You Are Not Your Own Substack

You Are Not Your Own Substack

On Being a Playful Father

Even when you feel the weight of the world on your shoulders

O. Alan Noble's avatar
O. Alan Noble
Nov 12, 2025
∙ Paid

Father and son playing chess on the floor.
Photo by Vitaly Gariev on Unsplash

I used to be a playful father. And I’m learning to be one again, even though my children are less and less prone to silliness and imagination as they’ve grown older. I’m trying to be one again. I think as fathers we have a temptation toward stoicism. There’s a narrative we can tell ourselves to justify a stone-cold face…

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