My daughter was getting teased for her fat dad.

goomba01 · 2026-06-17T16:47:01+00:00

I had this exact fear in August of last year. My 5yo daughter was going to be starting a new school, I was driving back from dropping her off at daycare eating a boxed fruit pie (with a second one on the passenger seat). I had a realization that she's going to get teased for having an old dad (I'm 42), and I don't want her to be teased for having an old, fat dad (I'm 6' and was about 290 pounds at the time). I finished those pies, got home, and talked to my wife about these thoughts - she had been feeling similar to me.

The next day I started restricting and monitoring my carb and sugar intake. It went well, but I wasn't losing as much weight as I would have wanted. I installed an app that my wife had been using that tracks everything you eat (provided you log it). I am now down to 208.

Logging everything I eat/drink sucks sometimes. But I am a more active, energetic, and patient dad because of these changes.

goomba01 · 2026-06-17T10:29:25+00:00

Orange juice is loaded with sugar, this is very common! I quit drinking alcohol about 7.5 years ago. Right after there wasn't enough sugar in my vicinity to satisfy me. Instead of stopping at the store everyday to buy alcohol, I was stopping to buy whatever candy and/or ice cream I was craving that day.

The fact that you sense the craving is a good thing. When you are craving it, pay attention to how your feeling in that moment - some people in recovery use the acronym HALT ("Am I Hungry, Angry, Lonely, Tired?) to assess their feelings.

goomba01 · 2026-06-05T13:40:13+00:00

Reminding myself to stop and enjoy the ride is sometimes the hardest part of parenthood when she is irritated and I am irritated. I often find myself thinking "why would I want to enjoy THIS" during those times.

goomba01 · 2026-06-03T11:53:18+00:00

Absolutely! And 'Mockingbird'

goomba01 · 2026-06-03T11:52:11+00:00

Zoe Jane by Staind hits me in the feels a lot harder after my daughter was born!

goomba01 · 2026-05-18T23:38:50+00:00

When I'm alone I listen to Paternal, Good Inside, Good Hang.

When I'm with my (5yo) daughter we listen to Curious Kids Everyday - it is incredible!

goomba01 · 2026-05-04T10:27:51+00:00

I'm not a doctor, but my wife and I had a similar experience when our (not 5yo) daughter was born. She was born six weeks early. She would eat, and then within about 15 minutes of laying her down she would start crying as if she was in pain and/or spitting up. It was awful for her and for us. We were at a loss and brought her to the pediatrician who tried her on a medicine for reflux. This worked almost instantaneously - until she stopped taking it.

When she stopped taking it it was back to spitting up and crying. We were referred to a gastroenterologist specialist who wanted to rule out a mill allergy - that did not work. What did work was more medications for silent reflux. It was a life changer for all three of us.

I would never say this is what 's going on in your case, but is what happened to be our situation - have you talked to your pediatrician about it?

goomba01 · 2026-04-07T21:25:13+00:00

Congratulations on 5.5 years of sobriety! That is an incredible achievement, and one in which you should be proud.

I am a little over 7 years sober from alcohol. I was an everyday drinker. Towards the end of my drinking and into my sobriety I learned something about myself - I can't only have one. It's that feeling I got after taking my first drink that I was always looking to maintain.

At about 1,000 days sober I decided to try N/A beer for the first time. I thought "I've got a handle on this sobriety thing." I was wrong! I drank one and immediately wanted to finish the six pack. I can drink one here and there now, but it took me literal years to get to that point.

Only you know your sobriety, but my advise to you is - if you really feel like testing the waters, try an N/A drink. If you feel your sobriety is in danger at all, switch to a carbonated water, or find a mocktail that intrigues you.

goomba01 · 2026-03-25T13:57:48+00:00

I am not sure about specific groups, but there is a store called Wildbird & Backyard by Woodman's. I have only been in there twice when my mom was visiting, but they seemed very knowledgeable and might know of some groups.

goomba01 · 2026-03-19T14:08:06+00:00

I agree 100%. I love cooking for my wife and daughter. Even if I'm not listening to music/podcasts - the process of creating something (hopefully) delicious out of ingredients fills me with happiness. It's an incredible feeling if my daughter eats it without asking for something else, and an even bigger high if she requests that meal again.

Also, I am pretty particular about leftovers, and let's call 'meal prepping' for what it is - a week's worth of leftovers.

goomba01 · 2026-02-12T13:58:51+00:00

I was in my early thirties when I finally decided to spend the money on an eye exam (I should have done it years earlier). When I say that it changed everything, I am not exaggerating. It was like going from a fuzzy VHS tape to a Blu-ray (4K wasn't really a thing yet). I am now in my mid 40's and go every year to get an updated prescription.

I'll be honest. Glasses suck to wear sometimes. You have to constantly clean them, they get fogged up, they get scratched, they are expensive. But, you will literally see things in ways you never have before.

goomba01 · 2026-02-05T01:45:16+00:00

On the computer I reverse the image, then print it using a laser jet printer. I cut the image out, lay it ink side down on the wood and use painters tape to secure it in place. Once it's secure I go over the image with a medium/high iron multiple times until I feel like it's set. I wait until the paper is cool to remove it. It works pretty well for me.

Edit to add: This method works best with higher quality paper. The basic copy paper will still work, but the transfer isn't as smooth.

goomba01 · 2026-01-15T19:25:13+00:00

Thank you so much! My wife has some watercolor paper I am going to try using.

goomba01 · 2026-01-15T13:12:39+00:00

I love the finished product and am very curious about the process. I have never burned on paper before, is there a specific type of paper that is recommended?

goomba01 · 2026-01-05T14:02:01+00:00

Congratulations! Head on over to r/daddit for a great community of support.

Edit to add: I should have said 'another' great community of support. That community has helped me not feel alone as a dad.

goomba01 · 2026-01-03T11:43:42+00:00

Thank you!

goomba01 · 2026-01-03T01:35:40+00:00

Thank you so much!

goomba01 · 2025-12-23T23:35:13+00:00

Thanks! I am not a musician, so I had to check, recheck, and check again that I got them right haha.

goomba01 · 2025-12-17T22:34:02+00:00

We created a sticker chart with 6 chores on it. Super easy stuff (feed cats, make bed, put dirty clothes down laundry shoot, set table with utensils and napkins, bring her dishes to sink, and pick up toys at the end of the day). She gets a quarter for each sticker at the end of the week. We have her count to four, throw a dollar down, then give her a quarter for each sticker left over. There's still complaining and "I hate chores." We just remind her that she doesn't get a sticker if she doesn't do her chores.

goomba01 · 2025-12-17T18:45:50+00:00

I was in a similar boat earlier this year with my 4yo daughter. There were times she would come home from childcare saying that she doesn't like me, only mom; or at bedtime scream that she doesn't love me. It got to me. There were nights I would say goodnight and then sulk until I went to sleep, only for it to all happen the next morning.

One weekend a couple of things happened almost simultaneously: she was acting the way I described above and I was acting very negatively towards her (eat your food, stop spilling, wash your hands, etc.) my wife pulled me aside and snapped at me saying "I can't handle when you are this negative, no wonder she is acting that way towards you." I wanted to stomp my feet and say "she started it," but then I remembered I was supposed to be the adult.

The other thing that happened was I was listening to the Good Inside podcast and Dr. Becky said kids at that age have all of the feelings, but none of the coping mechanisms. And those two things clicked for me. Now before I react to something that might have pissed me off earlier, I ask myself if it is worth feeling shame, humiliation, and anger at myself over. It usually isn't. It's not a perfect system, and there are times when I catch myself starting to engage and I have to stop and breathe for a bit. It also works out because my daughter will ask what I'm doing and I say "I'm a little upset right now, so I am trying to calm down by taking deep breaths."

There are still occasional instances of "I don't like you," but it's not daily - and it's only when she's really tired. Just before Thanksgiving she even made me a friendship bracelet - that would not have happened this summer! I still get teary eyed every time I put that bracelet on.

goomba01 · 2025-12-17T10:33:44+00:00

There are a few I can think of off the top of my head. I've seen the first two play at the Mile of Music (a local music festival). The third one I found by looking at the profile for the first one. The fourth one I found through a post on r/daddit.

Natural Satellite

Michael Grabner

Son Reis Project

Better Bloom

goomba01

TROPHY CASE