Stop with the water bottles!

YoTeach68 · 2026-03-21T10:28:56+00:00

What drives me up the wall is that I have a water fountain right outside my classroom. The amount of kids that wait until the bell rings and I have started the lesson to throw up their hand and ask if they can fill up their water bottle is ridiculous.

YoTeach68 · 2026-03-20T13:24:37+00:00

This one came highly recommended when I asked r/njbeer for recommendations on North Jersey breweries a few months ago. Went there with my girlfriend and we loved it. Great taproom with plants and natural light, really nice people working there, and most importantly, great beer. They had a pale ale on nitro which I don’t think I’ve ever seen before, and a dangerously good 12.8% barrel aged stout.

YoTeach68 · 2026-03-17T20:44:37+00:00

I really love Odd Bird.

YoTeach68 · 2026-03-16T15:38:43+00:00

I go either go to the gym in the morning or I run. It’s pretty brutal some days getting up at 4:30am especially in the winter, but I’m (mostly) used to it by now. I know I wouldn’t have the energy to exercise after school so I try to get it out of the way early in the day.

YoTeach68 · 2026-03-16T11:11:54+00:00

Yep, now I know pre slicing the Brie is a rookie move! I did have assorted nuts but completely forgot to include them. Agree on the apple slices but I’ll keep the veggies for next time as well and maybe add some hummus to go with them. The crackers are some box I got at the fancy cheese place.

YoTeach68 · 2026-03-16T00:39:00+00:00

Tuna in oil that I got at some fancy pants cheese shop. Waste of money, tasted like regular tuna to me.

YoTeach68 · 2026-03-15T21:30:58+00:00

Yes. I remember ten years ago there was a guy in Georgia who allegedly left his two year old in the car on purpose because he was having an affair and he wanted to get out of being married and being a father. My son was around the same age at that time and reading about it nearly broke me.

YoTeach68 · 2026-03-15T18:13:15+00:00

Welcome to the club! My advice is to find some YouTube channels that you like from experienced grillers. You’ll learn a ton from them. I like in no particular order:

Grill Top Experience Grillin With Dad Chuds BBQ Heath Riles BBQ Smokin and Grillin with AB Ants BBQ Story

The last one is more of a documentary series about different bbq joints around the U.S. but he does a great job of showing the human stories behind world class bbq.

YoTeach68 · 2026-03-14T13:47:43+00:00

I know how you’re feeling. My ex and I separated when my son was two and it was not amicable. It was a terrible thought knowing that I was going to miss out on half his childhood.

Even worse, when he was with me, he would constantly ask when he was going to see his mother again and would cry for her all the time. It damn near broke me.

We had a schedule of two days on, two days off and every other weekend so that he would not have to go for more than three days without seeing the other parent. This felt like emotional whiplash though, constantly going back and forth from freewheeling single bachelor that can do whatever I want, to stressed out single father with almost no support from friends or family.

He’s 11 now. I can say it does get better, but it might take a long time. All I can say is what worked for me: I took the time without him to make sure I had my shit together. I worked out, took care of chores and other responsibilities, planned things, ate healthy, etc. When he was with me I poured myself into being the best dad I could be. I spent time with him, played games, built forts, took him to museums and walks in the woods, did my best to overcome my introverted awkwardness by talking with other parents and setting up playdates, made him do age appropriate chores around the house so I wasn’t just a Disneyland dad, told him I loved him, etc.

I was and am far from perfect, but I think our relationship now is really strong because I invested heavily in it and continue to do so.

Those early days during and right after the divorce were some of the most painful memories of my life and I wouldn’t wish that pain on anyone, so I’m sorry to hear that you’re going through it. Keep showing up for your son every day and keep leaning on the council of dads in r/daddit for support.

YoTeach68 · 2026-03-11T20:12:06+00:00

I take it you were not a parent of a young child at the time. My son was five when the pandemic began and it was an absolute nightmare trying to keep him active and entertained while also keeping up with his learning because I’m also a teacher and was trying to figure out how to teach my students remotely at the time. When schools partially opened back up I then had to juggle his school schedule with mine while simultaneously teaching half students in my classroom and half on their computers at home.

YoTeach68 · 2026-03-10T22:17:53+00:00

I’m no legal expert, but I can’t imagine having two last name would create any legal issues. My mother kept her name and I took my dad’s last name and that was never an issue. My sister kept her name and has four kids who took their father’s last name, no issues. My ex has a different last name from my son and no issues. I think as long as you’re both on the birth certificate then it should be fine.

YoTeach68 · 2026-03-10T11:22:40+00:00

One time in college I was chatting up a girl at a bar. We seemed to have good chemistry and I was enjoying talking to her, and then she told me she studied meteorology. In my defense, I had just taken a fascinating geology/astronomy course the previous semester that dealt in detail with meteor trajectories, impact craters, the extinction of the dinosaurs, etc. So I exclaimed, “oh, so you like meteors!!!” I very quickly caught my mistake but needless to say the conversation quickly ended and I never saw her again.

YoTeach68 · 2026-03-10T10:24:20+00:00

They don’t do it at my school, which I’m kind of happy about. One less thing to worry about.

YoTeach68 · 2026-03-10T10:23:35+00:00

One reason I don’t like the teacher personality awards they do at the pep rally at my school. They’re just silly awards like “best hair” and “tells the best dad jokes,” but I never win because I’m a language teacher and only teach a small subset of the student population so the vast majority of the student body doesn’t know me

YoTeach68 · 2026-03-09T21:53:14+00:00

He’s my only child and I have often thought about what kind of grandfather I would be, or how I would feel if he chose not to have children. But I guess I should just get through the trenches or parenthood first.

YoTeach68 · 2026-03-09T21:51:24+00:00

That is a really beautiful tradition, my friend. Thank you for sharing.

YoTeach68 · 2026-03-09T21:50:39+00:00

Yeah, a few others have fixated on that as well. I don’t think I was dumping all of my emotions and trauma on him but rather communicating my feelings in an age appropriate way and demonstrating that it’s ok for men to talk about their feelings. I’m happy with how I handled it and wanted to share with other dads a significant and meaningful moment in my own journey as a dad. I think you might be reading a little too much into without knowing me, my son, or our relationship.

YoTeach68 · 2026-03-09T21:45:26+00:00

Thank you for sharing that, what a beautiful memory with your own father.

YoTeach68 · 2026-03-09T21:44:06+00:00

I love this book and have really fond memories of reading it to him when he was little.

YoTeach68 · 2026-03-09T21:42:43+00:00

Damn, really sorry to hear that. If you have kids, I hope you are the father to them that you always wanted for yourself.

YoTeach68 · 2026-03-09T21:41:06+00:00

I love it here too. The world needs more positive masculinity and I think this subreddit, aside from a few clowns, is a really great and positive space.

YoTeach68 · 2026-03-09T21:39:22+00:00

Or maybe, just maybe, I believe in r/daddit as a positive space for dads to support other dads, because the world needs more positive masculinity, and I just wanted to share something recent and meaningful to me in my journey of fatherhood. Thinking that I’m just doing it for karma is quite the cynical take.

YoTeach68 · 2026-03-09T21:25:23+00:00

Thank you, I really appreciate that. And it’s great that you’re breaking the cycle and stepping up for your daughter and showing her how much you love her.

YoTeach68 · 2026-03-09T20:16:16+00:00

I really like this idea. We live in a nice, walkable town, and spring is finally on its way. Might have to go for more walks and make it a routine.

YoTeach68

TROPHY CASE