Surly Dad Thread

[LonghornJones 835]

32 minutes ago, South Austin said:

I know that, and I am happy for her, and she's always been an incredibly intelligent and confident old soul, so I know she'll be fine.  But it's still hurting right now.

I dread this day. It's 10 years away and I am already dreading it. My entire life revolves around my girls. I love very hard and very deep. I have almost thought it to be better to begin loosening my grip so I don't hurt so bad when the time comes to say goodbye, but I am incapable of that at the moment, which is a good thing. Maybe I will feel differently when they are in High School, but the thought of them "leaving forever" is a dark place that I don't like to visit.

[Celery Man 20893]

3 hours ago, BurntOrange&White said:

Question about strollers...

 

We currently have the Doona that we got as a gift at the baby shower. We're currently searching for a travel type stroller to use after he grows out of the Doona at roughly 1 year old. Our idea is to maybe take advantage of a Black Friday or Cyber Monday deal with the following stroller:

 

https://a.co/d/5f5PMra

 

Do yall have any opinions? 

 

 

 

I can’t comment specifically on that, I assume it collapses for travel and has features like that. I do have an uppababy cruz or vista or whatever the one child version is called and am happy with it midway through child #2’s use of it.

 

that one is nice because it fits his car seat as well. So I fold the base up and throw it in the back of my truck a lot when we go run around. My sister had the two kid version, i know she liked it well enough.

I did not enjoy the little baby phase with this guy enough - it’s just been such a difficult time for a lot of reasons. But he’s becoming a dude and I’m realizing how fast it is going by. He’s already fixing to walk. I love the bond he and his sister are making -

[Captainant 27481]

3 hours ago, BurntOrange&White said:

Question about strollers...

 

We currently have the Doona that we got as a gift at the baby shower. We're currently searching for a travel type stroller to use after he grows out of the Doona at roughly 1 year old. Our idea is to maybe take advantage of a Black Friday or Cyber Monday deal with the following stroller:

 

https://a.co/d/5f5PMra

 

Do yall have any opinions? 

We have this stroller and a Doona (THANK YOU, extremely generous extended family!!!), and they're both great. Definitely invest in the $40 add-on to click your car seat onto the stroller (they've got accessories for all the major car seat brands), it's been great for us. 

It collapses down to be pretty small and can fit in the footwell between the back seat and my front seat if I wedge it in a little. 

[Post Oak 20188]

My 3rd grade daughter told me Friday that she has her 1st boyfriend.  I asked her a bunch of questions trying to be supportive because she is excited while not voicing my fatherly displeasure. 

I tried not to make it weird but apparently I did.  At least that's what my wife told me.  I still remember her looking at me in the hospital. I was really the 1st person she noticed.  I remember  so many things about her being a little girl and now this is a milestone that has suckered punched me more than I was expecting. 

We talked and I told her if she's happy I'm happy but she's always gonna be my little girl. 

Being 8 years old they'll probably break up today. Whatever happens, I am not a fan of her growing up at all.

My son also a 3rd grader has decided he needs a girlfriend and spent this weekend making roses out  of construction paper.  He's goin a courtin today. 

I told him that the girl he likes may not like him back and he said that's fine I'll just ask someone else.  He's the personification of "shooters shoot".  I wish I had 10% of his confidence. 

Unsurprisingly I have a much different reaction to him having a girlfriend.

[Longhorn94 2443]

20 hours ago, The Royal We said:

 

It guts me to think about only having 3.5 more years of my oldest living with us. Fuck.

If you do it right, they never really leave. oh sure, they may move to a fancy apartment on the upper east side of Manhattan but they will call you every single day to tell you about their day, they will come home several times per year, you will see them whenever you travel, you will go on vacations together, they will ask you for advice on everything, and come home for the holidays. its almost like they never left... 

We have 1 in NY, 1 in Va, and 3 in Austin. I think we are busier with them now than before. If you do it right, it doesn't matter how far you drive them and drop them off, somehow, some way, they find their way back home. 😜

[NoName 16321]

23 hours ago, BurntOrange&White said:

Question about strollers...

 

We currently have the Doona that we got as a gift at the baby shower. We're currently searching for a travel type stroller to use after he grows out of the Doona at roughly 1 year old. Our idea is to maybe take advantage of a Black Friday or Cyber Monday deal with the following stroller:

 

https://a.co/d/5f5PMra

 

Do yall have any opinions? 

 

 

 

If you go down this path make sure you get the new uppababy trifold one, not sure if that's it or they just announced a v3? The new one fits in an overhead bin. Uppababy is awesome but you pay through the nose new.

You can often get way way way better deals on second hand ones through FB marketplace. Our Vista came from a guy in Austin area who basically buys them second hand, refreshed and sells em on FB as a side hustle. 

How often are you going to honestly be using it? If it's like 4x a year just rent one where you are going and keep from having to carry all the baby shit plus that.

For us we just bit the bullet and packed a normal size one in back of the car if it was a drive.

[BurntOrange&White 39698]

6 minutes ago, NoName said:

Uppababy is awesome but you pay through the nose new.

Yeah they're expensive but they still seem like the value of the premium strollers in their category. 

A friend put it best to me "just go boujie because you can always resell on FB marketplace." 

[hookem2010 2600]

21 hours ago, Post Oak said:

My 3rd grade daughter told me Friday that she has her 1st boyfriend.  I asked her a bunch of questions trying to be supportive because she is excited while not voicing my fatherly displeasure. 

I tried not to make it weird but apparently I did.  At least that's what my wife told me.  I still remember her looking at me in the hospital. I was really the 1st person she noticed.  I remember  so many things about her being a little girl and now this is a milestone that has suckered punched me more than I was expecting. 

We talked and I told her if she's happy I'm happy but she's always gonna be my little girl. 

Being 8 years old they'll probably break up today. Whatever happens, I am not a fan of her growing up at all.

My son also a 3rd grader has decided he needs a girlfriend and spent this weekend making roses out  of construction paper.  He's goin a courtin today. 

I told him that the girl he likes may not like him back and he said that's fine I'll just ask someone else.  He's the personification of "shooters shoot".  I wish I had 10% of his confidence. 

Unsurprisingly I have a much different reaction to him having a girlfriend.

My 2 year-old has 2 girlfriends in daycare. Sometimes the apple does fall far from the tree.

[Celery Man 20893]

You also have girlfriends in daycare 🤨

[jimmyjazz 45586]

Heh, boyfriend stories.  I still viscerally remember when my daughter was in the 5th grade and a boy was sweet on her -- he was UT coach Bo Davis' son -- and my daughter told me she just didn't think she was quite ready for a serious relationship yet.  Holy smokes.

[tbone_ 14027]

This just in, daughters are entitled to a life too.

[52-80 19104]

On 9/24/2024 at 4:20 PM, BurntOrange&White said:

Question about strollers...

 

We currently have the Doona that we got as a gift at the baby shower. We're currently searching for a travel type stroller to use after he grows out of the Doona at roughly 1 year old. Our idea is to maybe take advantage of a Black Friday or Cyber Monday deal with the following stroller:

 

https://a.co/d/5f5PMra

 

Do yall have any opinions? 

 

 

 

 

On 9/24/2024 at 4:58 PM, Da Fino said:

Yoyo travel stroller. 

Babyzen yoyo is the best stroller in the world. No question. We had a cybex twizy swapped for a yoyo. Ridiculously easy to fold and unfold. Fits on airplane overhead (all the airport staff recognize it as a compatible stroller). Pivots and rolls and handles very well. Etc etc. 

[BurntOrange&White 39698]

1 minute ago, 52-80 said:

 

Babyzen yoyo is the best stroller in the world. No question. We had a cybex twizy swapped for a yoyo. Ridiculously easy to fold and unfold. Fits on airplane overhead (all the airport staff recognize it as a compatible stroller). Pivots and rolls and handles very well. Etc etc. 

How is it in terms of like an everyday type stroller on bumpy terrain such as rural texas?

[52-80 19104]

8 minutes ago, BurntOrange&White said:

How is it in terms of like an everyday type stroller on bumpy terrain such as rural texas?

Ive rolled it on grass and light dirt trails and its fine. The first order determinant of how well things roll over obstacle is tire size, and it should be sized similar to portable strollers. 

theres good leverage on the frame at the handlebar and the turning seems better than the travel cybex

[Bevo&Pevo 5038]

After several failed lunch or dinner attempts, I finally got to go to lunch with my oldest and his wife.   They have been vacationing what seemed to be more than usual.  Today they told me why; it seems I'm to be a an Opa.  Wow! that's a new one. I haven't told the wife yet, I'll let them do it.  It's their news.  

[Jkwellborn 6656]

I have never, and will never, say no to having a catch. 

I played catch in the rain the other day because of this. I pretty much refuse to tell my son no on it as well.

[Jerry Callo 8668]

Youngest daughter (no pics) decided not to play soccer or run cross-country in college, much to my wife's (no pics) chagrin.  Didn't tryout for the club team her first year, so I though she was done outside of playing indoor over the breaks.  A couple weeks ago, she tried out for and made the college club team.  She seems really happy about it since she loves the sport but was tired of the pressure of playing on highly competitive teams.  Luckily, she's close enough to catch some games.  They rolled both teams I've seen them play - St. Eds 15-0 and TAMU Galveston 9-0.  Tulane and Rice are apparently the tough teams in their group and they play Tulane this Saturday.  I happily passed up tickets to the Texas game so I could watch her play.

[jimmyjazz 45586]

1 minute ago, Jerry Callo said:

Youngest daughter (no pics) decided not to play soccer or run cross-country in college, much to my wife's (no pics) chagrin.  Didn't tryout for the club team her first year, so I though she was done outside of playing indoor over the breaks.  A couple weeks ago, she tried out for and made the college club team.  She seems really happy about it since she loves the sport but was tired of the pressure of playing on highly competitive teams.  Luckily, she's close enough to catch some games.  They rolled both teams I've seen them play - St. Eds 15-0 and TAMU Galveston 9-0.  Tulane and Rice are apparently the tough teams in their group and they play Tulane this Saturday.  I happily passed up tickets to the Texas game so I could watch her play.

That's really cool.  My son passed on the UT club team -- the time commitment is pretty significant, and he's having to work his ass off on coursework as it is.

I will say this, those guys are good.  I watched a few of his workouts with the team before he decided to drop it and I have no doubt they are D1 level players.  Maybe "lower", can't say, but some of those club sports are serious.

[Jive Turkey 12569]

On 9/24/2024 at 9:20 AM, BurntOrange&White said:

Do yall have any opinions?

We spent way too much time researching travel strollers.  We wound up going with the Zoe Traveler.

https://zoebaby.com/products/the-traveler?srsltid=AfmBOoqkATLvvJvV7XWjZj2aqI0XRHp-1ElN1lq8N0Ez9dsZlL4_xZ50

We’ve flown with it several times and taken it on some road trips to see family. Fits in overhead on the plane and doesn’t take up much space in the trunk. Folds up quickly. Very reliable. And at $250, didn’t feel like we were breaking the bank for something that we pretty much only use when traveling.  We already have 3 other strollers, so this didn’t need to be tippy top of the line.  For that, yeah, the YoYo is pretty much the gold standard.

 

 

[Armybrat 40751]

On 9/23/2024 at 4:54 PM, dcbc said:

Yes, we do.  Rec. Sports.  Div. 2.  South-central region.

 

It's been a fantastic way for my son to meet people.  No tryouts like in the 90s.  All are welcome to join, learn, and/or compete.  They use a private lake in Taylor called Frame Switch.  Boat and gear provided.  Dues are $350 per semester or $500 for the year.  They raise money to cover travel and hotels, etc.

 

He just went over a ski jump for the first time in last weekend's tournament.  He survived, which was my goal for him.  But it was a yard sale.

 

Snow ski trips in the winter.  Great group of people.  They are super-welcoming of people of all skill-levels.

 

Texas Water Ski Team

Long ago, a beer joint in Frame Switch sponsored what they called a “world championship ski competition” on that dredged pond.

It is just north of Frame Switch off 79 between Hutto & Taylor. 
Across from the huge new Samsung plant.

 

Edited September 26 by Armybrat

[dcbc 14431]

1 hour ago, Armybrat said:

Long ago, a beer joint in Frame Switch sponsored what they called a “world championship ski competition” on that dredged pond.

It is just north of Frame Switch off 79 between Hutto & Taylor. 
Across from the huge new Samsung plant.

 

The beer joint is still there?

[Armybrat 40751]

50 minutes ago, dcbc said:

The beer joint is still there?

No - long gone since the 1990s

[dcbc 14431]

13 minutes ago, Armybrat said:

No - long gone since the 1990s

Well, that's a shame.  We were heading to that ULM tournament last weekend and watching old Bud Pro Tour Water Ski videos.  It was a big, and well-funded sport back in the 90s.

Edited September 26 by dcbc

[JesusSweatDuck 17780]

My daughter just committed to a D1 (not power 4) school to play beach volleyball. To say I'm proud would be an understatement. What a long winding road. Feels like I can breathe again 

[Post Oak 20188]

Fuckin A. Congrats

[South Austin 52166]

Welp, I just said my goodbye to Thing One after moving her into her freshman dorm at University of Oregon. I gave her the longest hug I’ve given her in a while, and she squeezed me back the whole time. I told her, “You make me so happy, and I know you’re going to do great.” 

I feel a little awful, but mostly happy. In the end, I’ve had little to do with how awesome she’s become, but I like to think I’ve been a pretty good dad to her, and am grateful for how resilient she’s been after her parents divorced shortly before she started high school. I know she’ll continue to amaze me.

Now, I’m sitting alone at the Wild Duck Cafe, a local UO joint across from the basketball arena, having the first of a few beers that will be part mourning, part celebratory. I’ll probably end the day at what has become my favorite brewery in Eugene, and will wake up before dawn tomorrow, shake off the cobwebs and fly back home, landing in the middle of what I hope to be a Longhorn ass-whipping of Mississippi State, with a heart full of love.

[Snake Diggity 4614]

On 9/24/2024 at 9:15 AM, South Austin said:

I recently told my daughter my own move-in story. 

I'm the oldest, so the first kid my parents sent to college. They moved me into my cramped freshman dorm, my mom made my bed and helped unpack a few things, and then I recall they just left.  No lunch, no stroll around campus.  We parted at the elevator on my floor with a quick hug, and they were gone.  I really didn't think much of it.  My parents lived about 2.5 hours away, and I knew I'd see them on Labor Day weekend.  Big deal, I'm in college now, and we were all looking forward to this day.

So a few minutes after my parents left I decide to take a walk around campus and find a bite to eat.  I see a couple about my parents age, and they're walking away from a dorm with a thousand-yard stare holding hands, and they both have tears streaming down their cheeks.  Even the dad looked he was doing everything to keep it together.  And I think to myself, "Oh shit, that was my parents."

When I leave my daughter, I don't expect a prolonged good bye with a lot of parting wisdom.  I already gave her my dump of fatherly advice and heavy discussion when I took her for a final father-daughter lunch last Saturday.  And I told her that I'd be in Eugene all Friday after I move her in early that morning, and am available if she wanted to grab dinner, but I also respected the idea that it might be best to rip off the band aid and let her hang out with her new roommates or some of her high school friends who are also starting at UO.  She opted for the latter, and I told her that I was perfectly okay with that. 

But fucking A, I've had a growing feeling of sadness this week, not just because she's going far away to college, but because in a very real sense, she's leaving me forever.  She'll be back, of course, but never in the same way.  It feels a little like a heartbreak.  

 

29 minutes ago, South Austin said:

Welp, I just said my goodbye to Thing One after moving her into her freshman dorm at University of Oregon. I gave her the longest hug I’ve given her in a while, and she squeezed me back the whole time. I told her, “You make me so happy, and I know you’re going to do great.” 

I feel a little awful, but mostly happy. In the end, I’ve had little to do with how awesome she’s become, but I like to think I’ve been a pretty good dad to her, and am grateful for how resilient she’s been after her parents divorced shortly before she started high school. I know she’ll continue to amaze me.

Now, I’m sitting alone at the Wild Duck Cafe, a local UO joint across from the basketball arena, having the first of a few beers that will be part mourning, part celebratory. I’ll probably end the day at what has become my favorite brewery in Eugene, and will wake up before dawn tomorrow, shake off the cobwebs and fly back home, landing in the middle of what I hope to be a Longhorn ass-whipping of Mississippi State, with a heart full of love.

Congrats, but don’t be dismissive of the work you’ve done.  You’ve earned an independent child and you’ve earned the good relationship you have with her.  
 

My parents loved me, but they couldn’t wait to get me out of the house.  I was the baby, so getting rid of me meant an empty nest.  They didn’t help me plan for college, didn’t help me pay for anything, didn’t help me find somewhere to live, didn’t help me move.  I remember both my roommates’ parents being there on move-in day, and one of them getting emotional.  After they left, I remember telling my roommate, “be grateful your parents wanted to be here.  My parents are probably having sex right now.”

[Bevo&Pevo 5038]

1 hour ago, South Austin said:

Welp, I just said my goodbye to Thing One after moving her into her freshman dorm at University of Oregon. I gave her the longest hug I’ve given her in a while, and she squeezed me back the whole time. I told her, “You make me so happy, and I know you’re going to do great.” 

I feel a little awful, but mostly happy. In the end, I’ve had little to do with how awesome she’s become, but I like to think I’ve been a pretty good dad to her, and am grateful for how resilient she’s been after her parents divorced shortly before she started high school. I know she’ll continue to amaze me.

Now, I’m sitting alone at the Wild Duck Cafe, a local UO joint across from the basketball arena, having the first of a few beers that will be part mourning, part celebratory. I’ll probably end the day at what has become my favorite brewery in Eugene, and will wake up before dawn tomorrow, shake off the cobwebs and fly back home, landing in the middle of what I hope to be a Longhorn ass-whipping of Mississippi State, with a heart full of love.

Buy someone else a beer and tell 'em how proud you are.  Listen to their story.   Buy 'em all a beer. 

Edited September 27 by Bevo&Pevo

[South Austin 52166]

Just now, Bevo&Pevo said:

Buy someone else a beer and tell 'em how proud you are.  Listen to their story. 

Yeah, introverts don’t do that.

[Bevo&Pevo 5038]

^^^ spread those wings and fly!

[Ten Bears 2479]

39 minutes ago, South Austin said:

Yeah, introverts don’t do that.

I introverted your mom last night.

[South Austin 52166]

13 minutes ago, Ten Bears said:

I introverted your mom last night.

You were that bad in bed?

[hookem2010 2600]

Looks like boy #2 is coming during the bye week. 39W2, really didn't expect to make it into the 40th week once the wife started having legit contractions nearly a month ago. Outside of keeping it clean and orderly, all productivity around the house stopped a couple weeks ago, as I didn't want to be mid-project when the moment came.

[Hefeweizen 5307]

Man I’m struggling with my kids being gone from home.  Both are doing great in college and my wife and I are enjoying our time, but I guess I wasn’t quite ready for them to be gone.  Enjoy them while they are around because they grow up fast and you may be surprised how fast it happens.

[Celery Man 20893]

[hookemATL 11611]

damn man you got cute babies ❤️

love this fucking thread.  i have been inspired to go fishing with the kiddo after school.  

[jimmyjazz 45586]

That kid is blasting thru the percentiles!

[Celery Man 20893]

The data indicates that he will soon be the world’s heaviest child.

[hookemATL 11611]

This girl loves fishing and makes it a competition. I got off to a hot start with a 3-0 fish lead, but she took home the gold 7 to 6.5 (yes she ruled one of my pumpkin seeds as “half a fish cuz it’s so small dad”)

Bonus was having a red tailed hawk fly down the creek with a squirrel in its talons. 

“That was the coolest thing ever!”

spending time with her and her younger sister outdoors is probably my favorite activity in life🤘

 

[Celery Man 20893]

I need to do that. There’s a pond in my neighborhood that’s a little…. hoa pond with the paved trail and the benches and picnic pavilion and what have you, but it connects to the Neuse and actually contains a lot of fish. Lots of people from the neighborhood fishing in the evening, and then we even get the folks coming from surrounding areas showing up with coolers and getting disapproving looks from Karens. I’m not a fisherman but that looks too fun not to learn.

[jimmyjazz 45586]

My dad was quite likely the only fisherman in the world worse than I am.  I still cherish our many trips to catch perch off docks (cane pole, bobber, hook and a worm holla!), rowing a boat out into the middle of small local lakes and catching exactly zero bass, heading to gorgeous trout streams in the Ozarks and catching exactly zero trout, you name it.  Priceless bonding time.

[hookemATL 11611]

41 minutes ago, Celery Man said:

I need to do that. There’s a pond in my neighborhood that’s a little…. hoa pond with the paved trail and the benches and picnic pavilion and what have you, but it connects to the Neuse and actually contains a lot of fish. Lots of people from the neighborhood fishing in the evening, and then we even get the folks coming from surrounding areas showing up with coolers and getting disapproving looks from Karens. I’m not a fisherman but that looks too fun not to learn.

Easiest thing ever. Grab a couple prespooled Zebco rod/reel combos, small hooks, weights, and bobber. Then I like to go to petco/petsmart and pick up some mealworms (they sell them for folks with lizards/etc) but they are perfect panfish bait. EarthWorms work great too, if a bit messier. 
 

most of the time, places like Academy/Dicks/whatever is local to you will have a simple kit with all that stuff. 

[jimmyjazz 45586]

Yeah, those kiddie Zebco kits are perfect for the job.

Did I mention how many Mepps #2 lures I put into trees over trout pools with my sweet Mitchell Garcia 308 rig?  I mean, I own guitars I have no business playing, sure, but I should have just stuck with the kiddie Zebco setups when fishing.

[hookem2010 2600]

First night home with baby boy #2. He's sleeping on mama while I stay awake and watch the college football upsets roll in, making sure he stays put, since he will not stay asleep if he's not skin-to-skin with my wife. Looks like she's got a 2-3 hour window before he needs to move to the bassinet. It's a tough job, but someone has to do it.

[hookemATL 11611]

3 minutes ago, hookem2010 said:

First night home with baby boy #2

Congrats!  One of the most memorable moments of my life was bringing my youngest home and having her big sister there to meet/hold her. 
 

babies are magic. 

[hookem2010 2600]

11 minutes ago, hookemATL said:

Congrats!  One of the most memorable moments of my life was bringing my youngest home and having her big sister there to meet/hold her. 
 

babies are magic. 

Oh yeah, his older brother met him in the hospital yesterday. He's almost 2 1/2 and was, and continues to be very excited to have a baby brother.

Edited October 6 by hookem2010

[hookemATL 11611]

2 minutes ago, hookem2010 said:

Oh yeah, his older brother met him in the hospital yesterday. He's almost 2 1/2 and was, and continues to be very excited to have a baby brother.

Amazing. Seriously fills me with joy to read this. I know you aren’t gonna get much sleep over the next few months, but I’m a little jealous for some reason. My youngest just finished with potty training and is growing a mile a minute (mentally and physically). 
 

this photo makes me swell with pride and love and tears. My sweet babies. 

[hookem2010 2600]

It's a crazy feeling. They were born 28 months apart. Very similar looking as babies, same weight, 1/2" difference in height. WAAAAY more difficult 2nd pregnancy/delivery.

It's going to be surreal seeing how alike or different they really are.

He's moved onto my chest now. I'm pretty ready to get some sleep but he and his mom deserve it more.

[hookemATL 11611]

Incredible. Thank you for sharing that ❤️🤘

[Modessit 5597]

When my daughter was born, brought my 2.25yo son into the hospital room to meet his sister before allowing grandparents, aunts and uncle, cousins, etc to come in.

My son knew there was a baby in mama's tummy.

We walked in and my son saw my wife holding the new baby. He had zero expression, turned to me and said, "I'm ready to go."

But he met the baby and was ok. Once we got home he was much more excited and loved to help.

They're 10 and 8 now.