I have three kids, a wife, a job where I talk to people all day, but I've never felt more alone. I don't have close friends anymore because life is just work and kids and sleep. My wife and I don't really talk about anything real, we just manage logistics. I love my family but I feel invisible and I'm not sure how to fix it. Is this normal? Do other dads feel this way or am I just broken?
Three kids and a job talking to people sounds exhausting in a way that's actually lonely. I'm only dealing with one kid and I already lost touch with my buddies. Something about becoming a dad just cuts you off from your old life.
Man, I feel this. Everyone around me during the day but I'm home at night just staring at my 3 month old wondering when I became invisible to actual adults. You're not alone in feeling alone, if that makes sense.
Three kids is a lot. I only have two and some days I feel like I'm parenting alone even though my wife is right there. The loneliness part makes sense - you're responsible for so much but maybe nobody checks in on YOU.
I wonder if it's because parenting is such a consuming thing that you lose the space to just connect with people as yourself anymore. Everything becomes about the kids and their schedules.
This hits hard because I've been there. You can be surrounded by people and family all day and still feel completely isolated. Like nobody really gets what you're going through. Have you talked to your wife about this specifically?
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Real talk: I got into therapy specifically for this. The loneliness feeling was crushing me. It's worth exploring because that's not something you just push through.