Why Dads Need to Look Out for Dads
I was browsing reddit the other day and read this story about a certain dad in a daycare parking lot that reminded me exactly why we started the Dads Got It brand.
The story hit like a gut punch and stuck with me for the rest of the day. It all started with a guy falling and hurting himself, but it wasn’t the idea of the injury that hit so hard. It was about what the fall revealed about his life, and really about the life of most men walking around today.
So, the redditor said that he was doing the usual daycare pickup shuffle. Worn out, running on fumes, already thinking about what’s for dinner or if he remembered to grab diapers. Through his racing mind he noticed another dad but something was off, he was walking very weirdly.
Not in a dangerous way. Just in that “I stepped on a LEGO barefoot and saw my will to live exit stage left” kind of way.
Turns out, the man limping had fallen off a ladder at work that day. Busted his knee, couldn’t walk right. But being a good dad, he still dragged himself over to the daycare to pick up his kid—because that’s what we do. Through a limp. One breath away from breaking. We carry on. We show up.
But here’s where the story shifts.
Instead of walking past him like everyone else had that day, the redditor stopped and asked, “You okay, man?”
That question—those four simple words—cracked something open.
Because nobody had asked. Not at work. Not at home. Not even when he was on the ground in pain.
And when someone finally did?
The limping man, He cried.
Let that sink in. A grown man, possibly broken knee, broken spirit, tearing up in a preschool parking lot—not because someone fixed his pain, but because someone noticed it.
We’re All Carrying More Than We Let On
We get it. Most dads default to “I’m fine.”
Not because we always are—but because saying otherwise feels like failure. Like weakness. Like a burden.
We tell ourselves nobody wants to hear it and sadly, most times… we’re right.
And for me, reading that, it hit me again, that’s why we started Dads Got It. It isn’t just about funny parenting hacks or relatable dad fails (though, yeah, we love those too). It’s about reminding every dad out there that you’re not invisible. You’re not alone. And you don’t have to carry everything in silence.
Here’s what we’re taking away—and maybe it’s what you need to hear today too:
- Check in on your people. Even the “strong ones.” Especially the ones who never ask for help.
- Show up. Not with solutions. Just presence. Sometimes, “You okay?” is enough.
- Drop the armor. It’s okay to not be okay. Vulnerability isn’t weakness—it’s human.
A Challenge for All of Us
This week, reach out to one dad in your life. A friend, a coworker, your own father, the guy in your neighborhood who always waves but never says much.
Text them. Call them. Stop by.
And just ask:
“You okay, man?”
You might be the only person who does. And it might mean more than you’ll ever know.
Dads Got It. And we’ve got each other.
Let’s keep showing up—for our kids, for ourselves, and for the dads who limp but still keep walking, because…they always show up.
