• stoicmaverick@lemmy.world
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    5
    arrow-down
    1
    ·
    2 months ago

    Do you have kids? I used to hate when people would ask me that question before I had kids, because it seems to imply that having them places your opinion on a higher tier. Now that I do, I try and avoid it as much as possible for that reason, but I do understand that parenting is one of the theaters where theory space, and optimal practice, can be very different. The fact is, they never have to know, at least until they’re old enough to understand. They don’t have to know that Dad is sad when he’s alone with Mom, because we still have fun and laugh as a family when they are present. The lesson that I’m teaching them by example, is that it is better to have one bedroom than two, then to have to decide whether they want to live with mom or dad most of the time, that even though Mom and Dad civilly argue sometimes, we can still be a family, and be happy most of the time, rather than give up on a promise made before they were born because of factors they can’t possibly understand yet.

    • Hacksaw@lemmy.ca
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      3
      arrow-down
      3
      ·
      2 months ago

      Yeah. I had a dad that didn’t get laid too. Sex is in the bottom layers of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, then intimacy is up higher as well. If you’re not getting these things you’re not going to be able to hide them. Your kids won’t know why until they’re much older WHY your not happy, but that is a sadness of the soul that nothing can hide.

      You ever see one of your friends the day after they get laid and you just know. That’s a kind of joy from having your needs met that you can’t fake.

      You’re teaching your kids it’s OK with someone who doesn’t meet your needs. It’s not.

      Be with someone who makes you happy. Let your wife do the same. Show your kids what a happy marriage and happy parents look like so they can model their relationships that way. Don’t continue the cycle.