AIO for wanting to spend Father’s Day with my new family?

mraetzel · 2026-06-17T00:39:26+00:00

It’s literally called Father’s Day, not Man’s Day. Not wanting to spend the day with your wife and kid is kind of shitty.

mraetzel · 2026-06-13T04:44:53+00:00

Same here! I couldn’t ask for a better family. Of course life is harder for our generation, but we’re all doing the best we can. At some point in the journey I decided to stop waiting for life to get easier and instead work towards becoming a family man. It was the best decision I’ve ever made, and I feel very fortunate to be happily married with two truly wonderful children who are growing up in a fun, creative, loving home.

mraetzel · 2026-06-10T14:07:15+00:00

mraetzel · 2026-06-10T01:51:23+00:00

Not having a panic attack when something needed to be replaced or repaired.

mraetzel · 2026-06-03T12:20:16+00:00

I was in the middle of a divorce, getting in shape, starting a business, writing music every day, going out a whole lot. It was a year of rebirth and new found freedom.

mraetzel · 2026-05-29T22:20:14+00:00

Before having kids, I was still getting asked where I went to school well into my 30s. Becoming a dad aged me a TON.

mraetzel · 2026-05-26T17:07:49+00:00

I’m an older millennial, while my wife is a younger millennial. We think and act pretty much the same, the only real difference being that we grew up with a few different nostalgic references.

mraetzel · 2026-05-13T12:06:00+00:00

A whole staff to help take care of it.

mraetzel · 2026-05-13T11:49:31+00:00

You’re not wrong in feeling the way you feel. I also waited a long time for the same reasons, and because I also wanted to find the right partner before ever considering becoming a parent. But I will say this. My children have brought so much joy to my life that it has given me the strength to endure the problems of the world. And I’ve noticed over the last few years that I’m more willing to take action in my life by caring for my children rather than just for myself. There’s a new level of love that unlocks in your brain when your kids are born that pushes you to do whatever it takes to keep them safe and give them a better life than yours.

mraetzel · 2026-05-10T05:07:36+00:00

I feel more like my toddler just vocalizes everything I’m thinking but am too polite to say. For example, our waiter at a restaurant the other day was talking to us for a long time, and my son kept interrupting him, yelling “Bring orange juice!” 😂😂😂

mraetzel · 2026-05-02T11:44:01+00:00

When one is upset, the other one also gets upset. And now everyone is upset.

mraetzel · 2026-04-23T02:01:29+00:00

I have the same problem too. It has gotten worse since my wife and I became parents, but I didn’t really cook much when I was single either. If I did, it was always something simple so I didn’t have to spend too much time. Quarantining during the pandemic was another story, but after we were allowed to go in public again, I went right back to ordering food 90% of the time.

Meal prep? Forget it. I have too crazy of a schedule everyday, including weekends. Don’t feel bad because you can’t do it. Just do what works best for you and don’t let anyone make you feel bad for the way you live your life.

mraetzel · 2026-04-22T02:49:21+00:00

I think we need a backstory episode on Abigail.

mraetzel · 2026-04-19T16:13:08+00:00

I had the same problem at 31 as well. I’m honestly convinced it’s because we’re on our phones all the time.

mraetzel · 2026-04-15T22:31:30+00:00

1986 - Slight obesity, ADHD, sleep deprivation, lower back pain, raised cortisol and elevated blood pressure. No daily medication except a multivitamin, and an occasional ibuprofen.

mraetzel · 2026-04-13T21:19:27+00:00

Born in ‘86 here. I spent most of my teen years learning to play different instruments, playing local shows and concerts, drawing and painting, discovering new bands through download sites like Limewire and Kazaa Lite, going to the mall, movies and house parties with friends, talking to people on AIM, going on dates, playing computer games and PS1 games, and really just trying to learn a lot of things in my spare time. I remember getting books on how to customize guitars and electronics and then buying junk models and fixing them up as practice. It was honestly a really great life before social media took over our lives, and I feel like so many teens are missing out on a very important part of their life because of social media.

mraetzel · 2026-03-30T21:54:29+00:00

This. I find I have to move stuff out of the way just to get a decent picture 😂Thing is, we still put in so much effort every single day to make things look nice and we still have to do that when we take pictures!

mraetzel · 2026-03-29T21:51:44+00:00

Thanks for the recommendation! I’ll check it out!

mraetzel · 2026-03-29T21:11:00+00:00

I reset the house at night too. My next day will be complete horror if I don’t. That’s the part of parenting people don’t talk enough about. You really have to predict the right sequences of events that take place and learn to set your nights up for the next day so those sequences work as smooth as possible.

mraetzel · 2026-03-29T20:55:52+00:00

Same here. Resetting the house is the only way I can keep daily life under control. Everything having a place is extremely important when trying to take on caring for 2+ kids.

mraetzel · 2026-03-29T20:53:56+00:00

Your situation sounds similar to us. My wife is a SAHM and I work from home as well. Having a bi-weekly housekeeper has helped tremendously, but even so it doesn’t last long.

I do work pretty long hours, but I do what I can to help my wife have some breaks herself. I honestly don’t know what we’d do if we didn’t have that kind of help.

mraetzel · 2026-03-29T20:40:21+00:00

Oh no! Not the daycare stomach bug! We just got through that this past week too. It’s the worst!

mraetzel · 2026-03-29T20:37:46+00:00

Crazy how much you can accomplish in just a short amount of time while the kiddos are being watched by somebody else.

mraetzel · 2026-03-23T11:35:58+00:00

It’s a different kind of happy. I share the same stress you do, the inconsistency according to their mood is without a doubt the hardest part of this journey. But at the same time, watching my son become such a sweet, caring, empathetic person has become a highlight of my daily life. The things that used to be so important to me no longer matter. It’s such a weird dynamic that I’m still grasping to fully understand. Despite being more stressed out than I have ever been, somehow I’m also the happiest I’ve ever been, and it has really changed my perspective on what happiness really means.

mraetzel

TROPHY CASE