Loneliness after becoming a parent

Apr 281 min read

Anyone else feeling really isolated since becoming a dad? All my old friends are still out doing bachelor stuff and I'm home with a toddler on weekends. My wife is great but she's exhausted and we barely talk beyond logistics. I love my kids but some days I feel like I've disappeared as a person. I miss having my own identity and hanging with the guys. Trying not to resent my family but it's hard sometimes. How do you balance being present as a dad but also taking care of your own mental health?

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Comments(3)

MMarcusNew DadApr 29

Man, I feel this hard. Being a single dad of three in Portland, the isolation hit different when I first became a parent. Your old friends don't get the schedule constraints, right? It's tough but there are other dads out there dealing with the same thing. Have you looked for any dad groups in your area?

DDanny K.RegularApr 28

Feeling this too. The thing that helped me was realizing I needed to find community with other parents, not try to keep my old lifestyle going. It's a different phase but it doesn't have to be lonely.

MMarcoRegularApr 29

This is real. Once my kids were born, all those spontaneous nights out just stopped. But honestly some of my closest friendships now are with other dads I met through parks and school events. Different kind of friendship but just as meaningful.