My child's father feels he needs money to spend time with them. I try to tell he they are young and don't understand that nor rely on it. But he is down on his luck and feels inadequate if he can't take them somewhere other than the park. I can tell it's eating at him but I don't really know what else to tell he to reassure him that money is not needed. He did miss out 4 years of the oldest life. He has only been home 8 months I'm not sure if that plays a role too. But are their any dad's out there who may understand what is going on with him? Any advice on how to get him to look at the situation diffently?
Thats a shame as children value time spent with them more than money spent on them. You can google free activities for kids in your area and find ideas other than the park. There are some ideas on the verywellfamily website. Many more parents are looking for free activities now other costs are rising so he shouldn't feel inadequate. Gifts can be found in charity shops too.
Oh man that's tough. Sounds like there's some guilt and shame tied up into how he is feeling. One book that might be helpful for him is Hero by Dr. Meg Meeker. She talks about how kids just want their dads to be present even if it is just for 5 minutes. When kids are young they don't have a major grasp on time yet. To them spending 5 minutes is like spending an hour with them. They just want you to be present.
I know you posted this a few months ago and I hope things have gotten better since your initial post.
Hope this helps.
JT