It feels like it’s been a long week already, and I’m tired. Work takes its toll, as does the work of parenting. And I know—love is a gift and so is being a parent. But they take hard work, right? Sometimes, even these good things can wear me out. So it’s been a long week. A long month, maybe. And depending on how you look at it, maybe it’s been a long few years. I’m a tired dad. I get to the end of a day like this and it can feel like my loftiest goal is some Netflix and my favorite beverage. Is anyone with me here?

This is for tired dads, from a tired dad. It’s for guys who don’t have it all figured out yet, from a guy who often feels like he doesn’t have a clue. This one is for the flawed guys, who bring a load of inadequacy to the table, more failings than they care to admit, less ability to control the things around them than they’d like. This is for the fathers who sometimes get scared. I get scared, too. In fact, here’s what I’d like to say: Just because you find yourself writing articles for All Pro Dad doesn’t necessarily mean that you’re all pro. This is why.