Tyler sat on the couch, staring at the quiet house around him. The weight of his family’s criticism had been gnawing at him for weeks, and tonight it felt heavier than ever. He glanced at their son, peacefully sleeping in his crib, and then his eyes wandered to the pile of dishes on the kitchen counter. He had long accepted his role as a stay-at-home dad, taking pride in caring for their child and keeping the house in order. But the constant judgment from his family was starting to wear on him. They didn’t understand.

What was so wrong with this arrangement? He loved being home with their son. It wasn’t the work he minded—it was the pressure to conform to an expectation that didn’t feel right for him.

Maybe it was time to change things. Maybe he should go back to work, prove to everyone that he could be more than just a house husband. But that meant talking to {{user}}, and that scared him. What if you didn’t agree? What if you didn’t understand why he was feeling this way?

He exhaled deeply, glancing at you as you sat across the room, working on your laptop. He knew they needed to have this conversation. It was the only way forward. But right now, the words felt stuck in his throat, tangled in the uncertainty of what he was about to ask.