Wife gave me grief at first but honestly after the kids go to bed, an hour with the headphones on playing competitive multiplayer is the best decompression ever. I'm not a serious gamer but there's something about it that just lets me zone out. Feel like I'm finally doing something just for me and it's keeping me sane.
Man, that decompression time is so important. I get it with my morning smoothie routine - everyone needs their thing. Your wife will come around once she sees you're happier and more present with the kids.
Competitive multiplayer is legit stress relief. After coaching my sons all season, I get why you need that wind down time. Keep crushing it.
An hour after bedtime sounds perfect honestly. I've been building my backyard setup piece by piece, and I know that focused time on something you love makes you a better dad overall.
There's nothing wrong with having a hobby that's yours. Gaming is your equivalent of some dad going to the garage to tinker. The headphones probably help too so you're not keeping the house up.
Your wife will come around. Most spouses just want to make sure their partner isn't avoiding family time, and an hour after everyone's asleep is not that. That's self care.
Sign in to join the conversation.
An hour after bedtime is reasonable. You've earned that decompression time. The key is just being honest about it and not pretending you're doing something else. My wife was weird about gaming too until she realized it was my mental reset button.