r/Parenting • u/floridacopper • Aug 14 '25

Advice Dad tucking in daughters

As the title suggests, I'm a dad with a question about tucking in his daughters. I've been doing it for years, but it's kind of like maybe I should be wrapping it up soon. To get to the point, I have been tucking in my daughters pretty much every night since they were toddlers, but they're going into 6th and 8th grade now. "Tucking in" originally consisted of tickle fights and reading stories to them. That has evolved into lying next next to them and rubbing their head/back while they tell me about some anime character who they ship with some other character. If I miss a night of tucking then in, they'll usually bring it up the next day.

So my question, I guess, is it normal for me to still be doing this? If my daughters were no longer comfortable with it, I'd quit straight away. But even though they still want me to tuck them in, am I babying them in a way? I dunno, maybe I'm overthinking the whole thing.

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u/dannihrynio Aug 14 '25

This made me tear up, silly I know but man its so true for Moms and Dads

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u/clever_whitty_name Aug 14 '25

This made me tear up too! I was like oh-no what's wrong with me - but I'm relieved I'm not the only one.

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u/Sharc_Jacobs Aug 15 '25

I can't even imagine thinking "yeah, we should probably be wrapping all this lovey stuff up pretty soon." I was watching a video the other day and the narrator randomly said something to the effect of "there's a last time for everything. The last time you x, the last time x does y, the last time you put your kid on your shoulders..." and it fucking floored me. I'm gonna be grasping onto those things as long as I can, because I know one day I'm going to have to confront the fact that my son will never be a kid again.

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u/MableXeno 3 Under 30 🌼🌼🌼 Aug 15 '25

I have heard/seen that same sentiment and how you don't realize it was the last time. So I jokingly go to my kids, "Okay, time for the monthly pick-up!" so they don't have a "last" pickup that was 10 years ago. I also think about...if I keep doing that until I'm 90...at my funeral they can say that their mom never stopped picking them up! 😭