When You Feel Like Giving Up As A Father

If you've reached the point of wanting to give up, please pause and read this slowly. You are not weak. You are exhausted. There is a difference, and it matters.

Please reach out right now if you're in crisis

If you are having thoughts of ending your life or harming yourself, please call Samaritans on 116 123 (free, 24/7), text SHOUT to 85258, or call 999 if you are in immediate danger. These services exist for moments like this.

What 'giving up' usually means

When fathers say they want to give up, they rarely mean giving up on their children. They usually mean: I can't carry this alone any more. That is a different statement, and it has a different answer.

You were never meant to carry this alone

No man is built to hold separation, court, loneliness and grief on his own. Reaching out, to a friend, a GP, a peer group, a helpline, is not failing. It is the most fatherly thing you can do.

You don't have to carry this alone

Many fathers find it helpful to connect with other men who understand. There may be value in talking with others navigating similar experiences, not for advice, but for the quiet relief of being heard by people who get it.

If anything in this article landed, our Monthly Fathers Support Group, Men's Circle, Walk & Talk, and Recovery Hub presence are gentle next steps. None of them ask you to perform, explain or fix anything. They simply hold a space for you.