How life changed since becoming a dad. Identity shifts, things you miss, things you gained, the transformation of fatherhood.
832 threads
My wife had the better job so it made sense for me to stay home with the kids. Best years with them but man, going back to work full time has shaken me up. I miss the daily routine
Spent 12 years walking on eggshells. Divorce was brutal but staying would have been worse. The kids adjusted better than I expected and honestly they see a happier version of their
My oldest son asked me to play basketball with him one day and I could barely make it down the driveway without being out of breath. That was the wake up call. Started small with w
Used to be the friend that everyone wanted to hang with, went out constantly, no responsibilities. Then my first kid was born and slowly everything shifted. Now at 38 I'm thinking
Ten years grinding in corporate America, the stress, the endless meetings, the meaningless work. Burned out hard at 38. Quit and honestly had to rebuild my entire identity because
Married with two kids now and wouldn't change it but man do I miss some things. Random road trips with no planning. Going to bed at 3am and sleeping until 11. Spending money on dum
Used to be the guy everyone knew would be drunk at the party, unreliable, broke promises to my kids constantly. Got sober five years ago after hitting rock bottom. Now I'm fully pr
Three years ago I was 280 pounds, completely sedentary, hated how I looked. Started going to the gym and eating better and within a year I was down 60 pounds. I'm not trying to hum
Worked nights for 5 years as a nurse. Got used to sleeping during the day, being awake when the family was going to bed. It was brutal but the extra pay was good. Finally got a day
Used to be that guy at the gym 5 days a week, meal prepping on Sunday, actually had visible abs. Kid was born and priorities just shifted completely. Now I'm lucky if I get to the
Spent 12 years climbing the ladder at a big tech company. Making good money but barely seeing my kids, missing school pickups, skipping soccer games. Had a breakdown one day just s
Had three kids in four years and became the definition of a family guy. I miss just... doing whatever I wanted. Sleeping in. Taking a random road trip. Spending money on myself ins
Got married at 28, became a dad at 30, and now at 35 I'm the guy who meal preps on Sundays and knows the best deals at Target. Five years ago I'd sleep until noon on weekends and g
When my son was born I weighed 245. Now two years later I'm 185 and I didn't even try that hard. Started taking him on runs in the stroller because I had too much energy. Then we s
Ten years ago I was sleeping until noon on weekends, going to concerts whenever I wanted, working late without thinking twice. Now I'm up at 6 AM on Saturdays making pancakes, my i
I'm not gonna lie, getting sober was hard but it gave me my life back. Then I met my now wife, we had our son two years ago, and I realized I'm not just living for myself anymore.
Don't get me wrong, I love being a dad. But sometimes I genuinely miss just sitting in a coffee shop on a Saturday morning reading a whole newspaper without interruption. Or being
Before kids I was that guy who stayed out until 2am, slept until noon, had a pristine apartment with white couches. Now I'm excited when I get to bed by 9:30, I wake up at 6am with
Don't get me wrong, being a dad is incredible. But man, I do miss spontaneity. Used to just say 'let's go to Vegas this weekend' or pick up and travel somewhere random. Now everyth
When I met my wife she had two kids, 8 and 5. I was nervous about it at first, not gonna lie. I thought my fun bachelor days were done. But stepping into this role showed me what a