Parenting Contents Archive

I have failed my kids…

Today I had enough. I left my abusive home with my 3 kids. Aged 5,6 & 4 months. We have nowhere to go. Right now we are in my car I told them we are going camping. They seem excited but they dont know we wont be going back home for a while. We are going to see how long my saving keep us in a hotel until I can figure out our next step. Christmas wont come for my kids and i cant help but feel so guilty. Im not sure how im going to do it but I know I have to keep on going. I just needed to let it out of my chest im just tired lost and scared. I only have 300 in my account its so hard especially near the holidays. I cant even go to my parents they are so far away from me.

A convo I had with my mom.. am I the crazy one? Now she’s mad at me

My mom calls me and tells me not to go to my child fathers Christmas dinner tonight because of RSV. She said the cases are terrible in Ontario and that people will get her sick. My child father and I aren’t on good terms but that doesn’t mean I will take her away from his family on Christmas , so then this is how the convos went Mom: people need to be wearing a mask around the baby, everyone is all over the place goin to get her sick, I wouldn’t let anyone hold her. Just stay home . Me: well then maybe I shouldn’t go to our family Christmas dinner then and if I go ask my family to wear a mask?, and not let anyone including you hold her. Considering you work , go shopping, went to the casino , you do things too Mom: well no it’s different Me: how? Mom ** hangs up on me Now my sisters are mad at me for “hurting “ my mom

That comment about your baby that triggers you 🤬

Mine is “oww poor little thing, you must be hungry” as if I would let my 3 month old go hungry?? Shut up

A national group that seeks to curb student absenteeism is sounding an alarm after finding that the number of chronically absent students continued to surge even as pandemic closings abated. @jillbarshay @hechingerreport https://t.co/tSYI4yTd9X

Holidays 2022 Edition

It's not "just" the COVID this year. It's also multiple flu strains (normal-ish, but they seem a little extra extreme this season.) It's insane numbers of munchkin hospitalizations due to RSV, nationwide. (U.S.) How are y'all handling the larger family gatherings? I told my cousin I wasn't sure we were super comfortable being in a huge group, indoors, and she's acting a bit put out. Am I being unreasonable?

Will you be ok without me?

Says the man who spent the last 4 hours taking a dump in the basement while I wrangled two sick kiddos, a 3 year old and a 4 month old. Also managed to deep clean my kitchen, fix breakfast and lunch, do some laundry and breast feed the baby about 100 times but yeah, for sure, I have no idea how I'm going to make it while you continue to go to the gym and do fuck all.

Help with Santa! Missed calls.

Pretty simple here, looking for suggestions and help. We missed a call from Santa today as our phones have that “block spam” feature. We paid for the call but have no idea if they’ll call back. I’m going to use a voice modulation app on my pc and play the part, and I’m kind of lost here. I’m not “Santa” type, even though my kids my world and we’re so goofy together, I’m nervous it will sound like garbage, and what to ask her and how to respond. She’s only 2.5 so I know I’m “overboard “ but I want this to be great for her. She’s very clever for 2, speaks very well and mostly in full sentences, except when she’s being shy so I don’t know if it’s gonna be just “yes and No” or chatterbox. I’m looking for suggestions in case there’s some cool idea or something I missed. My childhood was a wild experience, I just want this walking ball of chaos to enjoy hers! Thanks in advance!!

Constantly scared I’m going to lose my baby

When I found out I was pregnant, I was scared to have a miscarriage. After that, I was scared he was going to be still born. After that I was scared of SIDS. Now he is 6 months, I am still scared of SIDS but now I know the likely hood of that happening is lower, now I am constantly scared he is going to catch a fatal illness. Also I am scared going to get into a car accident with him. Scared an intruder will break in in the middle of the night and harm us. It doesn’t end. I live with constant anxiety. Every night if I hear a sound outside, my heart rate jumps and I feel sick to my stomach. EVERY NIGHT. I can’t drive on highways anymore. I don’t like to even leave my house sometimes because my fears are so debilitating. When does the anxiety end? Is it normal for a new parent to feel like this? My worst nightmare is losing my son, and because of that..everyday my mind is on panic mode and fear of the future. Any ideas on how I can cope?

Will We Ever Be Healthy??

Strep diagnosis for the 1st grader a week and a half ago, now Flu A for the 2nd grader today. My husband doesn't feel well, my head, throat and eyes hurt, and I just want to go somewhere quiet to relax for a minute. The illnesses are out of control right now, my 2nd grader had half of his class out Friday. The schools are just teeming with all sorts of plague, and my kids are just 2 of maybe 10 in the entire school that still wear masks. Unfortunately they have snack and lunchtime, so it's not 100%. I hate this so so much. I'm hoping the flu shot helps keep it from getting too awful, but I'm running out of optimism.

Tested positive with a 9month old.

26 yr old female. I have only 1 vaccine. I went 4 days ago to get my second dose but nowhere had it so the pharmacies screwed me over a bit. Long story short I have a 9 month old baby. I have been home all through my pregnancy and until this week as I started back at work (hence wanting to get the next vaccine —- I had complications after the first one that is why I have waited so long). What should I be doing for my daughter? I am going to call my doctor in the morning, but since it was Sunday, I can’t get a hold of anyone. I plan to call the pharmacy to see if I can come in and get the shot while I’m positive just to be able to give antibodies to my daughter. Thank you. I’m so scared. I currently have a fever of 103. Her dad is negative.

7 week old, not sleeping in bassinet.

I’ve made some posts before about sleep issues but they’ve only gotten worse. He has never been a great sleeper, but now he literally refuses to sleep in his bassinet. The longest we’ve gotten in the bassinet over the last 2 weeks is 30 minutes. Again, never been a great sleeper but now he will not sleep in the bassinet. He will fall asleep in the wrap, our arms, stroller, car seat, but will wake up when we put him in the bassinet. If he doesn’t wake instantly, he wakes within 5-30 mins. We have gotten 3 hour stretches in weeks past in the bassinet, so I know he is capable. His bassinet has never been his favorite but he has slept nights in it. It feels like he’s going through a sleep regression or something. Any tips, ideas, literally anything? I’m starting to go crazy. We’ve tried: - Heating up his bassinet mattress - Swaddles (all sorts, arms in And out) - White noise - Drowsy but awake, or putting him down in a deep sleep.

Managing Expectations

My mother is a practicing devout Catholic. I am an agnostic former Catholic. My husband is a non-practicing Christian. My mother is insisting I baptize our 10 month old child and has now sent us two saint books (one was a story about an indigenous American who converted to Catholicism so that’s a whole other issue). I left the Church over a decade ago. I have no interest in forcing my child to go through the sacraments. I would not actively deter her from being Catholic/Christian when she is old enough to make those decisions but also don’t believe in forcing religion on a child. Any tips for tactfully making my mother stop asking? With the saint books, I just leave out the mentions of God. Husband asks every time “why can’t we get her baptized??” and doesn’t seem to under the logistics of why we can’t just get her baptized not as well as why I object to it. (He also didn’t understand why we couldn’t get married in a church and why I objected to anything catholic period).

Santa kissed my baby

We took our baby girl to see Santa today and she loved taking the pictures. When we were done, he was holding her and kissed her cheek. I am livid & feel like a terrible mom for even putting her in that situation with so much sickness going around. Before this we’ve been super safe, making sure people masked around her, washed their hands, and didn’t kiss her. Now I’m feeling super paranoid and just terrible 😞

Underwear after birth ?

What underwear did you guys choose to wear after birth? Is mesh underwear necessary ? Also any other tips for recovery? Thank you 💙

Playing outside as a toddler - is there any link to positive outcomes later in life?

I have found articles online regarding how playing outside can be beneficial for toddlers. However are there any studies anyone is aware of regarding how more outdoor time now will also be beneficial in the longer term? Or if there will be any negative impacts if a kid isn’t going outside much at a young age?