Parenting Contents Archive

MIL refused to wear mask to hold LO

My LO is two weeks today and we’re finally letting our parents come over to meet him this week. I’m in-laws were first today. My MIL asked to hold him and when I asked if she minded wearing a mask (we’re asking everyone to if they want to hold him), she said yes and then didn’t want to hold him. I felt bad and almost caved and let her hold him without one, but this is a decision my husband and I made a long time ago regarding visitors and weren’t really even planning on letting people over this early. We’re all vaccinated, so maybe I’m being too paranoid, but I don’t know. He’s still so tiny and young and has no immune system so COVID isn’t even my only concern. But now I feel guilty for possibly offending her. Also, the reason she refused is because she doesn’t want his first impression of her to be with a mask on. Am I just a paranoid asshole?

Update: had the come to Jesus talk.

I left today. He threw a sander across the living room Sunday because our son tried to grab it. I don't really have a lot else to say. I feel like I did the right thing but I still feel really guilty. I'm not really sure what to do now but there's no going back.

USA folks- child tax credit payments

The child tax credits are supposed to start next month. If you don’t want the advanced payments the IRS website now has the link to unenroll from them. You may want to unenroll if normally you have to pay back the IRS, make way more than last year and may not qualify for the payments, or don’t usually get a large refund. If you get overpaid, you will have to pay it back. Also, if you file jointly both you and your spouse has to unenroll to stop the payments. Half of the child tax credit will be paid back in six monthly payments. (1500 for kids over 6 and 1800 for kids under 6). I unenrolled since I usually do not get much of a refund and getting half of it in advance may cause me to have to pay back instead. Just an FYI.

Just wanna hear other parents thoughts

Hi, I have a 8 month old baby girl, and we have started a lot of different foods. As all parents know, baby's and kids in general are MESSY! So what I was wondering is what are your ways too deal with the mess? So far I've had the mindset of baby, clothes and floor can be washed and I never really cared about materialistic stuff. But my mother clames I'm teaching baby that it's okay too ruin her clothes... I don't agree as I was raised to be so careful about my clothes and other stuff, and I as a child still ruined clothes because I whould trip and scrape my knees, or get grass stains and other stains on my clothes. So what are your thoughts, I think I will continue with just washing or when the scraped knees come too just mend the clothes. Sorry if my English is off, it's not my native language

Landlord Rant.

How would you feel if your landlord just randomly pops up to your house when he knows your bf isn't there?. That's what mine does, and it makes me super uncomfortable. He'll look in the windows too. One time it was like 6am he was looking in the windows and texted my bf telling him to tell me to get up and clean the house. And now recently he'll just come over to cut the grass, even when we just cut it. It just gives me creepy vibes and idk if I'm overreacting 🥴😅

I AM THE VACUUM DRAGON!

*Consumer of dust! Collector of entropy! Raise all that you wished to be saved, for whatever is not on the sofa or the table shall go in... mah... belly!* I've been doing this game/gimmick for about a month now and the toddlers still love it. Everything gets picked up quickly, and then they seek shelter on the sofa; dashing bravely around the vacuum occasionally to outbid each other on who is braver. Make it your own and have fun with it!

Do the Lemony Snickets: A Series of Unfortunate Events books get any "better"?

We starting reading these to my eight-year-old; we started with *The Bad Beginning*. Even though it says in the first paragraph that nothing good happens in the book, I assumed the author was joking. He was not joking. It's getting to the point where they are really depressing to read. We are only on chapter 6 and don't want to read any more. Does anything good happen to the Baudelaire orphans, or is it constant despair? Are all the books like this? If so, how are they so popular being so horrible towards children in the stories?   Anyway, thanks for reading and any input you can provide.

How can I help my stay at home fiance while I'm at work? (Ages 1mo, 6y, 4y)

I have one night left before I return to work. (12 hr graveyard shifts). My fiance is usually really good at keeping her cool usually, but our newborn also has some really bad colic. I'm going to be at work through the night, while she is home alone with 3 children. Also, she has never been a stay at home parent before. We used to have daycare/school for the kiddos but they're on holiday now. I'm already planning on completely catching up on laundry and making sure the kitchen is clean, but what else could I possibly do in the next 12 hours that will help her over the next week or so while I'm back at work?

I had heard about hearing phantom cries as a parent...

But no one warned me about the phantom music of my baby’s favorite toy! I swear it’s playing on a loop in my head right now and I can’t turn it off 💀😭

Touchy strangers

I have a four month old baby and I’m trying to get out a little bit more now that I’m vaccinated. I’m not talking large groups, but rather hikes with the baby and visits to the park. I was sitting on a bench the other day with my daughter and an old couple came up and started touching her and gushing over her. It made me really uncomfortable but I completely froze in the moment. They were there and then gone in what felt like a matter of seconds. What is a good, quick way to react to unwanted touching in the future? I really don’t care for strangers (even well meaning ones) getting in our personal space or touching without asking - especially since the pandemic is still ongoing.

Where are all the big baby parents at?

Please tell me I'm not the only one with a monster baby. My 7 week old weighs nearly 15 pounds, she's 14 12. She weighed 11 4 at birth for reference.

reasonable amount of help from older kids

What is a reasonable amount of babysitting to ask of an 11 year old of a 5 year old? is 30 minutes a day reasonable? too much? too little? (he is out for summer and I am working full time from home) what is a good way to enforce chores for an 11 year old? besides taking away devices and bedtimes? just hoping to think outside the box a little. his only chore at the moment is emptying the dishwasher.

I feel down

My husband and I were doing this program to get a house. This program is supposed to help low income families. We got to where they told us how much the payments would be and my heart just sank. I feel so low and I can't even show it to my husband because he feels like absolute shit. If we get it best case scenario we'll have $4 left in our account. This is all after all the payments and groceries have been done. If we didn't still have the cars to pay we could do it but we can't. I want to cry. I have no one to talk to about this. I feel like a failure to my 1 year old son. I just want something better for him. Living where we are at is just toxic.

Ideas for exercising with a young kid?

My son is 3.5. Also - I'm out of shape. I figure that exercising together builds good habits, is good for bonding, etc. Does anyone have any ideas or experience with including your young child in a real exercise routine? I've never been into fitness, so my exercise IQ is low. (And yes, I understand that he won't be able to do what I do, just that he's doing some version of it with or alongside me) I have a couple barriers, unfortunately--- \-I have gerd, so anything that involves being horizontal (yoga, even push-ups) can be risky. I can run/jog, but it's hard to see that going well. Maybe just jog super slowly beside him? \-We live in an apartment, in a city. No yard, neighborhoods downstairs, small-ish space, etc. I've looked for parent/child classes for things like martial arts, but there really aren't any - which, maybe is for the best.

please wear a mask around my unvaccinated child

Yes, this is me being a very protective mom. I was looking for a speech pathologist for my son, who is 1yo, and obviously too young to be vaccinated or wearing a mask. So I asked on the phone and see if their staffs are still wearing masks, and they said it would be hard for speech pathologists to do their work when wearing a mask, which I understand. But when I asked about other staffs, they said no mask and don't know if they are vaccinated or not. I just thought it is ridiculous that medical professionals and staffs who work with many unprotected young patients are not required to wear mask/ at minimum let their employer know that they are vaccinated or not. Unbelievable.