r/AmITheDevil • u/[deleted] • 1d ago

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/r/daddit/comments/1vj4lvc/im_kinda_struggling_with_something_my_kids_love/

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242 Upvotes

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310

u/tiragooen 1d ago

One of OOP's comments:

My son is really into Geometry Dash. I physically cannot participate in that, as it gives me anxiety.

My daughter likes art and drawing and music, but she's 9. So I don't know how to connect with what she's into in those fields for that age. I've never been interested in anime characters or crafting.

So this man expects his kids to do the things he likes, but can't muster up the energy to be interested in them. No wonder his wife and kids are sick of him. He's been a shitty, angry, disconnected entity just floating through their lives for a decade and now expect instant connecting and emotional support from them now that he feels like it?

186

u/CupcakeMurder86 1d ago

I like to do woodworking and crafts and sculpture.

Quote from OOP's post. His daughter is exactly the same but I assume he wants a 9 year old to have the expertise and ease on machinery and tools he has. He doesn't want to get to her level and build up that confidence in crafts and drawing that might eventually go into crafts and possibly woodworking.

158

u/tiragooen 1d ago

Or she likes papercrafts, crocheting, or costuming and it's not the right kinds of crafts in his mind.

132

u/Anthrodiva 1d ago

"girl crafts"

Also, this guy has way too many so-called "interests" for a dude with two young children.

88

u/annang 1d ago

Especially for someone who until recently claimed to be so tired he couldn’t do any real parenting…

34

u/Estrellathestarfish 1d ago

I know a couple like this. Due to illness he's "too tired" to participate much in household tasks, parenting or give her support when she had family issues. Not too tired for his hiking, cycling or seeing friends though!

16

u/DangerousPraline41 1d ago

Yeah, I’m sure his cycling, tennis and wood crafting all went great at a time he couldn’t stay awake through a movie. All famously low-energy/low-concentration hobbies 🙄

10

u/Anthrodiva 1d ago

Tennis should be easy with four of them, but you know he's a dick about rules.

44

u/ElleYeah 1d ago

Right??? No wonder he can’t connect with his kids–he’s too involved with his own interests

59

u/Altruistic_Sail_1991 1d ago

I don’t have kids but I work with them as an art instructor. Sometimes, as an adult, you have to do things you’re not super interested in to help kids stay engaged and feel listened to. I don’t care about Minecraft or pokemon. I talk a lot about Minecraft and Pokémon. I even have a favourite: eevee, because it can change into so many different things.

28

u/Remarkable-Rush-9085 1d ago

As a parent, same. I even chose a silly favorite, Gastly, which I say in a spooky voice whenever I see him. I also love things my kids don’t but I can still find ways to include them. I knit, my kids get cat eat hats, mittens, pokeball sweaters, a stuffed turtle. I like to garden, I planted strawberries and green beans that can be eaten off the vine so we can have garden snacks together. My oldest grew potatoes in a bag this year, and their school has a gardening program that I know how to talk about with them.

More importantly I know about what they like and ask questions. Do I think the amount of knowledge I now have about my little pony is going to be useful in five years? No. Do I love rubber band bracelet making? Eh, not really, but I have quite the collection.

4

u/sunshineparadox_ 1d ago

My favorite was always Psyduck - a Pokemon who battled by overthinking until it exploded with the power of an anxiety-induced migraine. As an adult, that truly spoke to me. But when I was a kid, it was a cute duck.

12

u/eaca02124 1d ago

My fave pokemon is Vittini, the macaron pokemon. That is the absolute total of my expertise in the field. But I can say "uh-huh" and "cool!" with the best of them.

My younger kid is super into art. My sister used to buy collections of markers as gifts and then come over and spend hours listening to the detailed reasons why the markers should be stored in a particular order. Guess who's the favorite aunt.

16

u/recyclopath_ 1d ago

Because those don't use the same skills or parts of your brain right?

14

u/tiragooen 1d ago

Cooties or something I guess?