Parenting Contents Archive

What’s your unintended positive consequence of having children?

Having kids can really change a person. Sometimes it’s for the worst, other times it’s for the best. What unintended positive change did having kids have for you? For me, it was near sobriety. I spent 15 years as a self medicating (depression) functioning alcoholic. It dawned on me today that since my son was born 2 years ago, I’ve had less than a drink a month on average and have not been drunk since. Best part is I don’t miss it! Looking forward to seeing yours 😊

My mother is accusing my wife and I of child abandonment because I walk my wife out of our condo parking lot when it is dark in the mornings.

My two year old daughter is fast asleep in her crib in her own room and doesn't get up for another hour. The max it takes me is three minutes and the sight of our locked front door never gets obstructed. We only do this two days a week because they are the days she can't use the car because I need it to take our daughter to preschool. This never struck me as a big deal because I also do things like take our dog out to use the bathroom and take garbage out to the dumpster when our daughter is napping, which are similar distances and times of duration. We stopped doing it after this accusation from my mother. But it also seemed really harsh and, even though I know it's coming from a good place, it really angered my wife and I. We live on the second floor of a condo building with exposed doors and stairs. As in, we leave the entire building when we walk out our front door, which is why I'm able to always have eyes on it.

Raising your child multilingual

I am currently pregnant with my first child and my husband and I have to different mother languages and we live in a country where English is the first language. We are thinking of raising our kid in all three languages, but I am a bit worried that it could be might too much? Does anybody here raise their children in several languages? And what are you experiences with that?

Dad took job across country

My husband and I are both is civil service. Opportunities come up to provide manning assistance to other organizations. One came up on the other side of the country for 4-6 months and he accepted it without talking to me first. These jobs do not come with any pay raise, but his hope is it’ll look good for promotion down the line. All I can think about is that he took it so he could get some sleep, freedom to PS5 uninterrupted, and peace and quiet while I play single mom to a newborn and preschooler. I want to strangle him. He leaves in one month.

No More YouTube

Today we are cutting ties. We have four kids, 9, 8, 4 and 2. The younger two will watch YouTube Kids a bit, but not much. The older two though get sucked in. The middle 8 year old will sit for hours and zone out. Then last night I noticed how dramatic and over the top my 9 year old is. Not normal impressed stuff, but always overly dramatic. I knew it was from YouTube and how all these gamers he watch are so dramatic when they play. Then we were researching how it’s so bad for them. Developing brains and how teachers are finding it hard to teach unless it’s that constant change like on YouTube videos. We still have Disney+ for them and Netflix kids. Plenty of stuff to watch if they choose to. Anybody else cut ties with YouTube?

Do we need to sterilize bottles after every use?

My spouse and I have a dispute over whether we need to sterilize the baby's bottles after every use. I just wash them with soap and water, but my spouse wants to boil them in water each time. I don't have strong opinions either way (although constant sterilization will take up time I may not have), but I'm curious what other people do and what your doctors have recommended? Of maybe if anybody has pointers to actual research on the topic? Thanks so much in advance from an overtired parent!

Bus situation\bullying\What should I do?

My son(8) was being bullied on the bus, and my wife and I were not made aware of it until it escalated and is being taken care of by the school. From what I've been told the bully was hitting my son in the stomach and when my son blocked that, he was then headbutted. That is when the bus driver noticed. Another kid on the bus stepforward against the bully as a victim as well. The school has stepped in and have notified all involved and are doing what they can. To me, it seems to be resolved. Can I accept that and move on? Or should I be outraged and hyperbear parental? How can I help my son besides just being there for him when he is ready to talk about it? He is a bigger kid and could handle himself, but he is sensitive and patient with kids his age. I am proud of him for showing restraint, though I wish he had shared his poor experiences with us sooner for his sake. He is our one and only and I want to do right by him. Any advice would be appreciated.

Support group for parents of teens who have attempted suicide?

My 13 year old daughter took a lethal dose of Tylenol last night. Thank God she came and told me a couple of hours after she did it. We went to the hospital and they were able to give her the antidote medication. We're still getting the medication in the hospital before transferring to an inpatient mental health facility. I'd really like to connect with other parents who have been through this nightmare.

Cleaning advice please - gotta get the funk out!

So our friend has been staying in our house for a few days. He's a nice guy, but he smells funky. I think it's because he smokes (cigarettes and pot). He isn't smoking inside, and I've asked him to keep the jacket he wears when he smokes outside. Even so, I want to deep clean the basement (where he's been staying). We just had new carpet installed down there, and it's got the fancy Scotchguard (we have a toddler, dog, and cat....I'm a realist ha). So here's my question: is there anything extra I should do to fight the funk? Other than washing the bedding, vacuuming/dusting thoroughly, and cleaning the bathroom. Thank you!!!!

How to handle smoker grandpa?

I know there can be detrimental impacts to babies around smokers, even if they're never in direct contact with it, just from clothes, but how much risk is there really if grandpa's here for a long weekend? Anything to be done about it, realistically? I feel like it would be a little unreasonable to ask him to change clothes after every cigarette right? Or should I have him bring a shirt that stays smoke free and he puts on something else to smoke?

4 year old filling or cap

So, I took my 4 year old to the dentist and we were told he would need 4 fillings/stainless steel caps for his back 4 molars. My husband and I trying to decide which one would be better. My husband thinks fillings because according to the internet, those SHOULD last up to 12 years and these are baby teeth, so he'd lose them in roughly 8. My experience with fillings is they can disintegrate and become useless in as little as 3 years. So, I need to know which one would be better for my 4 year old: a normal filling or a stainless steel cap.

My 4 year old boy hits when made to go to timeout.

We dont know what to do to discipline him and need help. We don't want to spank him cause he'd be spanked all the time. And timeout doesn't work if he refuses to go. If you try to make him go he just hits.

Schrödinger's Baby

The baby is awake and asleep at the same time, but when you go to check, the baby is awake 😑

When will my rings fit again?

I'm almost 6 months postpartum and my wedding ring still doesn't fit. I gained about 50 pounds during my pregnancy but I'm down 40, so I'm about 10 away from pre pregnancy weight. When were other people able to get their rings back on?

How do you make time to workout?

Before our first baby this year I went to the gym three times a week but now it seems like working out just isn’t in the cards. I used to go in the morning but now that’s when I take our baby so my wife can sleep a little more before she takes him for the day. After work same thing I feel bad heading to the gym for a workout as she is ready for a well deserved break. Anyone found a way to still get their reps in without monopolizing the free time?