Does anyone else feel like you're not "dad enough"?

5d ago·1 min read

This might sound weird but I keep comparing myself to other dads at the pediatrician's office or at the park and feeling like I'm faking it? Like these guys seem so confident and knowledgeable and here I am googling whether my son's poop color is normal. He's 9 weeks and I love him more than anything but I still feel like an imposter sometimes. Is this normal or do I actually suck at this and just don't realize it yet?

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Comments(5)

SSam Y.Regular4d ago

The imposter syndrome hits different with parenting because there's no instruction manual and everyone's got opinions. But you're aware enough to think about whether you're doing it right—that's actually dad enough.

PPhil C.Regular3d ago

This feeling is so common and honestly those confident guys at the park? Half of them are probably feeling the same way and just hiding it better. Nobody actually knows what they're doing.

MMax R.Regular2d ago

My therapist told me that feeling like you're 'faking it' often means you actually care about doing it right. The guys who never doubt themselves are usually the ones screwing up their kids lol

CChris P.Regular3d ago

Honestly I felt this hard when my daughter was born. Spent like a year convinced everyone could tell I had no idea what I was doing. Then I realized—none of us do. We're all just trying to not mess it up too badly.

KKeith L.Regular2d ago

You're comparing your behind-the-scenes to everyone else's highlight reel. Those guys at the pediatrician might go home and worry about completely different stuff. You don't see that part.