to be home with the kids while my wife focused on her career. Biggest identity shift of my life. I was my job for 15 years. My entire self image wa
Got married at 28, had our first kid at 29. Some nights I think about staying out late with the guys or going on random road trips with no plan. That version of me had a lot of fre
I was making really good money working 50+ hours a week, traveling constantly. My kids barely knew me. Decided to take a sales role with a local company, more reasonable hours, hom
Five years ago I was the guy working 60 hour weeks, buying whatever I wanted, zero responsibilities. Then I met my now wife and suddenly we're having kids. I won't lie it's a compl
This is probably vulnerable to post but I was an alcoholic for years. Not falling down drunk every night but functioning alcoholic, probably 6-8 drinks daily. Got a DUI in 2021 and
Pre-kids I needed 8 hours minimum or I was useless. Now I run on like 5-6 and somehow I function. My body just adapted I guess. Problem is even when the kids sleep through the nigh