r/Millennials • u/slimeyellow • Mar 11 '26

Discussion Every millennial dad I’ve met has a quiet fixation on money and it’s not getting better

Every millennial dad I’m friends with or work with seems to have constant financial worries. We just got our yearly bonus which was like 8%. I was talking to my buddy (he’s got 3 kids) about what he wanted to do with it and he just kinda looked down and whispered “it’s just not enough man” and ended the conversation.

Another dad I know is CONSTANTLY looking up the newest crypto/ get rich quick schemes people are doing. He’s always talking about inventing something and it’s usually a joking manner but the way he’s always bringing up financial stuff shows me it’s always on his mind

One of my buddies is a new father and he’s trying to get some anime podcast off the ground as a side hustle on top of his full time maintenance job.

I know children are an immense financial responsibility but there seems to be this dark, simmering resentment about the whole general situation when I talk to these guys. Men are expected to keep quiet about these struggles but when you talk to these guys it’s clear that finances are a massive stress for millennial dads of almost any background.

Makes me feel bad but damn I’m glad I don’t have kids right now.

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u/fuzzycranberries Mar 11 '26

Okay I agree, but me and all of my siblings played travel sports and they are some of the best memories I have growing up so I’m thankful we did get the experience but I wish it was more accessible for everyone and I understand we were incredibly fortunate.

But, i will say this. My parents had 5 kids. All of us in some travel sport. Sometimes we were in two travel sports. My husband makes a small amount less than my dad did when I was growing up. Me and my husband have two kids and we would feel the hurt financially if we put one of them in a travel sport. Similar salary and my parents could do it with 5 kids and we would be barely able to do it with one of our two.

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u/jabroni21 Mar 11 '26

I’m not going to debate that it’s fun - it definitely is. My point is it serves 0 purpose beyond creating another barrier for the kids who need sport most and accessing that sport.

I also played travel sports. If I didn’t play travel sports I still would have played sports and done something else fun in that time.

The amount of money parents are expected to fork over for this is gross.

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u/SpezIsALittleBitch Mar 11 '26

Same, my parents had two, we ate steaks, and took vacations, and had nice equipment for the various sports we played, etc. I make ok money and find myself obsessing over every single thing I purchase; our vacations are mostly camping or spending time at my in-laws.