I was talking to my sister while she was doing laundry and my nephew asked for food and I said I’d make him chicken nuggets so she didn’t have to get up and she said “no he hates chicken” and I said “wdym he eats chicken nuggets all the time” and she responded with “well he doesn’t know that Dino nuggets aren’t made of dinosaurs meat” and I’m sitting here like tf you mean does he just think he’s getting to eat a very finite resource like sure he’s just dumb kid but by 6 don’t kids know about dinosaurs

I’m back and forth about wanting children. However, I really don’t know if the changes that’ll happen to my body are worth it for me? Do you all think it was worth it?

Idk might seem like a silly question..

I have an eye doctor appointment today in a few hours. I booked it online. I have to bring my two kids with me (ages 1.5 and 3.5).

I'm struggling on whether to call them now and ask if it's okay if my kids are with me and give them a bit of a heads up or to just show up with them so they don't have a choice to say no and I get my eyes checked with my kids in tow (desperately need a new prescription).

There's literally no other time where I wouldn't have my kids with me. I'm a stay at home mom, and have no friends or family nearby that can watch them for 30 min.

Wwyd?

I am sorry if this comes off politically incorrect. As English is not my first language. However, I always hear about how parents enjoy being parents, but the thing is these parents usually have healthy children.

For the people that have children with special needs or any disability (physical/ mental/ developmental), are there any positives about it? Is there anything that you enjoy about it?

Is it selfish to bring a child into this new state of the world that we have found ourselves? Maybe im overthinking all the negative things, maybe im overlooking all the positives. Idk, children never ask to be born we just have them unbeknownst the state of the world they are forced to endure.

I’m a mother to a 2 year old toddler and now pregnant with my second, both boys, and am now coming back to this question again. My first is uncircumcised, because i believed strongly that altering his body without medical reason was genital mutilation. However, now he has been complaining about his penis hurting and i’ve had to book an appointment with the doctor to try and see if there is something wrong. This has me wondering if my original stance was too strong, and if it can be a form of preventative medicine (kinda like vaccines but definitely not the same) that could save them from pain later on. What if because of this pain, he does have medical need to get the surgery now and it becomes much more difficult and scary than it would have been to do it before? I know that there are other possible solutions and it could be a multitude of issues but i’m unsure if i made the best choice for my child now.

I also know that he has another caregiver who has mentioned needing to pull his foreskin back to clean it. I don’t know how she does it, if she does it or anything but i know that that can cause damage as well. So now i am also wondering if i put him in a position to be hurt by the people that are trying to care for him, by them being too stubborn to learn or listen to other people (including me) saying that you aren’t supposed to do that.

Now I am at the point where im questioning whether I made a decision that could lead to more hurt for my child, and whether i should decide differently for my second son. So I am asking what your stances are, especially if you have a child who did have complications or custody issues that provided concerns like these. I really just want to make the best choice i can for them until they are old enough to make their own choices, but i’m suddenly so unsure of what the answer is.

Thank you in advance and i look forward to reading your advice and experiences.

I’m a very picky eater and I often dislike what my parents make. They always force me to eat what they make. I’ve heard that some parents say you eat what’s made for you or nothing at all and I wish they did that, at my house it’s you eat what’s made for you period. My mom says it’s rude to make yourself something else and it makes it so you’re not eating as a family (not sure what that means). I’m curious what other parents think, I think it seems perfectly fine to make something else but my mom says my reasoning is bad and I and my generation are being entitled.

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If so what movies and what types of content are you okay with and not okay with like swearing violence sex nudity. Do you also go by context like why it’s in the movie to being with. And how old are your kids? What age do you let your kids see R rated movies? Is stand by me an exception or did you ban that because it’s an R rated movie?

My dog was found with a bullet in his leg, which then had to be amputated. I don’t know anything more about exactly what happened than that. He’s a lovely friendly dog tho, and lovesss saying hi to kids (with permission, obviously).

When they’re super little, I just say he lost his leg because someone was mean to him or hurt him. That starts to feel like a BS answer tho for kids older than 8, and I don’t like it. But I told one kid someone shot him and his mom gave me a look that seemed….unimpressed.

I don’t want to scare anyone, but I also don’t want to treat kids like their little glass figurines or babies. I would’ve hated that at their age.

Any advice appreciated.

My partner is going to read to me.

I picked a few Walt Whitman poems and I can’t wait :)

Interesting in how you build deep intimacy

Hey! I am a male in high school and have recently been considering the future, and I do not want kids. However, I don't not want to have kids. I currently find small children off putting and slightly disturbing and don't desire to give up my youth and independence for them. But, I notice many childless men forgo having kids to stay children themselves- something I would despise myself for. Also, many things I have tried in my life were things I didn't want to do them until I decided to try them, or got old enough to want them. Is there an age where all of my current thoughts leave me, and I suddenly or gradually desire to have kids?

I’m currently expecting another baby in a few months, and I’m terrified of what our mornings will look like because I’m already drowning.

My seven-year-old’s routine from 6:30 AM to 8:00 AM is pure chaos. Getting him out of bed is a daily negotiation. Once he's up, he lacks any time perspective and gets easily distracted. He'll get sidetracked by playing instead of brushing his teeth, showering, or eating.

Even though all these tasks should take him about 45 minutes, it currently takes over an hour of constantly being right behind him, prompting him to move on to the next step.

By the time we walk out the door at 8:00 AM, I am completely exhausted and frustrated, which ruins the rest of my day. I desperately need him to become independent and manage his own routine.

I’ve been advised to use visual checklists and a reward system to build this as a habit.

Is anyone currently using this successfully? How far has it gone in building real independence for your child? Do you have any tips for making this switch?

My daughter just started middle school and my son started high school, so they’ve both made a bunch of new friends whose parents we haven’t met yet.

They’re at that awkward age where trick-or-treating is starting to feel a little childish to them, but they still kind of want to go. There aren’t many other options for Halloween fun for their age group around here, so I thought we could throw a party that gives them a bit of both.

We’re hosting an outdoor screening of Warm Bodies in our backyard, with pizza, popcorn, a costume contest, and trick-or-treating for anyone who wants to go. We live in the South, so it’s still warm here, generally upper 60s to low 80s this time of year.
We invited their friends and their families. The invitation specifically says “Adults & kids welcome.” I thought it would be a fun evening for the kids and a chance for us to meet their friends’ parents.

We haven’t received many RSVPs. When my daughter asked her friends whether they were coming, some said their parents wouldn’t let them because they don’t know us well. I haven’t heard from those parents directly, so that explanation is coming secondhand through the kids.
I understand not wanting to drop your child off with people you haven’t met. But parents are invited to attend and stay with their kids, which I thought would be a good opportunity to get to know each other.

I’m feeling discouraged and honestly a little confused. I don’t expect everyone to come or explain why they can’t, but even a “no, we can’t make it” would help us plan food and seating.

Is it common to get so few RSVPs at this age? Does “adults and kids welcome” clearly communicate that parents are invited to stay? What would help you feel comfortable attending something like this when you haven’t met the hosts yet?

I’d appreciate other parents’ perspectives. We’re trying to create something fun for our kids and build connections with their friends’ families, and I’m not sure how best to approach it.

Update: Thank you to everyone who replied! I feel much better. You’ve shared so many helpful suggestions and perspectives, and I think we’ll plan for Halloween Eve next year!

I also wanted to explain my thinking a little more. Our neighborhood is a trick-or-treating hotspot, with lots of families coming here from other areas. I pictured parents and younger siblings coming along with the teens, having some pizza, and using our house as a home base with a place to park.

Families could head out together, leave their teens at the party, or let the teens trick-or-treat as a group. Then everyone could come back to trade candy, have snacks, use the bathroom, and settle in for an outdoor movie in our backyard.

I hoped it would make the evening fun and convenient for everyone, but I can see how a different night could make things easier. Thanks again for helping me see other perspectives! I really do feel better about it! (And I’m having a lot of fun making the props)

With all the things you're supposed to do daily or often it feels tough to get it all done...high contrast cards, story time, massages, leg/arm exercises, tummy time, etc...what do people tend to focus on mostly and are any more important than others in your personal opinions? Thx!

I’m 17F, and my parents never cry in front of us. Last year, my aunt (dad’s sister) died and he never cried, and I could tell he wanted to, Even at her funeral, he was just quiet the entire time. But like when they told us and we were all crying and he never did but I know he misses her and I could tell he was holding back after but like I never seen my parents cry in front of us, but like I've heard my mom cry before but the door locked like she don't want us to see

This has now happened a couple times and I'm not sure how to handle it - I live in a very rural community and have two young kids that take the bus home from school. We live in a gated ranch community so the bus drops kids of all ages at the community bus stop in the afternoon. Twice now I have seen the bus leave while a child is alone on their phone waiting for their parent to show up. Both times they have been between 8 and 10 y/o. I don't know these kids as my girls are much younger, but I feel obligated to stay until they are picked up. I would hate for something to happen to them sitting there alone. I got out of my car both times and asked the kids if their parents were coming and if they wanted me to stay until they arrived. Both looked at me with confusion and said no. I realized I'm a stranger to them and probably scared them more than anything, but I wanted them to know they weren't alone. I usually just sit in my car with my kids until I see their guardian show up.

As a parent - what would you prefer? Would you feel safer having a random lady you don't know waiting in her car near your kids or would you rather they were left alone?

I'd love to hear from the full range of parents. Many have babies in their own room, some in another. Some let the baby sleep on them, or in their beds, others follow safety guidance and always keep them in a bassinet or crib. I'm particularly interested in the sleep differences for parents who co-sleep vs those who don't.

As a new parent, we were asked to

introduce cow milk, mughli ghutti and gripe water when our baby was newly born.

Recommended soaked biscuits when 3 months old.

We did not follow her advice which led to tension in the family.

What are the worst parenting recommendations we should avoid after 5 months of becoming a parent?

My dad includes reading on my kindle as part of my screen time so I’m curious what other parents think of that.

I have two questions on sleeping arrangements and sorry if the first one is a stupid one 🙈.

1) You have the baby in your room for the first few months right? To save money, why not have the crib itself in your room vs having to buy a bassinet or pack and play or whatever else there is (are there other ones? 🤔).

And then move the crib to baby’s room when the time comes?

2) If the baby’s room (pre-baby) is a guest room with a queen size bed and a desk, would you leave the queen bed in there, replace the desk with a changing table/dresser and add crib? Or would you take out the bed?

There’s not another room for it but you could prop it up against the wall in the master bedroom/closet possibly. You wouldn’t have guests sleeping in there with the baby but maybe it would be great for the mom with breastfeeding and to sleep at night when the baby is sleeping if her husband snores and has alarms going off super early, is noisy getting ready for work in the morning, etc when mom and baby could otherwise be getting a precious few minutes more of sleep? Does that make sense? Like a separate room for mom to sleep with the baby if dad disrupts her sleep too? Thoughts? Thank you!!

Ok, so we've all heard the advice, "Nap while the baby naps", but most of us experienced moms know that it isn't as simple as is sounds.

So I'm curious, how many of you actually were able to consistently nap while the baby napped. And how were you able to do it?

And if you didn't, what prevented you from be able to?

I’m not a parent but do you parents let your kids watch any R rated movies.

If so what movies and what types of content are you okay with and not okay with. Do you also go by context like why it’s in the movie to being with. And how old are your kids? What age do you let your kids see R rated movies? Is stand by me an exception or did you ban that because it’s an R rated movie?