Dark humour alert- I don’t know about you other dads, but I assume you do everything in your power to provide for your kid(s) and family. And it’s a ball ache some times trying to balance work, attention to the families wants and needs and take a moment to breathe. Going from the world of performing, doing what I love, to grinding in hospitality once again has been a shift on top of becoming a dad. And the harsh reality of my parents telling me to “get a real job” when I was younger has set in. Don’t get me wrong I’m not sh*tting on hospitality as it’s one of the more difficult jobs I’ve ever had. But I look at other dads of the same age achieving far more and in a more comfortable position and it sucks sometimes. Add on the fact- the summer season was rough too, working as senior management for a wedding venue getting in at 1-2am and awoken to a toddler at 7am. It sucks. The difficulty wasn’t getting up, it’s the being present. I was struggling to be awake enough to play with my boy, to take the time to listen to my wife and try not to crumble. No amount of caffeine seems to do anything anymore, and hard drugs aren’t on the table, other than ibuprofen for my knees and back, (the thirties are fun). At times I felt like a piece of shit dad and husband but then remember that I’m giving everything I can to provide for those that matter most. That and I could be worse, I could be Josef Fritzl.