Parenting Contents Archive

PSA: It's ok for your kid to be a little cold.

A week or two ago, another parent commented that my daughters coat was pretty light for the weather (why they felt the need to say those thoughts out loud is beyond me). To be honest, they were right! It was pretty cold and my daughters coat was not the best for the low temperature. But being a little cold is not the end of the world. We played for another 20 minutes or so and then headed home. She was laughing and having fun so I didn't stress about her being cold. So don't stress if you didn't put your kid in the best clothes for the weather as long as they are enjoying themselves. Also, if you have thoughts about another parents choices, just judge them silently like the rest of us.

How big did doctors/US say your baby would be and how big did they end up being?

We struggled with growth restriction for much of my pregnancy and baby boy is finally starting to pack on the pounds. I’m supposed to be induced on Thursday with baby #2 and I’m wondering how close the measurements are to accurate. We weren’t concerned about my oldest’s growth and it’s been several years, so I don’t really remember what their estimated size was for him and if it was close.

I hate the weekends

I have a six year old, and I'm a single mom. My kid wakes up at 6a, goes to bed around 8p. This entire length of time feels like a shift at a restaurant. I'm constantly cooking, cleaning, entertaining. Even though I'm constantly cleaning, the house somehow ends up 1000x dirtier by the end of the weekend. I don't even have the words to express how I feel about the piles of dishes and laundry. I wish I could use this time just to hang out with my kid, but someone has to do all these things! Otherwise everything falls apart. I'm trying to get her to help out around the house, but she's only six. She's a great help with folding when she gets in the zone. I'm also dealing with an injury right now, so the physical pain that comes with all this moving around is really getting to me. I'm just having a rough time. I'll be mildly relieved when it's time to go to work on Monday.

Appropriate punishment for teen throwing punches

And more than that... Here's the backstory. My 16yo son had a meltdown while assisting me, his father, moving a vanity upstairs. He was frustrated that it kept getting hung up on the carpet and rather than taking a break to reassess he took off down the hall, violently slammed two doors breaking them both, and then slammed the door shut to his room. His mother and I went in to confront him and then I took his gaming computer away. That's when he came at me wildly throwing punches. Nothing connected and I quickly subdued him without anyone getting hurt. Lots of words were exchanged including him threatening to kick my ass. He has had outbursts and therapy before but nothing this extreme. In addition to making him go to family therapy, using his money to fix the doors, and keeping his computer for a month, I'm wondering what is appropriate here.

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Dear in-laws…

Dear MIL, please don’t come over at 4pm with giant candy canes off M&Ms and a giant bag of Rolos and then give both to my children without consulting me first. We both know you’re going to load them up with sugar and leave. Cool. So much for dinner and bedtime. I know you want to be the fun grandma, but there are other ways. Dear FIL, please don’t ask me why we need children’s board games and if we’re ever going to play them. Just because you find them unnecessary, doesn’t mean we do. Dear in-laws, don’t remind me that you don’t allow YouTube in your house and shame us for doing so. My children watch TV. Sometimes, it’s monitored YouTube, so that I can get work done. I’m a terrible parent, I know. If you have any “Dear” rants in-laws or others, drop them here.

Birthday party etiquette

My 4 year old was invited to a birthday for the first time. I kinda know the mom. The parents have requested no presents… but like I send one anyways right?? This is new to me!!

My husband got mad at our kid…

Like the kind of mad reserved for when he and I fight. And I’m not okay with this. Kiddo is three. Three! He ordered us donuts, breakfast sandwiches, and coffee this morning. Apparently he asked her what she wanted and she said donuts. So when he got a breakfast sandwich and wouldn’t share his sandwich she got upset and threw her donut. He yelled at her and locked himself in our room ALL DAY. Like are you fucking kidding me? She’s three. You’re 37! I’m so upset. It’s been a fucking week. I have a cold that our kid gave me. Now I have to hang out with our kid by myself all day. He’s currently on the couch sleeping because I said “I need you to behave because I’m the only one watching you today” as I had Netflix turned on so I COULD GO SHOWER and that’s me being passive aggressive. Cool cool cool. I’m going to go visit my folks tomorrow because at least they let me nap while they hang out with my kid.

My mom keeps my toddler brother in the room all day long with ipad.

My brother is 3 now and I told my mom that this won’t be good for him in the future and she doesn’t believe me. He isn’t always in there but 90% of the time he is. She has been doing this since he was born, and doesn’t think he’ll be addicted to using the phone or computer when he grows up because his father isn’t like that… Any advice on what to do ?

Has anyone here “broken up” with extended family/part of extended family?

I’m wondering if I should. My parents have always been toxic, but since my beautiful baby girl was born it has been worse. Or rather, I as a parent have gotten a new perspective on things and just how bad my parents are, I wouldn’t dream of saying/acting the way they treated me to my child… Anyway, what was your experience with it? Difficult? Did you regret it? How did you go about?

How to be more productive with kids.

Please don’t judge me. As a child myself, I was never really did much with my mom as she was a single parent and worked all the time. I am a mother of 4 and I have zero motivation to be productive with my children. I always have an excuse of not wanting to deal with them outdoors and I feel like a super shitty person for feeling that way. I suspect I have depression, I never want to leave my home. I am trying to be more of a mother. I just don’t know how too. I feel desperate. I don’t want my children to be messed up like I am.

Dad missed first steps… should I tell him?

My husband had to work today and missed our twins’ first steps. They both took their first steps today, one right after the other! Should I tell him or pretend it didn’t happen?

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When did you have a social life again?

I feel like I'm missing something as far as how to have a social life with a little one. Our baby is 4.5 months and we would love to see people and do more. But she's often cranky in the evenings and then it's bedtime so how is there time?! When did you feel like you could do more or things were easier in regards to having a social life?

Area rug recommendations - are synthetic fibers really dangerous for babies?

I've been looking at area rugs for our hardwood and tile floor. I see a lot of warnings on blogs against synthetic rugs, according to them they all emit VOCs that are dangerous for babies and recommend wool as the best material. I want something plush and large (like 9x10') and Wool is a lot more expensive than say polypropylene. The problem with wool - it all sheds like crazy, even the really expensive ones (across lots of sites) have lots of reviews complaining about the shedding. So now I'm worried about baby inhaling the wool fibers! Does anyone have any insight on my dilemma?