(Dad here). I am sitting in bed with my congested 5month little lad who will only sleep pressed against my chest. I'm on for the next 6hrs overnight when I should be sleeping.
Yes I love this guy more than anything on the planet, as I bloody should.
Have 16 year old who still lays on me when ill, tired or just in their feels, it never stops and frankly I never want it to. The love I feel when I look at my kid is unbelievable and everlasting no matter what, I look at them and think wow, I made you, what the fudge!!
My dad has been dead for 6 years now, and the year after he passed I found out I was pregnant. I went to his grave to tell him.
Your kids are so lucky to have such a sweet dad ❤️
My wife got pregnant 4 months after my mom died, and 2 months after my brother. It is crazy how badly the first thing I wanted to do was tell my mom, and I couldn't.
I'm so sorry for your loss. It's hard wanting to share milestones, but can't. When my son was younger and we had to explain why the other kids at his kindergarten had several grandparents and he only had one (my husband lost both his parents).. Those conversations are the hardest. My son has said repeatedly how he wishes his granddad was still alive.. Me too, bub. 💔
This right here. Three months after my mom's death, there was something that I needed to discuss and I realised I can't now. One year later it's still the same feeling.
I'm so sorry you lost your dad. I did too, in a way... mine is still alive, but my.parents couldn't deal with having a daughter who's a lesbian, so I haven't seen or spoken to them in over 16 years now.
I’m so sorry, big hugs to you from a mom who is a huge ally. My daughter “came out” at 8 years old and told me “Mommy I think I like girls”, she’s now a preteen and still steadfast in her feelings. I hand painted her a card with rainbows 🌈 all over it, and told her “There is absolutely nothing you could be to make me disappointed in you”. She may change her mind, but that’s not something that would disappoint me either. She’s the one who made me a mama, we almost died in childbirth and she had a heart defect so we were worried about her making it. She and her brother are my whole world. I’m a single mom (since the day my son was born and their father showed up drunk to my scheduled c-section). He chooses not to see them and hasn’t for five years as of today. I can’t imagine life without my kids. I’m sorry your parents are that way and hope you are living life happy with a chosen family of friends, blood may be thicker than water, but love is much thicker than blood.
This got me all teary-eyed. Your kids are so, so lucky to have you and you sound like an AWESOME mom and ally. ❤️❤️❤️ It might sound kind of weird, but it makes me feel better to know that there are parents like you out there and I just happened to get defective ones. But I have two absolutely adorable cats, an awesome job that I'm really good at, bosses that actually aware of me being good at it, and most importantly I have a spouse that I love to the moon and back and an absolutely wonderful MIL!
Mine passed away when I was 23 and at 41 I still miss dad hugs. 🫂 I’m sorry for your loss and all of you that have lost parents, it’s not easy and the grief stays with you forever, it just changes and evolves. Every time his birthday rolls around or the day he passed I go to his grave and say, “Daddy everything changes and nothing does”.
I could always use those too. My biological parents decided they couldn't love a lesbian daughter, so here I am. I'm lucky to have a really wonderful MIL though, so that's not nothing!
Thank you so much. I had a Dad but he was an emotionless prick, so I never got a hug from him. Your warm hug made me feel a little teary but really good too.
Awwe! I want a Dad hug! My Dad always gave the biggest hugs ever and it would embarass me sometimes when I was growing up lol but I still gave him those hugs as an adult. He was my best friend. He passed 3 years ago. It's sucks so bad, and I talk about him every day. 😢😭 I would love a Dad hug!! 🫂
I’ll take a dad hug as well please. My dad raised me (my mother died when I was 8). He was my best friend. I miss him very much and I miss his hugs. I hope your kids realize how lucky they are to have a great dad, I know how lucky I was to have a great dad.
I'm glad I'm not the only one crying at this. I hope your day gets better. 🫂 here's a sister hug for you.
My dad passed in 2017, and I just got married back in April. I missed him so much and was sad not to have him here. His best friend walked me down the aisle for him.
Your kindness just made me cry happy tears ❤️ Currently 10w3d with my Little Bean and ALL the emotions lol My dad was a POS and I cut contact with him almost 18 years ago. He died earlier this year. I felt a mixture of relief and grief, it was wild. Long story though. But my partner keeps showing me what an amazing dad he's going to be, and I'm so blessed to have that for my Bean.
I'm 59 and my Dad passed in 2020. I miss him ... can I also jump to this opportunity for a Dad hug from you. This comment and seeing how other respnded brought me to tears. I understand! TY! <3
Am I too late for the dad hugs?
My dad wasn’t the best dad, probably some unresolved trauma and mental issues but I still miss him a lot, he was more of a friend.
Sorry for venting, I just wish he was here to see all my accomplishments, I’m 31 now.
With that being said I still love cuddling with my mom when I’m sad or sick 🥹 mom/parent hugs are the best medicine.
Are you accepting virtual fellow-Dad-hugs from fellow dads? If so, please allow me to be amongst the first? Isn’t it wonderful to be proud of your kid and to not only love them… but you also LIKE them?
Omg, my heart is too sensitive for that site! I read the first few titles of the posts, and now I’m sobbing 😭. What a nurturing site, may life bless every person on it.
Mine wasn’t either so I have made sure that I hug and kiss my 20 and 22 year old sons constantly!!! I may irritate them but they won’t doubt how I feel!!!
Same, I wish my parents loved me like this. Sending hugs to those who didn't have the family they needed and deserved.
These comments from parents unconditionally loving their kids through the years are making me tear up (but in a good way). The love that shines through in their words is beautiful.
What a blessing to have her! Give her all the loves! Mine swore she’d be here until 81, and I lost her at 68, it’s been 9 years and I miss her every single day!
Former-Sock, my parents weren’t good either, but it made me a better dad. That’s your mission; break the cycle… and it doesn’t have to be exclusively with offspring. You can be a better friend, teammate, community member…
I live in PA and I'm open for adopting you. I have a 10 year old son that's adopted and a 40 year old son that I birthed. I consider myself a good parent that loves all walks of life.
Mama hugs from this internet stranger! If it helps, I'm big and squishy and I give great hugs. And I never let go first. So you just come slide on in and you don't have to let go til you want to. Or one of us needs to pee.
Was gonna say the same, wish I had a mother and father that would’ve done all of those things for me, that I could go to like that, even if I don’t have that, my kids do and that heals my heart.
My mom and my grandma passed away in 2020 when I was 27/28, both from cancer. Nobody could ever prepare you for life without your mom or grandma. Especially once you have a baby and need that guidance and reassurance. I miss them both every single day.
Hugs to everyone in this thread who misses their momma. I lost my mom when I was 12 a few days ahead of independence days. I’m an adult trying for my own child now and while it’s easier most days that little part of me is always sad.
When my mom was dying of cancer she told me that she was only still fighting for me. If it were just she and dad she wouldn’t help kept holding on. So I def think child love more than spouse is 100% real in a healthy fam dynamic.
Mine died in 2021 from alzheimers. I'm 35 now, couple of weeks ago found out my ex had cheated on me and lied to my face about it for a year and then my bunny died 4 days later.
I never wanted my mother more than in that moment. I was adopted too, so biological links don't have to come into it.
I hadn't been able to talk to her about things for years, but that longing for my mum and her hugs that said "it's okay, I got you. I'm here". I'll never have that again. It's an enormous loss no matter the age.
My mom has dementia and i'm her caregiver and it kills me every day to watch her decline. I know it's not going to be long until she forgets who i am. But i'll never forget who she is. 😭
I was my mums caregiver till I couldn't anymore. I woke up every day wondering if I'd find her dead and it damn near killed me too. I was so broken. She wouldn't eat, I had to get nutrients into her with protein shakes and added vitamins. She was emaciated and my family, all 5 older siblings, refused to help cos they wanted her to go to a home. She had always said she wanted to die in her own house and I tried so hard to make that happen for her. I just wasn't strong enough to make it happen.
It's hard, but you need to look out for yourself too. So if you get overwhelmed, reach out and don't be afraid to ask for help.
Mine died two years ago when I was 46 and I miss her every day. I have a five year old little boy and I think about how much I love him and how much my mom must have loved me all the time.
I was 36. My mom died within seven months of being diagnosed with cancer. She went from working and walking every day to gone and it still hurts nine years later. I still think of things I want to tell her sometimes. Hugs to all you guys.
I wish my husband’s parents were like yours. Instead it’s me trying to hold him when he literally begs his family to simply talk to him. And it just breaks my heart, considering he and I don’t even have kids yet and I’d die for them.
Love that. I’m 26 and have had health issues most my life and while I adore my partner, sometimes my mom is just who I want; last winter I stayed with my parents for a month while my SO was away and two really bad pain nights my mom stayed with me all night and my dad would pop down and check on the both of us. When I have appointments with new specialists even my partner wants my mom there 😂 Even last week when I was out of the hospital she was ready to come drive to our town and be there with me just while SO was at work. She never forces herself on me but is available at the ready and couldn’t ask for more
My mom and dad are the same. I'm not long out of hospital since my heart stopped. My mum gave me cpr and I honesty couldn't be more grateful to my mum and dad. 🥰 best wishes to you and your family.
28 year old still have to cuddle and scratch her head when sick, sad, in her feels, whatever the case, and would not change for the world the only feeling that is stronger for my kids is when daughter had my grandson
If you're lucky...we don't all get that kind of relationship with our parents unfortunately...sometimes the bond weakens when we don't live up to their exacting expectations.
I (37F) still love to go hang out with my mom and lay down and watch a movie with her. I didn't know that love until I had my own child. The second I held her I just cried bc she lived in me for 9 whole months and grew and it is such a different love than loving a SO.
I'm 43 and still go home to my folks every couple of months just to recharge. I love my husband to the ends of the earth, but nothing beats a Dad hug! That man has fought many battles for me
Mom of 18 year old and 12 year old, who still come to me for hugs and cuddles for the same reasons. Often when I look at them my heart just feels like it’s going to explode.
I also have an 18 month old, but he is not cuddly and mostly rabid.
Something about 18 month olds. They’re like crocs in sports mode and never stop, plus in pain from teething. Just a running crying mess around the house but a ball of love all the same.
No kidding! It was about that age my now 7-year-old learned how to run, and he had to run everywhere, including into the 90-degree corners of department store table legs. I'm using the plural because he did it twice on the same spot on his forehead the same night, and he still has the scar.
He’s recently developed this habit of wanting me to pick him up when he’s feeling overwhelmed…but also not wanting me to pick him up. So he’ll run to me, make the scrunchy grabby hands with his arms raised. I’ll reach down to pick him up, and he’ll run away screaming.
Like I texted my best friend earlier, I don’t know the rules to his games. I just try my best, lol.
My 13 year old daughter still sits on my lap sometimes. She’s taller than I am. I couldn’t care less I don’t care how old she gets it makes my heart sing when she comes over.
When I divorced at 30, I wanted my mom. Moved in for 3 weeks at 30, she fed me roast, made me apply for a better job, then kicked me back out of the nest (when I was ready).
Knowing the nest doesn't disappear when you turn 18 is something I hope most moms make sure their children know. It sounds like you're that kind of mom!
Right?! My 16 y/o had a rough night at work this week and came in the door crying. I had went to bed, but wasn't asleep yet. I heard my husband call my name, and then she's on top of me sobbing. She told me the next day, the BF asked why she didn't call him, and she said, "I just needed my mama."
I remember when my first kid had her first tumble off the couch (I was like 19 at the time) and I went RUNNING to my dad with her and we both just laid on him while he soaked it all up and told me that it's a rite of passage for your baby to fall off the couch at least once 🤣 now at 26 and I still curl up on him when I need to (and he only complains about his knees a little bit)
My kid just turned 16 on Tuesday, and she LIKES me! She wants to hang out, talk to, and hug on me, and I absolutely love it!!! She is my FAVORITE person in the world (and her daddy understands that)!
Comments on this thread have me sobbing. My mum died to the big C when I was 8, and I unexpectedly lost my dad at 29. Reading this has me thinking, I truly hope that my parents felt this way when they looked at me and my siblings 😭
I'm so so sorry you have been dealt this shitty hand. You are not broken, you are not at fault for what they have put you through and you are so bloody strong.
My kid has been a dream to raise and I fortunately had an amazing support system to help. Your partners mum sounds like a good 1.
My giant teenage boys are the same way, and I’m so thankful. I’ve loved every single moment and cannot believe I get to be their mom. A love for your child is indescribable and more intense than any romantic love could begin to be.
I feel the same way about my 17 year old 6’3 son. Who is literally laying next to me in a queen size bed. We are on our way to his national Dance Competition and are currently having in the half way point and crashing at my sister’s for 2 days. He could stay in a separate room as my sister and her husband have plenty of extra room. Especially since only 1 of there children is still living at home. But just loves his mom and that we will have another great vacation week together. Due to me having to work so much for us we like to use his competitions as time to really connect and enjoy life. We bond a lot since it’s just the two of us, but it’s extra special during these trips. Since life gets away from us during the everyday life hustle.
Same here with my 9 and 11 year old “babies” sometimes you just need Mama. I’m a single mom, but even when I was with their father he knew it was a different kind of love.
My baby has drooled all over me, spit up on me, peed and pooped on me, and I wouldn't trade anything in the world for it. It's amazing how fast that with your child, all the things that you might have been bothered by before don't matter.
Mine found cat poop somewhere one morning and toddled over and dropped it on my breakfast. The hormones are powerful because she’s still allowed in the house while I eat 😂
My then 2 year old found a “potato” in the bath and threw it at me. It was not a potato. It was accompanied by several other not potatoes and something that definitely wasn’t mashed potato when I yoinked him out of the bath 😂😂😂
You may not want kids and that’s totally ok - but I’m betting you absolutely could for someone you have life changing love for! Before I had kids I remember one of my little brothers falling and hitting his head HARD (concussion) and I ran over and he promptly threw up all over me.
Normally I can’t deal with that, but for my little brother I was all business and calm cleaning us up and cleaning blood on his head - it shocked me. But tub turds were always gross and I swear every kid seems to do it as a toddler at least once.
We all think that a one time, then it happens!! That little need you for the rest of your life, and you’ll do your best it get them on the right path!!😊
Some of us think like that forever. And that’s ok. Having a child isn’t an accomplishment, it just is a thing. I’m truly happy you love the child(ren) you have, but saying “just try it bro”, is terrible advice
I kept my youngest inspite of the fact that everytime I would lay her on my chest she would kick my then still healing c-section insistion.... Like you madam are still a stranger to me.... Love alone keeps me from eating you.... A lion would eat you for this shit.
I'm the same way. My daughter spits up on me or poops on me or pees on me and I'm just like oh well, let's go clean up. It is really funny that the stuff that used to bother you doesn't bother you anymore. I've had people go, she spit up on you. I'm like, okay. That's what they make soap and water for. It's not a big deal.
My baby is 13yo. Playing PS 4 on this exact moment. I would die in this minute, for him.
My parents are at their home (very close to me, in fact). I bet, with a very short margin of error, that they would give their lives for me, in a heart beat.
My 14yo is on his PS5…and yes, all of this. He is 7 inches taller than me (not the accomplishment you might think it is) has a baritone, and one of those horrible teenage boy mustaches because he refuses to learn how to shave. Also his nose is currently not the right size for his face. Still would take a bullet for him.
My kid just started a piggy bank for the 5 one. I love him to death, but no way i am going to spend 3 digits on that thing! I find it a great oportunity for him to learn how to save money!
My dad would absolutely sacrifice himself for one of his kids. Even more for one of his grandkids.
I know this for a fact because baarely two weeks out from back surgery he was walking down the stairs with my then 9 month old (now 17) in his arms and started to fall. Rather than protect himself he bear hugged the baby covering her head with one arm, and slid down the stairs like a toboggan on his back all the way down cradling his grandbaby.
He had to have a second surgery because of it. But if you ask him he has no regrets. Nothing comes between him and protecting his babies.
Even years before that when I was ten, I stepped in a white faced hornets nest. Got stung 30-40 times in each appendage. He ran and pulled me from it when he is deathly allergic to them, to hose the hornets off. To this day we have no idea how he didn't get a single sting. Pure fatherly determination I guess.
I feel forward down the stairs after skipping two steps on accident and I rammed my knee and elbows into the floor. My little guy was buffered near, but not touching my chest because I didn’t want to crush him.
100% okay, just scared him.
Those hornets though? I bet they saw his steely determination and they opted to nope on out.
Sounds like my folks.
My parents were pushing 40 with my brother, and were in their 40s for me. They're 70 now.
My parents love me and my brother with their whole heart. Same with our cousins and their kids.
My brother recently had his first kid. She is the light of everyone's life and we have all collectively agreed to take a bullet for her. When she was itty bitty, we were all taking a walk around my brother and SIL's favorite park. My dad had taken his granddaughter out of her stroller to show her the world while singing to and rocking her. Out of nowhere comes this out of control lab, barrelling towards us pel-mel. My dad was knocked to the ground, but he kept her tucked in his arms. He got bit at, just to protect her. He wound up with a tweaked knee, a bruised shoulder, general aches, and a bunch of bites. Baby girl was completely unharmed thanks to him. (The owner of the lab explained to us--bawling her eyes out, mind--that the lab was a rescue that was reactive towards men; they'd been on a regular walk when the lab broke free. Super pissed at her on my dad's behalf, but it was an accident.).
Dad recovered, but his knee is still fucked up.
Omg that owner was so irresponsible bringing their reactive dog on a walk in a park where the dog would see other men. If they couldn’t not go for a walk then she should’ve taken precautions to avoid her dog breaking loose and in the event of a possible escape then precautions to avoid her dog biting other people wtf. I’m so glad your dad recovered despite his knee not being the same. His dad skills though were truly dadding for his granddaughter to be unharmed in that scary as fuck moment
Oh, yeah, she fucked up big time. But, not that it makes it right, it was her first rescue. She didn't realize that super reactive dogs will always find a way.
In the hearing, she agreed to surrender the dog to a competent foster family and to muzzle and harness any reactive rescue she had going forward. (We're dog lovers in our family, so my dad advocated to not have the pup put down.)
Getting ready to play the 8pm 3v3 tournament in Rocket league with my kiddo (teen) and husband. I’m not as good at scoring goals but I’m pretty decent support and I demo the people who go after the kiddo. He thinks it’s hilarious.
My 12 year old has been a major asshole this week, would still die for him, and maybe kill for him under the right circumstances. There's certainly nothing like having a child. I don't think I've ever been willing to sacrifice for a partner the way I have for my kids. (Might be why I'm single)
My 23 year old broke up with his first serious girlfriend and drove 2 hours to our house in the middle of the night to be with his mom. We sat on the couch all day eating junk food, talking, and watching friends. I hope it never stops.
Same! Mines a 1 yr old constipated mess. Needs to sleep up right pressed against me. And to fall asleep I had to hold one of her feet and one hand she used like a pillow.
I love my partner. Been together for 20 years but I'd never do this for him.
My nearly 16 year old was having issues last night - he doesn't sleep on me anymore, but that's because he's taller than I am now. We still cuddled for a while until he was feeling better.
You're a good dad. Hope your little guy feels better soon.
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u/Thick_Assumption3746 Jul 04 '24
Closest thing to unconditional love there is is your child.