u/Dirty_Hippyish

That beach thought isn’t really about the beach. It’s about wanting one damn day where nobody is moving the goalposts, nobody is baiting you, nobody is making you document common sense like you’re preparing evidence for the Supreme Court of Summer Vacation.

You’re not crazy for wanting peace.

And you’re right, the boys are the reason you don’t just mentally check out. That’s the hard part. You don’t get to throw your hands up and disappear because you’re their dad. You have to keep showing up, keep staying calm, keep being steady, keep eating the emotional cost of things you didn’t create. Lovely system we’ve built here, truly a masterpiece of human suffering and paperwork.

But I’ll tell you this: you’re not doing this forever.

You’re in the thick of the part where everything still needs managed, clarified, documented, and protected. As the boys get older, they’ll understand more. They’ll communicate more directly. They’ll have more say. The constant gatekeeping bs loses power over time.

Right now your job is not to win every fight. It’s to build the record, stay steady, and make sure the boys experience you as the calm, safe, reliable home base.

That beach is not gone. It’s just postponed by two small humans you love more than your own comfort.

Which is inconvenient as hell, but also kind of the whole point.