It's weird to me that as a kid, Reading Rainbow was something that taught me that it was ok to be different. It was ok to read books and use your imagination. That it was ok to ask why, and how, and who and where. It was a favorite part of my day, to escape into that world of books because I was taught that it was ok by Geordi LaForge.

Today, Reading Rainbow is still teaching me things. Like that it's ok to say, "I am not ok". That it is ok to show emotion. To cry. To seek help and talk to people about your problems and not to just hide them for fear of humility or the fear of being exposed and being weak. And that it is still ok to escape. Into your imagination, into a book, into yourself.

I am not ok. I do not like myself. I have been struggling for awhile. I am not happy with who I am and the world I've created for myself to live in. I love life, I love the people in my life. I don't want any of that to change, I want myself to change.

And that scares me.

So far therapy hasn't given me any tools or new ways to look at my struggle. So far my efforts haven't worked. But for my kids, my wife, and myself I'll continue trying.

Thank you Mychal for making your own struggles public. For teaching everyone, kids, adults, that it is ok to be yourself, even if that person is sad. And for being you. I am happy you are here. For me, for my children, and for humanity in general.

https://people.com/reading-rainbow-host-mychal-threets-shares-update-after-being-hospitalized-psychiatric-hold-12065882

My daughter has been on a roll lately, last week she asked my wife why she always wears the same black pants and smh she survived that one. Then yesterday she was sitting behind me on the couch messing with my hair and goes dad why is there less hair right here. Didnt even hesitate, just ruined my evening and went straight back to Bluey. I knew my hairline had been creeping back a little but apparently the crown has been doing its own thing too and nobody thought to mention it. Now I keep catching myself trying to see the back of my own head in every mirror like thats gonna help. My wife thinks this is hilarious which obviously isnt helping. For the dads who started thinning in their 30s did you do anything about it early or just let nature take the wheel?

Hello Fellow Dads

Please help. My family just moved to a different state for my job. It’s only been two months and she decides she doesn’t love me anymore because I work too much and wants to leave. She’s said she’s taking my two boys who are only one and two and our dog of 6 years. She said because I work so much I can’t care for them so she gets to take them and care for them. I’m guessing she’s going to her parents 3 states over where I won’t be able to see them often. She says I can visit them when I can and that she won’t keep them from me but I don’t believe her. Is she able to do this? What can I do to be sure I still know my boys?

My wife sent me this picture of my daughter's squishmallow wearing my tshirt late at night after I attended a friend's wedding at a different city. I have never slept outside the house since she was born (she is 7 now). She put the tshirt on it and hugged it to sleep saying that she misses dad. Needless to say I hadn't cried like this in a while and being alone at my hotel room didn't help.

Edit: I'm not upset and I had the choice to go on trips with friends and family but I choose not to because I always wanted to be there for her. I got emotional and cried because I felt I wasn't there when she needed me even if it was just for a before bedtime hug and I wanted to share the story.

And whoever (Usborne and your excellent books) uses this battery to keep powering their books.

Turns out building one is about as much as you can buy one online. But it way more fun and rewarding to build it with the kids, headaches and all. Also I know the shop is a disaster its on the list to clean but, you know..... kids and life.

My just turned seven year old has a stuffed husky dog plus that he’s had for three or four years and he LOVES this thing. Takes it with him everywhere. Has given him a personality. Almost like a family member.

He’s been gone for month. We’ve turned the house upside down and it’s done. He liked to put him in empty Amazon boxes, pretending it was a doghouse, and I’m almost certain now that either I or my wife accidentally threw him away in one of those.

He’s absolutely devastated and I’m heartbroken as well. He’s still depressed, continues to ask about him. I’ve tried everything. Have gotten several new ones, exact same ones, at his request. But it’s just not the same for him and I’m really struggling now helping him to get through this.

What else can I try to do? I’m just gutted, and so is he.

Seriously, I know you want it so stop spitting it out

from, dad with little sleep

My son just turned one. Mom and I took our first real trip in more than a year, and decided to bring our little guy with us. I'm working hard to instill in him the same love for the outdoors my dad helped me discover throughout my own childhood. This trip did a little more than that.

For the last 11 months, not a single night has gone by without him waking up screaming throughout the night. Sometimes it's at 6am, right before my alarm goes off; other times it's at 1am, right after REM kicks in. It's been challenging to look forward to or appreciate sleep, or admittedly much of the other "bedtime rituals" my wife and I used to enjoy. His abrupt, deafening wake-ups make sleep feel analogous to navigating a mine field. Multiple times a night. Every night. For nearly a year.

Until a few nights ago in Glacier National Park. Saddling him up in the hiking pack for the first time unlocked a brand new perspective. For all of us. Far from standard piggyback and shoulder rides, his newfound height granted him discovery EVERYWHERE. From my tuggable earlobes within easy reach, to wildlife nearly beyond view - he found and absorbed it all. He "oohed" and "aahed," he pointed, gawked, and even laughed. He constantly grabbed my head as if pointing me toward his own line of sight. He showered my neck with granola crumbs. After that first day in the park and many miles of sun, rain, wildfire smoke, and alpine elevation later (and a little hiking of his own to stretch those chubby little legs) he reached another milestone - he slept through the night.

We're back home now, with this incredible trip a week behind us. And little guy hasn't woken once between bedtimes and good mornings. Who knew a little hiking trip would be the key? Many thanks to Mother Nature, and to my dad for introducing me to her long ago.

If it's been a while and you need a friendly nudge - here it is. Get your kiddos outside. A little dirt won't hurt!

I have a 5 month old daughter, my first. I’m an elder millennial. My father is pushing 80 and underwent major surgery today and things haven’t gone as planned.

The last few years have been hard as I’ve been dealing with both my aging parents (it’s not all on me— I have siblings!) but no one prepares you for how hard it is to watch your parents age.

Truthfully, my relationship with my dad is complicated (not bad, just complicated) but my heart is just broken.

There’s still a good chance of survival I think, but he’s been sedated for almost 16 hours for what should have been a 4-5 hour surgery.

There’s more context to all this than I care to give, but man this is hard. Thanks for reading guys.

"Happy birthday to my amazing son! Watching you grow into the man you are today has been the greatest joy, and I'm incredibly proud of your kindness, strength, and everything you've achieved; may this year bring you endless happiness, success, and everything your heart desires, always remember you're my pride and joy, and I'll always be here for you."

This is what my dad sent me on my birthday

Did I win???

So my son has been reliably daytime potty trained for 4 years now, but going into 2nd grade he still wears pull-ups and absolutely soaks them *nightly*.

Totally understand that bedwetting isn't a huge big deal, particularly with boys (we've discussed with the pediatrician a few times).

But, what I'm wondering - is it at all worrying that he's basically never had a single dry night, ever--? At seven?

We never shame him at all, nor do his siblings - everyone just kind of accepts that he needs pull-ups at night, and the family as a whole is super super chill with it.

But I'm gradually getting a bit nervous, because even friend's family that we've talked with that have kids dealing with bedwetting, they at least have *occasional* dry nights...? Some quite a bit younger than my son, who would wake up in a puddle of pee if he didn't have a Goodnight on. Pediatrician is completely unconcerned, as he's never had any kind of issues with constipation, nothing.

Help, dadditors!

My wife is at 35 weeks with our first. I'm really excited, we have pretty much everything ready, we are about to finish birthing classes, I've been trying to take everything off her plate that I can and be Mr. Supportive Perfect Husband, and I thought we'd been checking all the right boxes.

She has been exploding at me pretty much every day for the past week or two. Yelling about how she's alone in this, how she doesn't want my parents anywhere near the kid for at least three weeks, how I won't take any of her issues seriously if she gets post-partum depression, etc. My dad has dementia, and she told me tonight I'm incapable of "standing up" to him? That has never been brought up previously, is objectively not true, and is also not really a factor since he's far along enough in his dementia that you can't "stand up" to him, it's more like babysitting. She seems convinced he'll hurt our baby, which none of us would ever allow. I honestly kind of wonder if her following the Clancy trial has contributed to these fears.

Is it normal for her to be having massive blow ups like this? Is this something anyone else experienced? I try talking to her about it with every ounce of empathy and active listening my moderately autistic self can muster and she just gets angrier.

My twins have always ended up in rooms that were sort of thrown together, so I finally pulled out all the stops to build them the fun room they deserve. First 3 pictures are: before, ChatGPT concept, finished room (we decided we liked the look of the natural wood and then there are various other changes we needed to make). Other pictures are of the process, that included framing in a door and of course the doggo on the massive crash pad we bought.

I guess I just need to vent briefly, but I'm at my wits end. I can't even remember the last time I got a full night's sleep. My one year old daughter will rarely be asleep before 10:30-11:00, no matter what we do with nap adjustments or bedtime routine, etc... I never wake up in the morning without our LO kicking me in the face because she's been brought into bed.

I want to do ferber training, but as gutting as it is, my wife just won't get on board with it. All I know is that I need sleep. I've resorted to buying a couch for my shop and sleeping at work after I send my crews out for the day, but then I'm neglecting my responsibilities.

I feel like every aspect of my life is absolutely suffering and something's bound to give.

I just don't know what else to do at this point.

So I love my wife. She has two kids from previous relationships 13f and 18m. We also now have a 1 month old boy together.

Normal newborn struggles but that's not why I'm here.

something I've always battled with the step-daughter is just wasting energy and water. I've backed off on my comments overall but still point stuff out at times.

Like the one I regularly make directly to the step daughter is please close the door while the AC is on. This is because otherwise if she's waiting for her dad to pick her up she'll just leave it open for half hour or more. or when she's about getting ready to leave she'll just stand there with the door open for 10 minutes.

I don't like yell or anything. Just "Step daughter can you please either go or close the door the AC is on."

I do make comments to the wife about her 1+ hour long showers but I'm not going to touch that one directly.

We have essentially exhausted all of our ideas for our 1 and 2 year old when it’s crummy outside. We either have rain or it’s too hot to be outside lately and we’ve done everything our minds can think up. Now, I’d love some suggestions from the awesome dads on here that have some creative games or activities for boys! Thanks in advance gents!

Shhhh 🤫guys she’s pooping

Was doing the Sunday grill session with lil man. Made ~10lbs of chicken leg quarters & finished up with some burgers & honey bbq pork tenderloin medallions. Wife snuck into the garage and called out to grab our attention as she snapped this pic.

I am absolutely buried with work, working late again, feeling behind on so many tasks, and my beautiful, wonderful kids just wanted to have fun and play with me tonight and I could only give them about 20-30 minutes. I hate having to say no, and I would so much rather chill with them than anything else. Pardon my bitching, just need to vent about this shit.

I don’t know why but this birthday is just weighing much more heavily on me than the first 4. Maybes it’s because he starts kindergarten next week or maybe because I just turned 40 a couple of weeks ago but this birthday seems much more transformational. On the one hand I’m so excited for the future, so proud of the person he’s becoming, and overall I’m just really happy with my relationship with him. But there’s just a deep, deep sense of melancholy that’s hanging around my neck. Maybe there are others who have felt/ or are currently feeling like this as well.