They're difficult to find and even more difficult to maintain during fatherhood. But friendships are an essential part of being a well-rounded dad.
A Few of the Friends All Dads Should Have
They'll shape you as a husband, father, and human being.
The Mentor
When you hit a certain age, the idea of being a student seems like something from which younger guys or men venturing out on their own for the first time might benefit. This couldn’t be further from the truth. Hanging around an older guy who’s been through more than a few wars and family struggles helps you gain perspective about whatever situations you’re currently going through. Life happens, and it’s nice to hear from someone to whom a lot of life has already happened.
The Single Friend
Fathers lead busy lives, which involve juggling the scheduling of other busy lives. Making plans with other dads involves extensive group text chains, last minute cancellations, and putting it all off until the next playground visit. Single male or female friends might not have as much going on, or if they do, can probably squeeze in a couple of hours shooting hoops on the court or just some shit over coffee.
The Dad Friend
Maybe he’s an old friend who has kids the same age. Maybe he’s a friend of your wife’s friend that has kids, too. Whatever the case, this friend is your wingman for birthday parties, playground trips, random playdates on an uneventful Saturday. He orbits alongside you in the weird world of parenting and also provides someone who can discuss fatherhood without the needed context of “so I’m doing this thing right now called sleep training, which…” That’s important.
Okay, so you need to call it quits with that buddy you just don’t connect with anymore. You’ve thought it through, and it needs to happen. So, how do you tell him? You don’t. Here’s why you should ghost him instead.
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Entertain Your Kids With These 3 Classic Road Trip Games
1. “The License Plate Game”
Another classic that couldn’t be simpler: You, your kid, and maybe their sibling all try to find license plates from 50 states. Whoever finds the most is the winner. There are varying rules for this game you can improvise — adjacent states are two points instead of one, for example — but kids will love the chance to get competitive while they learn a little geography.
2. “Musical Moments”
You’re probably sick of the Frozen 2 soundtrack by now. Well, your kid is not — and they’ll love the chance to prove it. Play some music they love and suddenly stop the song. Your kid has to complete the lyrics in order to win. Bonus points if they sing it out.
3. “Going on a Picnic”
An alphabet-based game, this one starts with you saying “I’m going on a picnic, and I’m bringing an apple.” You kid then must name a food that starts with B. Then you do C. It goes back and forth till you get to Z. By then, it’ll probably be time to stop for a snack.
For a few more road trip games, read more.
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Some of the first casualties of fatherhood are the friendships that helped get you there.
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Barry never had kids, so it probably goes without saying that we don’t talk to Barry
anymore.
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Have a question? Comment? Want to tell us a no-good terrible story? Or a helpful parenting tip? We want to hear from you (and yes, we may publish your response in an article or forthcoming newsletter).
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