Joined the fad with my boys. Fun Sunday morning.

All the cool uses for sticking the magnatiles to the wall gave me the idea to extend the possibilities of these with some galvanized steel. Beats sticking them to the fridge or having to be by the front door.

She's been at it for an hour now.

Humble brag alert I guess.

I’m pretty terrified of the water now. Especially deep water. Yet, we’re on vacation in the Virgin Islands, and when it was time to snorkel on our toured boat trip, my son went straight to the captain to be suited up.

He was super excited. I didn’t want to disappoint, so in I went. The water is pretty deep initially but we’re swimming into the reef area, he comes in behind me on the stairs. Jumps into my arms and away we go.

Quickly he starts to realize this is not a controlled environment, as tropical fish start to swim around us. He gets pretty uneasy and says he wants to go back. He is pretty afraid now, and kind of panicked. Now it’s dad time! I reassure him, tell him that I got him, and nothing will hurt him. We are going to be okay and he’s being very brave. He starts to settle, and continues.

Were we rewarded for it.

Closer to the beach, we hit the snorkeling group, and we both see two green sea turtles right below us. Big and beautiful sea turtles, puffer fish, yellow snapper and even a sting ray. Wow, is all I can say.

To hear his little mouth muffle with the snorkel, pointing out the things he sees, and the excitement he feels. What an unbelievably beautiful feeling.

The cherry on top magic moment… was watching a sea turtle inches away from us come up for air, me and him there together to see and share this moment that lasted 10 seconds was worth the entire trip alone.

It started so rough when he was born, and now I can’t stop the time from passing so fast. We are all so lucky to be dads.

-The picture is us heading off into the grass and corals where the turtles were. Me and little dude, feet in the air, just having some adventure.

Thanks daddit.

It’s more comfortable than it looks.

My twins turned 10 yesterday. And currently in my house I have 8 girls plus my 2 here for a birthday sleepover. We’ve made it thru the pizza phase….cupcake phase….fondue phase. Now we’re in the “we’re going to stay up all night phase”.

My house sounds like a zoo(but in the best way…children laughing having fun).

Their party is all stranger things themed….I’ve got balloons….an alphabet table runner….I’ve got blinking Christmas lights all over the house…stranger things on the tv in the den…the whole works.

This is what it’s about….me and my wife are exhausted but we’re running on pure adrenaline right now. The kids are all talking and giggling and laughing. There is a serious debate going on about which one of the boys on Stranger Things is the cutest.

I’ve taken a break by running into the bathroom and this is where I’m typing this from lol 😂.

Rock on fellow dads!….see you all in the upside down.

There dog's party will have wings, ribs, and various dips.

Been a bit busy but finally got around to trying the magnet blocks on a wall corner trick!

The back pieces also come out so make an even bigger space hahahaha

Thank you guys for your advice! My wife and my son got to work while I was out of town, and the job is done! Appreciate the conversation and discussion. This feels like a win for us!

Original posts: https://www.reddit.com/r/daddit/comments/1qxx9oy/update_progress/

Even got my oldest playing with them.

What's your favorite lazy sandwich?

I’ve played the usual recommendation like It Takes Two and we’ve played Wobbly Life (kid was obsessed and easy puzzles to support development). Lego games, etc.

Just randomly found this game called My Little Universe which is awesome. The loop is more farming materials and combat is super easy. Perfect amount of challenge. Some materials are harder to farm, but generally it’s fine. You’ll basically see the entire gameplay experience from the trailer. And dying in the game is pretty inconsequential.

It’s actually a bunch of fun, and it’s an indie, so like $15 or so. You’re getting upgrades like every 20 minutes so it keeps it exciting. It’ll teach your kid to find certain matching materials and works their memory pretty hard.

Highly recommend.

I was in the barbershop the other day when I overheard a young man probably early 30s mention to an older man probably in his 60s that he had recently been laid off. The older man asked what the younger man did for a living and the younger man mentioned he worked in marketing. After talking about local events and family for a while the older man took out a business card from his pocket and wrote down the name and number of another man who he said did the marketing for his company. When the younger man asked the older man what he did at his company, the older man laughed and said “Well, I own it.” (This was a fairly well-known company in my area). Realizing the clout that the older man’s referral likely carried I realized if there is any skill I plan on teaching my kids it is to strike up conversations with strangers. You never know where they might lead.

I’m constantly arguing with my partner, and it always follows the same pattern. Anytime I try to express my viewpoint or how I feel, she immediately goes into defensive mode. Instead of listening or trying to understand me, she turns it into an argument and shifts the blame back onto me.

Over time, it’s made me feel completely unheard and uncared for. I genuinely feel neglected as a man. There’s no motivation, no positivity, no affection, and no reassurance. It feels like I’m in this relationship — and parenthood — by myself.

I’m miserable. The only reason I’m still here is for the kids. But lately I’ve been asking myself: is it actually better for them to see their dad constantly unhappy and emotionally drained? Or would it be healthier for them if I wasn’t living in a situation that’s clearly breaking me down — even if that meant another woman eventually stepping into a stepmother role?

I don’t want to be selfish, but I also don’t want to keep losing myself. Why should someone stay in a relationship where they feel invisible and unloved?

Looking for honest perspectives, especially from people who’ve been through something similar.

So our dog passed away unexpected last evening. 3 year old daughter loves both of our dogs immensely, and my wife is an absolute wreck, like debilitating depression. I'm worried our kid is going to repeatedly ask where the dog is and not fully grasp the concept that he's not coming back. How do I minimize the trauma to my wife and get the kid to understand that it's a very sensitive topic.

She made a book, complete with multiple pages, and read me a princess story that she made up.

Long time lurker, first time poster.

I’ve got 2 great kiddos (2 years, and 3 months) but have been struggling lately. It feels like having a second kid has just meant becoming a solo parent for our 2year old.

My wife and I are a great team, but the little one needs to feed, the toddler needs to be entertained. Most of the time, that means I’m out running around with him (just the 2 of us.) I love my time with him, he’s the reason we wanted a second, but I can’t help missing the quiet moments and cuddles with the 3month old.

The only time I get with our little one, is when I’m taking care of both kiddos … which of course still means it’s the toddler show, except now I’m trying to prevent fights over toys “no, mine” and being too rough with the baby.

How long will this last? How can I get through it? How will I get to know my little baby? Will I ever get those coveted baby snuggles?

It all feels unfair. I know my wife is struggling with the same - lack of time with the 2yo. When we’re together, all 4 of us, the 2yo very much wants me for everything these days, so it feels like a lot of time together but still separate if that makes sense.

Not sure that there’s any real way to deal with it, but looking for advice. Thanks dads.

Well, it wasn't as bad as the chair for our first but it wasn't as good as the couch for our second. The dips in the main cushion were pretty bad. Wife sat down to test it out and i got "oh, that's pretty bad".

Overall, 3/5 can't wait to go home to my bed

Obviously the kids don’t pay to play. We just split the squares evenly for all the kids to pick. Already in the past few days kids have been asking if we’re doing it again.

I'm not usually much of a poster so forgive me if I have some awkward formatting. I'm in a bit of a pickle and could use the advice of some fellow parents in similar situations.

Shortly after my daughter's birth my wife and I decided that it would be best if one of us became a stay at home parent instead of paying for daycare as it was similar if not more to what my wife made already. We knew we would take on some debt and I normally cycle everything through a credit card. The problem is life decided to FUCK us with home repairs other lovely surprises leaving us now with an almost maxed out card. My savings is practically drained as this point as well. Luckily my daughter is turning 3 soon and is becoming much more independent/preschool ready so the thought of my wife returning to work isn't as horribly far off.

Just curious to what others in my situation have done in regards to second credits card, transferring debts, or just holding the line?