Surviving Hard-Headed, Old-School Men: A Guide to Sanity

 

How to Cope with the Ignorant

A special kind of endurance is required when living with men who operate on ancient logic, refuse to admit defeat, and still believe they know more than Google. If you’ve ever watched in horror as an old-school hardhead confidently bypasses every instruction manual, only to almost burn the house down, this one’s for you.

The Art of Stubbornness

The hard-headed man lives by a few sacred rules:

1. If it worked 40 years ago, it still works now. (Even if it objectively does not.)
2. Admitting fault is worse than defeat in battle. Even when caught red-handed.
3. If you ignore a problem long enough, it ceases to exist. Example: “That leak? It’s fine. Water finds its way.”

I’ve watched these men argue against basic physics, refuse doctor’s advice, and question why things need to be different. And yet, somehow, in their maddening logic, they do make some sense.

The Unsolicited Parenting Advice

If you’re raising kids around hard-headed men, congratulations, you now have an unsolicited co-parent.

They believe:

• Kids need more discipline, and by that, they mean the kind they got as children (which would now get someone arrested).
• “Back in my day, we didn’t have anxiety.” (Sure, Grandpa, you just repressed it until it manifested as back pain at 40.)
• Technology is ruining everything. (Yet they’re using it for sites that are frowned upon.)
• Kids are too soft and need to learn “the hard way.”

And somehow, despite your best efforts, they still manage to overrule you. Whether it’s sneaking candy or soda to your toddler five minutes before bedtime, rewriting your rules mid-sentence, or just shaking their head like you have no idea what you’re doing.

How to Survive It

1. Pretend they didn’t say that. (Selective hearing is a lifesaver.)
2. Redirect with a compliment. (“Wow, your parenting is SO effective")
3. Let them feel like they won. (They need this. Their ego depends on it.)
4. Hold your ground. Because at the end of the day, your kids are your responsibility, not a nostalgic experiment in tough love.
   
   

The Unexpected Wisdom

For all their stubborn ways, these men have a knack for being right about things they should absolutely be wrong about. Like knowing exactly what’s wrong with the car based on a single sound. Or being able to grill the perfect steak using nothing but instinct and outdated knowledge.

More importantly, their refusal to change often stems from something deeper, experience, pride, and the fear of irrelevance. They’ve lived through eras of self-sufficiency, trial and error, and moments where knowing your stuff actually mattered.

How We Survive It

1. Selective hearing👂 (again). (Pretending not to hear their nonsense works wonders.)
2. Reverse psychology.🧠 (Convince them an idea was theirs, and they’ll champion it immediately.)
3. Let them win sometimes. 🏆(It costs you nothing to nod along when they insist “That’s not how you clean a stove,” even though it is.)
4. Find the humor. 😂At some point, you have to laugh. (Until it becomes too much)

Because in the end, these men, despite their maddening ways, are part of what keeps life interesting. Their old-school grit, their love buried beneath their resistance, and their ability to survive despite their own habits make them unforgettable.

What’s the funniest hard-headed moment you’ve ever witnessed?

Drop it below, I bet you’ve got some good ones.⬇️

Turns Out, I’m Not Italian. But Honestly, That’s the Least of My Chaos...

 

Intro

Look, if there’s one thing I’ve learned about family, it’s that nothing ever goes the way you think it will.

For years, I confidently believed I was Italian. The traditions, the food, the slightly dramatic hand gestures. 🤌Then one day, I found out my mom was adopted, and BAM!! I was not Italian anymore. 

Turns out, identity is weird.

Turns out, family is even weirder.

I didn’t meet my dad until I was 25, so growing up, I never had the full picture of where I came from. And honestly? I’m still figuring it out.

But Forget Identity.....Let’s Talk About Survival Mode

At 31, I’m a stay-at-home mom managing two kids, full-time caregiving for my grandfather-in-law, and a husband who can’t resist adding to our household zoo—leaving me in charge of an ever-expanding parade of pets.

I swear, every time I turn around, there’s a new creature added to the family. He works full-time to provide for us, which means while he’s off being a responsible adult, I’m over here wrangling kids and feeding a small zoo.

At this point, I’ve accepted my fate. I am not just a mom. I am an unpaid caregiver, short-order cook, and now, a reluctant zookeeper.

Some days, I’m crushing it like a superhero. Other days, I’m sitting in my car, on the verge of tears, because the chicken’s still frozen, and dinner has officially become a mystery.

Caregiving teaches you patience (sometimes). It teaches you adaptability (always). It teaches you that love doesn’t look like fancy speeches. It looks like constant appointment reminders, making sure meds are given, and figuring out why the dog is suddenly limping,  why the cat started puking this week, or wondering if the newest addition (baby squirrel) will survive, oh and why there is a bat in my cats mouth, INSIDE THE HOUSE!

New "Rehabber"

BAT- that was safely released

It’s messy, exhausting, and deeply meaningful.

So, What Do I Do With All This?

I started writing.

I write about the traditions I’m holding onto. The ones that actually matter. I write about the ones I’ve let go of because, honestly, some of them were just stressful for no reason. I write about parenting, marriage, family, and the absolutely unhinged rollercoaster that is adulthood.

Because if there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s that family isn’t about who you came from, it’s about who shows up.

That’s the legacy I’m building. The one my kids will carry forward, the one that proves love isn’t about labels, heritage, or perfection. It’s about showing up, in whatever form that takes.

So, welcome to my corner of the internet, where I overshare, embrace the chaos, and attempt to keep my household functioning while living among a growing number of furry, feathered, and (probably someday) scaly housemates. 

Marriage: Choosing Love in the Chaos

Introduction:

Marriage isn’t candlelit dinners and walks on the beach—it’s whispering “I love you” over the sound of a toddler meltdown or high-fiving each other when you finally get the kids to bed. It’s messy, loud, sometimes chaotic, but somehow, it works. Between parenting, caregiving, and life’s daily curveballs, marriage becomes less about big, romantic gestures and more about showing up for each other—even when the house looks like a scene from a disaster movie.

Love in the Mess:

Some days, love feels like magic. Other days, it feels like digging deep to find the patience to not argue over how to stack the dishwasher. Marriage is the constant, quiet agreement that no matter what chaos life throws at you, you’re in it together—even if the toddler is decorating the walls with markers again.

For us, love is less about perfection and more about laughing at the imperfection, like when I forget, again, to switch the laundry, or when my husband’s fiery personality sets off an argument about whether 8:00 p.m. is technically “bedtime" or not. It’s these messy, unpolished moments that make our marriage feel real.

The Little Things That Keep Us Together:

✨The magic is in the small stuff✨

• Shared Coffee Mornings: Even if it’s reheated coffee and the conversation is mostly about toddler tantrums.
• Inside Jokes: Like poking fun at how he can’t ever find his shoes (even though they’re always in the same spot).
• Grace and Patience: For silly arguments, for bad days, and for the chaos that is parenting together.
• Remembering our happiest moments together: Like before we had kids 😂, or like our wedding day, or even just enjoying the northern lights in our yard together!

Before Kids

Our wedding day

Northern lights in our yard

Choosing Love Every Day:

Seems like marriage is the ultimate team sport. We find ourselves laughing even when we want to scream, forgiving even when it’s hard, and remembering why we fell in love in the first place. We know that despite the chaos, there’s no one else we'd rather face it with.

It’s about making the choice to keep choosing each other, whether it’s over cold pizza at midnight or dodging the LEGO minefield your kids left behind.🙄

Conclusion:

Our marriage isn’t perfect, but it’s ours. Built on faith, humor, heart, and the kind of love that grows stronger through every messy, chaotic day.

My Love, and Me 💕

Tell me—what makes your marriage work? 

How do you hold onto love through life’s chaos? 

Let’s celebrate the magic of imperfect partnerships together.