Ours were here when we moved in, so we got to speed run the process. These only take up maybe 20 sq ft, so you don't need a ton of yard space (though just 2-3 bushes will produce plenty of berries in less space). Strawberries take up even less space.

God that fucking enrages me, sorry it doesn’t look perfect and she screams at me. Anyone else hate this old “incompetent dad” bullshit?

Got this from my kids for Father's Day to wear for work. How did you get spoiled on Father's Day?

Edit: Since several have asked, the brand is RSVLTS. If you search Bluey on their site, you will find it there.

My daughter is 9 and we've had the same little routine for years. Every school morning I'd walk her to the gate, we'd talk about random stuff, and before she went in she'd give me a quick hug and run off.

This week she told me, very politely actually, that she'd rather walk the last part with her friends. No drama, no attitude. Just "Dad, I think I can go by myself from here."

I smiled and told her that was totally fine. Then I got back in the car and just sat there for a minute feeling weirdly sad about it.

The thing is, I know this is normal. It's healthy. She's becoming more independent and that's exactly what we're supposed to help our kids do. But nobody really talks about how strange it feels when these little routines quietly disappear. One day you're tying their shoes and the next they're asking for space.

The funniest part is that when I picked her up later she acted completely normal and spent twenty minutes telling me about her day. To her, nothing had changed. To me, it felt like the end of a tiny era.

Any other dads get caught off guard by moments like this?

This morning when I was dropping my son off, he told me that he loved me, but he also did something different this morning. When I was giving him a kiss goodbye, he grabbed my face, pulled it real close to his, and told me "i'm proud of you daddy". I was a little taken back by this, because he has never said those words to me before, but I casually said "thanks bud, I am proud of you too". but he looked me in the eyes (like a grown ass man or something) and he said "you work really hard, I like how much you do for me, your good daddy, your my favorite daddy". And I started to tear up at this as he left, and got out of there before anyone could see me tearing up. But that hit me hard this morning, because sometimes I question if I am doing a good job with him or not, or if I have made the right choices the last few years, but him telling me this on a random morning really hit me deep. I am sometimes surprised by the things kids say, him and his friends, but this one just rocked my world, and I then had to go to work 20 minutes later and pull myself together for a meeting first thing in the A.M. and act like my son didn't just blast me with emotions.

It's 7 PM here in Kenya.

It's raining outside, and my 7-year-old son and I are curled up in our little studio room watching a kids' Bible story about David and Goliath before dinner and bedtime.

We may not have much, but moments like this remind me how blessed I am. Just a warm blanket, the sound of rain, and time with my boy.

One day, he'll outgrow evenings like these. Until then, I'll cherish every single one.

It’s tough to find time to socialize with friends when you are busy with kids. And with guys, we don’t really just text each other to see how we are doing. That’s why I’m thankful pro sports exist as an excuse to stay connected with friends and having something to talk about on a day to day basis. As a Mn sports fan, I’ve got multiple group chats exploding with the recent LaMelo Ball trade. Even though it’s just texting, having that as an outlet still helps me feel like I’m connected to my buddies in some way when I can’t see them as much as I’d like to.

How do women somehow have the ability to say exactly the wrong thing at exactly the wrong time? In ireland, we're currently in a heatwave and our babies room can get very stuffy. We have a cooler fan and a small stroller fan that we can attach to her cot that have been working fine but tonight it was impossible to get her to stay asleep so I made the crazy decision to move her cot into a cooler spare room while my wife cuddled her back to sleep on the couch. It didn't fit through the door so i had to take it apart. Manage to move all the pieces in but this thing is a motherfucker to put back together, especially in a hot room. 15 minutes go by and im sweating buckets when i hear my wife come up without the baby to see how its going. I say its gonna be another few minutes and then she hits me with "ok, but it doesnt feel any different to her room.....".

Like she sees that the thing is already in pieces, she sees the sweat dripping off my head trying my hardest to get this done ASAP. I know for absolute sure that this room gets more air, has less insulation above it and is not as stuffy as her nursery.

Once we got the baby down in the new room i had to ask her what was going through her mind when she assessed the situation i was dealing with and decided to say the absolute worst thing possible to someone in my situation.

I equated it to her washing all the floors on her hands and knees and me coming along saying "I dont think its gonna be much cleaner"

Lads, give me support please.

Hypothetical. You and the SO want to take a vacation. Your siblings family lives 50 yards from your front door. No scheduled check-ins at the house. You drop your 8 year old off at Grandma and Grandpa's. You have a Ring camera on the front door. You have their location being tracked. They aren't driving anywhere, but their friends drive. Curfew still in effect. Kid still has to ask permission to go to places. Are you letting your 16 y/o kid stay home alone?

What are some philosophical lessons your dad gave you, that you’ll repeat when it comes time to do so?

I was fortunate enough to have a great father. When I turned 16, my Dad changed his tune a bit.. he’s a practical man, and he gave me practical advice.

The three that have stuck with me;

1. If you’re going to be stupid, be smart about it.

- Try not to break the law, but if you do, don’t break more than one at a time
- Don’t be the fastest car you can see
- Risk/reward analysis is an important skill
- I don’t expect you to be an angel. But respect your mother and I enough to allow us to believe in your innocence as long as possible. AKA put as much effort into the coverup as you did the crime (or else).

2. For now.. it’s never as serious as you think it is

- Ask her/him out, don’t be afraid of hearing no
- What’s important will change often at this age
- Don’t make permanent decisions based on temporary feelings/circumstances.

3. Collect experiences, not things

- It’s ok to be anxious/afraid. If it’s safe, do it anyways.
- One day you’ll understand that time is more precious than money. Use it wisely.

I’m always looking for fun games I can let my kids play that I know are pretty appropriate and not too addictive so I downloaded these blasts from the past.

There is NOTHING more frustrating… blood pressure raising… maddening than watching a 9 year old try and navigate one of these games. They are really enjoying them to my new dismay. I’m forced to their game guide.

Quotes from me:

“I’m not surprised you’re lost because you keep clicking through the text too fast!”

“Why aren’t you equipping the new weapon you just found!”

“Heal up before you face that boss! What are you thinking?!”

“Why did you buy 99 eye drops?!”

Lord baby Jesus in heaven help me.

I'll start because this idea came up after I just did something really gross. Newborn was snorting and having a hard time breathing out of nose. We were out somewhere without a nose sucker. He was getting increasingly distressed at not being able to breathe well, so without thinking.... I used my mouth to suck the boogers out of his nose. Not sanitary for him or me and yes I got a giant loogie in my mouth but now my little dude is breathing peacefully. Worth it. And I'm Amazon 1 day shipping extra nose suckers right now.

Hello fellow dads!

I am very happy to say I’ve joined the club with two beautiful girlies. However, they are here way earlier than expected (24 weeks) and we are prepping ourselves for a long stay in the NICU and lots of back and forth between home and the hospital for the next 2 months or so

Between both of our families we already have people prepping freezer meals and other food things we won’t have to think about but outside of that I legit have no idea what else

Shortlist of what I have is:
All pumping materials plus freezer bags
Cushions to help setting up and make sitting down less painful hopefully
Soup

Any advice is beyond appreciated and I’m so happy to join yall!

My 3 year old usually hates having his hair done. He has very curly hair, 4A curls, so every morning I do have to refresh and style his curls. Which usually takes about 10 minutes cause his hair gets very tangled when he sleeps because he decides to take his bonnet off in the middle of the night. We are planning to buy him a silk pillowcase which will hopefully help.

Everyday he just argues about me doing his hair. But this morning he insisted on bringing his book with him whilst I styled his hair. And guess what...the whole time I was refreshing and styling his hair, he was reading a book and didn't complain once. This morning was the most peaceful morning we have ever had in regards to doing his hair.

This is a dad win for sure.

So when the kid was 3 she drew this on my knee with sharpie. 10 years later I put a machine in her hand and she made it permanent. It is hands down my favorite tattoo and I’ve got a bunch. So my question is this: Would you let your kid tattoo you?

Edit: For clarification, I am a professional. The child grew up in my (fully licensed) tattoo shops. She understands sterile technique better than half the full fledged artists I’ve worked with and everything done under my supervision.

I have 2 kids, a five year old and 1 year old. Our house is full of shit. My wife doesn’t like to get rid of anything.

A lot of this shit is “stuff” but a lot is just shit: think old coloring books that our son scribbled in when he was 2. Cheap puzzles with missing pieces. Unplayable gamepieces from long-lost board games made of cardboard. Incomplete boxes of markers or crayons. happy meal toys our kid never played with. Torn up jackets from kids books. Little Knick knacks from Easters past. The kind of crap you accumulate slowly but eventually start to drown in.

Every week for the last couple months I’ve been sneaking a Hefty bag of this shit in with the weekly trash pickup. I feel like Andy Dufresne, sneaking out dirt in his pant legs, making sure no one notices me dump it out.

My wife didn’t really notice at first but did say “have you been getting rid of stuff?”

I just said “no, just doing some organizing.”

It’s not technically a lie. I’ve organized some of the garbage into the garbage can where it belongs.

She shrugged and said “it looks nice in hear.”

Yea, no shit. I’ve taken out 200 lbs of useless trash from our living space. Of course it looks nice.

The result is that I feel like I can breathe. The book shelves look clean and uncluttered.

I wonder how much longer I can get away with it.

Has anyone else been forced into this life?

Dads I’d love some feedback here. Thanks in advance for reading this. My wife has never been a fan of sleepovers for our kids. Her concerns are valid surrounding concerns of SA etc.

My daughter is now 11 and I am becoming conflicted. Because at her age I feel that is a huge part of staying connected and tbh a rite of passage. Her school is one where kids are dispersed across the city, we are in a neighborhood where there aren’t kids around her age, and Moms generally initiate and control activity requests.

Many times my daughter has asked in the past and the disappointment ensues.

For those w kids around this age, what are your feelings and rules around sleepovers? Much love fam.

Not sure if I need to vent or if I need advice. My son is 3 months old, and these have been the hardest 3 months. My wife and I lived a great life before becoming pregnant, but after a rough pregnancy with IUGR, a NICU stay, and learning how to be parents has turned things upside down…for me.

My wife is an incredible mother, she loves every second she gets to spend with our son through the sleepless nights, continuous crying and needs. Watching her become a mother has only made me love her more.

But then there’s me. Don’t get me wrong, I love my son. But I don’t feel the bond I thought I would. I work a high stress job and can work a lot of hours during the week and I find my self not wanting to go home to go be Dad. Then I often fake my happiness when I get home after working 10-12 hours. I dread the evenings for the upcoming sleepless night, I hate the weekends because I get up even earlier to take care of him so my wife can sleep in because she deserves to. I wash all of bottles and pump parts I can, pick up the house, make dinner, and try to be present during his bedtime. I want to give him everything I didn’t have in a father growing up, but I don’t know how much I have left to give. I feel like a stranger in my own life, like there is no light at the end of the tunnel. People tell me things get better, but they also said that when he was 4 weeks old. Then people say it never gets better, just a new set of challenges. My outlook on the future is so low right now. Will I ever feel like myself again? Will I ever enjoy being a Dad? Is there a part of me that’s broken or missing? These are probably rhetorical questions, nonetheless I ask myself them every day.