Introvert dad wants alone time without upsetting his clingy son — fellow parents had some genius tips

Parenting is a full-time job that comes with heavy responsibilities and the constant challenge of meeting the demands of young children. However, even the most devoted parents may need a break from their daily routine for their well-being. Sharing one such incident on the social media platform Reddit, an introvert dad, who goes by the username u/rainystorm88, sparked a conversation online after he admitted that he sometimes needs a break from his kid, but he doesn't want to make him feel unloved. Wanting to recharge without hurting his son, he turned to fellow parents on the internet for advice.

In his Reddit post, the dad wrote, "My 5-year-old son is so extra clingy. I love him, but he’s smothering me with his clinginess. I allocate a lot of time to spend with him every day. But being an introvert, I also need my alone time, and he does not understand that." He further added, "In his mind, if I’m awake, why not just play with him? I’d kindly ask him to go play by himself, and he just pretends not to hear me. Then I have to raise my voice to tell him to get out of my room because I physically feel like I cannot breathe. I need advice and support."

Fellow parents shared numerous clever tips and tricks in the comment section to help the dad take out some much-needed alone time. One Reddit user, u/wtfmatey88, commented, "I wear my AirPods sometimes and play chill music while I’m doing things with him. Quiet enough that I can still hear him and everything, but loud enough that it gives me something to help chill out." Another user, u/denialerror, wrote, "If he won't leave you alone, do some chores he doesn't want to be involved in, or take a walk. I easily get an hour to myself each night by volunteering to do the cooking."

Similarly, u/firsttfdrummer chimed in and said, "I go to the bathroom and just sit there. Gives me time to bring my heightened anxiety down to a normal level." u/RoyOfCon also suggested, "I let my two-year-old show me how to do something or help me with a chore. It keeps him occupied and allows my brain a second to slow down." Meanwhile, in a similar incident, a woman on Reddit, u/imaginary-owl-9887, opened up about experiencing "mom guilt" after she let her 15-week-old daughter watch TV just so she could take a short break.

While she did feel guilty, she didn't regret it. This was the first time that the mother allowed her baby to watch TV so that she could have her lunch peacefully and clean the house in the meantime. She felt good about completing the household chores, but the guilt hit hard. She was worried that it might affect her kid's overall development. Nevertheless, the woman later admitted that maybe she just needed to share her story with people to remind herself that it’s okay to take a break sometimes, and that it doesn’t make her a bad mom.