The modern urban lawn is a somewhat pathetic attempt to mimic the lawns of English aristocracy, which Capability Brown invented in the XVIIIthC and which quickly caught on as trendy status symbols of conspicuous consumption for the rich.
We plebs have had to invent gas-guzzling, stinking, noisy machines and noxious chemical poisons to do what rich Brits had hordes of peasants and flocks or ornammental sheep do for them: maintain a pretty greensward, weed free and at uniform length, that's absolutely useless.
Beyond what you need for a bit of barefoot pleasure, and the kids need for roughousing, your lawn is likely—from what guys have been posting here—too much trouble, even with honkin' mowers and toxic compounds to help you along.
Get rid of all but the minimum of grass. Mowing it twice a week in the two growing seasons (you do know when those are, don't you?), and once a week or less in summer with a push mower will be less work than pleasant exercise, and that and plucking the yellow tops will keep the dandelions from seeding quite effectively.
There's lots of other groundcovers and native plants—even a vegetable garden—that take less care and won't look as misconceived and mismanaged as a badly-kept lawn.
