How life changed since becoming a dad. Identity shifts, things you miss, things you gained, the transformation of fatherhood.
832 threads
Two years ago I was doing 60+ hour weeks at a marketing firm. Burned out, missing my kids, marriage was getting rocky. Made the jump to freelance consulting last year and honestly
Wife left 18 months ago, took me a while to process everything. Life looks completely different now. I'm the one doing school runs, packing lunches, helping with homework on weekni
Quit my job at a consulting firm 2 years ago when my second kid was born. Wife makes decent money so we decided I'd stay home. Honestly I didn't know who I was outside of work. My
Marriage fell apart. Got custody of the kids 50/50. Had to move into a smaller place, sell the house, figure out logistics I never had to think about before. I was the guy who went
6 months sober now. Used to crush beers with the guys after work, weekends were fuzzy, missed a lot of stuff I didn't even realize. Got sober because my 5yo asked why I was always
Spent 12 years at a company that didn't appreciate me, made the same salary, watched younger guys get promoted over me. My wife finally said either you try something new or you're
I didn't completely overhaul my life or anything dramatic but I did get in the best shape I've been since college. Started meal prepping on Sundays which sounds lame but it actuall
Two years ago my doctor told me I was heading for a heart attack if I didn't make changes. I was almost 280 pounds, couldn't play with my kids without getting winded, hated how I l
I worked nights for almost 7 years straight. Third shift, warehouse job, sleeping during the day. It messed with everything - my marriage, my health, my relationship with the kids.
I was drinking too much and everyone around me knew it but nobody said anything directly. My kids started asking why dad was always tired. That hit me hard. I went to AA, been sobe
Started my weight loss journey at 285, now sitting at 200. Been two years of counting calories, hitting the gym, changing literally everything about how I eat. The before and after
Just walked at graduation last month after 4 years of night classes while working full time and being a dad. I'm a business analyst now instead of being stuck in warehouse manageme
It's been almost a year since the papers were signed and I gotta say I'm unrecognizable to who I was. Spent 15 years in a marriage that wasn't working and didn't realize how small
So I quit my job in 2022 making decent money doing server maintenance at 2am. Wife wanted to stay in her career and someone needed to be home with the kids. I thought I'd hate it b
A year ago I couldn't walk up stairs without getting winded. Got diagnosed with prediabetes and something clicked. Started slow, just walking then jogging a little bit. Found a loc
Was a single guy living kind of carelessly for years. Met my girlfriend, things got serious, and now I'm helping raise her two kids. I went from doing whatever I wanted to having a
Most of my life before I quit drinking I was the party guy. We'd get together, drink, that was the whole hangout. After I stopped drinking I realized those guys weren't really my f
Never thought I'd be the guy who runs. Used to spend weekends gaming and eating takeout. Had the talk with my doc about my weight and it scared me straight. Started with just walki
I was that guy. Always grinding, always on my phone during dinner, missed my daughter's soccer games. Had a health scare last year that made me rethink everything. Negotiated a rem
Was living paycheck to paycheck for years, always stressed about money. Started tracking every dollar and it was eye opening how much I wasted. Cut a lot of stuff, sold things I di