Our childhood influences our present

It seems that our parenting style is influenced less by the country or culture we come from and more by the time and environment in which we grew up. Living in Germany, I meet many fathers my age from all around the world. They speak different languages, belong to different cultures, and follow different religions. And yet, surprisingly, most of them do things in almost the same way. Their style is shaped not by national traditions, but by how their own childhood unfolded.

But the world our kids are growing up in is very different from the one we knew. As parents, we now have the chance to give our children safety without constant restrictions, respect without fear, and love—not because they “deserve” it or behave as we want, but simply because they are our children.

Breaking away from old patterns isn’t easy. The very first step is to notice that something feels wrong. If you’ve already reached the point where you are asking yourself, “Could I do better?”—that’s already a huge leap forward. The next step is finding the right support: friends, books, the internet, psychologists, or even apps. The form doesn’t matter as much as the direction—what matters is that it truly helps.

One of the most powerful methods for changing habits is keeping a diary. Writing down what happens allows us to look back, analyze, and see patterns more clearly. It could be a simple notebook, a calendar, or even sticky notes on the fridge—any format can work.

For me, however, all of these felt either too big or too generic. I wanted something simple and precise. Something that would let me see that—even on the bad days—I was still moving forward. That’s how the idea of HappyPapa was born.

HappyPapa is a simple “karma tracker” for parents. Instead of just reflecting at the end of the day, it helps you capture specific moments as they happen. You can log the good and the difficult ones, rate them, and add notes. The app then calculates your overall “karma score” for today, yesterday, or any past day. With time, you start to see a bigger picture: are you improving, slipping, or staying steady?

Of course, no app can promise to erase deep-rooted patterns inherited from our own parents. But HappyPapa can be a powerful first step. And sometimes that first step is the most important one. Even if all it does is help you say to yourself: “Good job. I tried today.”—that alone is worth celebrating. And the fact my app can help you doing this, will make me happy too.

👉 Just hop in: https://happy-papa.cherry-pick-apps.eu/