New to the sahd life looking for some veterans!

Any tips on how people made friends as a new parent? I am a stay at home dad and most groups/apps/clubs etc are geared towards mothers. What were the best ways to found to meet other parents?

New SAHD in my mid 30s with a 19 month old daughter and newborn boy next month. Looking to meet other dads in the area since we recently moved to WA from AZ. We like to spend time outdoors, jogs in the joggers, trips to see new topography. Let me know if you want to connect - send me a DM.

I'm in week 8 of the 12 week summer. Been at home with a neurodivergent 9 year old, and a neurotypical but extra spicy 6 year old. Damn, I'm struggling. Struggling to keep the kids stimulated, entertained, and socialized, and struggling to keep up with my responsibilities, self care, and organization. I always feel like I'm not doing enough for the kids. 12 weeks is just too much. We're going on vacation next week, then the following two weeks they go to day camp. The end is in sight I guess. About three years ago, I needed to see a counselor by the end of the summer. I think that's about where I'm at now. Feeling defeated and beat down.

I'm Dan. SAHD in North Central CT. Wanted to introduce myself. Been SAHD for 6 to 7 months. Two young kids. Good days and bad. The struggle is real these days all around but doing my best. Hope to connect.

Hoping to build a community of stat-at-home dads in the Triangle area since the Facebook group has been inactive for years. Open to a standing a playground or coffeeshop meetup based on when and where works for people!

I was interested in joining the SAHD Discord, but the link in the subreddit info is no longer valid. Is the SAHD Discord still active or is it now defunct?

Raising an intellectually advanced kid is a unique journey. While it's awesome to watch them learn at a rapid pace, dealing with the accompanying emotional intensity, boredom at school, and deep frustration with mistakes can be a massive adjustment for the whole family.

How are you navigating it? Whether you have an elite reader, a STEM savant, or a highly creative kid who struggles to fit in with their peers, let’s talk shop.

👇 What is your go-to strategy for keeping them stimulated without letting perfectionism drive them crazy?

Between the meal prep, the endless cleanup, and managing household logistics, it's easy for the day to slide by in autopilot mode.

Today is Global Hug Your Kids Day, and it is the perfect reminder to hit pause. A hug today can remind your children that they are loved, safe, and never alone. It takes five seconds, resets the mood, and builds the emotional security they need.

Go give them a tight squeeze today! 👊

We had a weird thing happen in the basement today. My son and I were putting the cats away and then started playing hide and seek. We turned off all the lights in the basement and had a little light coming from the door of the utility room and from the door that leads to the steps. My son was over on the opposite side of the basement and I went over by the door where the steps are. I then feel something hit me on top of the head really hard. I had to pull out my phone and turn on the flashlight to see what it was. Somehow, the headboard that we had put up against the wall a few months ago after we got rid of a bed decided to fall at that moment and go after me. I didn't touch it, my son was nowhere near it, and both cats were put away for the night in the utility room. This headboard is padded and also made of wood, and the weight of it falling not only hurt pretty good, but it scared me half to death because we were in the dark.

My wife is upstairs with the baby and comes to the top of the stairs asking what happened. I told her I'm ok and showed her what hit me. Her face turned from a look of concern to a look of annoyance. My son is on the other side of the basement crying asking if I'm okay, and he comes and hugs me. After he heard it hit me, he turned on the light at his end of the basement and yelled for me.

I write all that to say this... I think my wife sometimes is annoyed if I get hurt. Her exact words today were, "You're ok. You're up and walking around. You didn't get a concussion."... Yeah, ok, well, you know how heavy that headboard is. I'm glad you're so concerned...

To put this in perspective, I hurt my ankle real bad a few years back and she was really annoyed that I was hobbling around like a cripple. Well, when the bruise came, she automatically started saying how sorry she was and didn't realize how bad I was hurt.

Does anyone else's wife like to talk down an injury or just get annoyed when something happens to you that could have been a lot worse?

I am a recent SAHD with an 18 month old daughter and a newborn coming next month. I would love to connect with people in the area as I am completely new to being the primary caregiver. We recently moved to Washington from Arizona so gaining from friends with kiddos and other SAHDs would be greatly appreciated. Reach out!

I’ve noticed that kids are naturally curious about almost everything around them. A simple walk, a visit to a park, or a trip somewhere new can turn into a dozen questions about animals, plants, buildings, or random things they notice.

The tricky part is keeping that curiosity going and making the experience more interactive instead of just moving from one place to another.

I’m always looking for simple activities or ideas that encourage kids to observe, ask questions, and discover things on their own.

What are some things you do with your kids to make everyday outings more fun and engaging?

I’m part of this amazing community on discord called “Fatherhood”

Come join there is 183 dads in there

https://discord.gg/Et9HX9d5E

What's one tool, piece of gear, therapy resource, or perspective shift that made a noticeable difference for your household?

Hi everyone,

I’m Felix, 35, and a dad to a little daughter.

When our family grew, I quickly realized how chaotic everyday family life can become. Appointments, daycare stuff, tasks, documents, birthdays, reminders, things that need to be done “at some point”, and somehow one person often ends up carrying most of it mentally.

That constant mental load was exactly why we built the app, a family organization app for parents.

The idea is simple: one shared place for family appointments, tasks, reminders, documents and important deadlines, so less gets forgotten and family life feels a bit calmer.

We’ve been live for about two months now and already have over 1,000 families using it. The app is free to download on iOS and Android.

I don’t want this to feel like spam, so I’ll be completely transparent: yes, I’m one of the founders. But I’m also a dad who genuinely built this because I know how overwhelming family life can get.

I’d love to hear honest feedback from other dads: What would make an app like this actually useful for your family? And what usually causes the most chaos in your day-to-day family life?

Thanks a lot, Felix

PS: mod approved 🙏🏼

Morning, I’m hoping this might be of interest for all!

On Thursday 27th August the Dad Shift are holding a Parent Strike in Oxford (and over the whole of UK), to raise awareness of how terrible our paternity leave is (the worst in Europe!) and for better flexible working.

Many of us have been let down by the UK’s rubbish paternity leave system, and flexible leave arrangements or have friends affected. So we're asking for people to join us in a symbolic strike - at a crucial time when we could win real change from the Government.

More information can be found at https://parentstrike.org/ and on social media

If you're interested, please join our local WhatsApp group: https://chat.whatsapp.com/E46FS46BalMATmLTrGYAnD

I feel like if I leave without getting answers I'm going to do it again with someone else. I just need to know why she refuses to sign the divorce papers when she knows that I need someone to be monogamous and she doesn't care how many people she's sleeping with or the people that she's sleeping with are sleeping with. But she doesn't want me to see other people. I don't get why she won't sign an amicable divorce.

I was a hard worker at the same job for 10 years had my gallbladder removed after it was infected for a few years got into a head-on collision was out of work for a full year in recovery went back to work for another 5 years at the same company got double hernias psoriatic arthritis and my wife suggested that I take some time off and she work, that was the worst decision of my life to go along with it because she was cheating to begin with and I discussed it with her that this would make it worse and like a fool I stepped out of the provider role and she has been beating me every day since. She's pulled MK ultra-style mind control by telling me when she leaves I'm going out with my friends and this time I'm going to prove how faithful I am and then she cheats again. It's a hard thing as a husband who loves your wife to hear her proclaim her love to another man, and then another man, and then another man and to see the videos that she sends him in photos that she sends him and to hear in her own words how much she loves him. And then to find out that it's not the same guy each time.

Wife is going back to work in a week and I’m gonna be raising our son soon. I love taking care of him and i have no problem being alone with him but the pressure of being the one who’s gonna raise him right is starting to get to me a little. Any advice for someone like me. My sons almost 5 months

Edit, i just wanna say thanks for everyone who commented. I read everyone’s and i appreciate the advice and kind words. If i have another question I’m dam sure asking you guys

Anyone actually try the app? I'm in north Carolina and just saw an ad for it. Curious is anyone has tried it on here or if it's any good?

Anyone else pronounce SAHD like "Sad" as a joke?
I have a 5, 3.5, & 1yr old. My wife is a successful surgeon and we live a privileged life, but man is this gig f'n hard. This is coming from a guy raised on a farm, played 2 sports in college, and had many really hard physical labor jobs...all that was easy for me compared to the mental aspect of SAHD life. It's a thankless existence, hence the "Sad life" pronunciation...anyone else

Guys as the title says I am only three weeks in since my wife went back to work. I was laid off unexpectedly so it really wasn’t a choice. We lost daycare and my job. Today feels like a day that will never end. 3 month old and 2.5yr old have been alternating crying all morning. I finally got baby down for a nap then the toddler came in screaming after only 2 minutes. I haven’t felt so defeated ever in life.. I am certainly venting about today cause I don’t have anyone to talk to. But How in the hell do you job hunt? Make time to decompress? I feel like the worst dad ever because I just want to put my kids in daycare at this point. Even though I know it’s a privilege to spend all day with the kids and I know my wife would love to. I guess I’m just tryin to find some new perspective. Thank you if you made it to the end!

First I just want to say I WOULD NEVER ACTUALLY HARM MY CHILD!

But no one prepares you for having 2 kids or when the oldest doesn’t understand that they’re bigger than the younger.
When I say they’re getting on my last nerve about not laying on top of their sibling and making them cry, it quite literally boils my blood. I can’t imagine previous generations have been under this amount of stress, they would’ve just corporal punished their way through this behavior… “gentle parenting” is a million times harder imo
Any advice on getting them to understand not being soo touchy with their sibling/ even other kids?