My 16 year old son killed our cat,i am shocked and disturbed?

I don't know what to say and I am literally in tears right now because I loved this cat so much.My son is not a violent person and when he gets angry he's usually calm but today I changed all my thoughts about him. What happened is that my son was playing his PS4 with his friends and the cat was rubbing against him and trying to play with him,then my son who was angry at the game, kicked the cat and made it fly into the wall, I screamed and went to the cat while it was dying, and my son was looking shocked at me while I was crying, I brought the cat to the vet and it was indeed deadI told my husband, which he took my son's PS4 as a punishment, and banned him from going out with his friends for 6 monthsBut my son was just surprised that he managed to kill the cat but he's not sad or that he cares at all, I am really worried about him and I am wondering what's wrong with him because I am too scared to bring any other animal via /r/Parenting https://ift.tt/2FvIJaz

Son kicked principal, what an appropriate punishment?

My son's school called me today. He had a break down with the school's principal. He refused to give up his phone and kicked the principal in the knee and caused an injury. I dont know what the damage actually is yet. They will let me know once a dr sees it. This isn't the first time my son has hit the principal, or other staff for the matter.Anyways, what is an appropriate punishment for such a thing? When I got to the school the cops were there and everything. I dont want my little boy to think that this kind of behaviour should continue. However, my son is slightly on the autism spectrum and diagnosed with pretty severe ADHD which causes frequent outbursts. I just want to know I'm handling this the right way so he can learn from it and move on.Tldr 10 year old son kicked and possibly injured the school principal, what's an appropriate punishment? via /r/Parenting https://ift.tt/2jldXsu

Never felt like such a failure as a parent.

I don't think I've had such a low point as a parent before today.We had a phone call last Wednesday from our sons school, the teacher told us that our youngest son (he's 7) had touched a girl in the private parts, I was so shocked to hear this as its something he has never done before. The school said its quite common at this age and after speaking to both my son and the girl in question he was very sorry for what he had done and promised never to do it again. We also had a good chat with him when he came home and he was again so upset and sorry for what he had done, he didn't realise how bad it was and thought it was a game as other girls were doing it too.We thought that was the end of things until we got another phone call on Friday morning from the school to inform us he had done it again (the teachers tone seemed different this time). We told her we would be at school in 5 minutes to have a chat with her and our son. When we got there she pulled us into her office and told us she didn't believe our son had done it this time. The first time she asked our son he admitted to doing it right away, when she asked him this time he was upset and told her he hadn't done it. The girls story also didn't match up. We could tell she was on ours and our sons side by the way she was talking.Heres where the blow came, the teacher told us that the parents of the girl in question phoned up the school very angry on Thursday night and told them she is reporting us to social services because of my sons behavior. The teacher told us we have nothing to worry about as she knows we are good parents and do our best for our children and she will speak to social services and clear this up. We came away feeling pretty low and like we had done wrong by our son but that that would hopefully be the end of it. I've now just received a phone call from social services saying they are now "looking into" the allegations.I know they aren't going to come and take our children away but it doesn't help me feeling like an awful parent, I truly believe our son didn't touch this girl the second time and she has just said it for attention. Our son is also being affected deeply by this as the girl who was involved has been kept off school since Thursday and he thinks its all his fault. We have never had any dealings with social services in the past and really thought things would have stayed that way. via /r/Parenting https://ift.tt/2jhHO4Y

I yelled at another parent and don't know why it's bothering me so much.

Yesterday I was riding in the passenger seat while my SO was driving. We were stopped at a red light with windows open and I heard a man screaming and cursing loudly, I looked over to see him cursing out the little ones in the car seats in the back. He looked over at me, noticed me staring and smiled at me out of embarrassment. I don't know what took over me, but I just started yelling at him for screaming at his kids like an asshole and for smoking in the car with them inside and called him nasty names. Every time I think back to it, I just feel incredibly uncomfortable inside. As far as I recall I yelled something like "Stop screaming at your children like a maniac, you stupid asshole, that's not how you treat your kids, and you shouldn't be smoking with them in the car!". My fiance and I don't believe in name calling or intimidating our little one and we'd never allow anyone to smoke around him so he thinks I was right, but I can't seem to find peace with what I did. The dude seemed rather shook by my yelling at him and didn't say anything back at me which is probably why I feel so bad. I'm also a child of abusive parents so that might be a reason why I feel so bad about it. Any thoughts? via /r/Parenting https://ift.tt/2HC0OK1

Overly touchy-feely cousin - is this a red flag for anything?

To begin with, I’ve been noticing this behavior for quite some time but I am just now beginning to become concerned with it.My 2 year old daughter has a 4 year old cousin (boy) who she sees quite often. My wife babysits him 3 days a week and she often times sees him on the weekends or other weekdays in between.For a while, I have always noticed that he is extra touchy with her. He always has to be either rubbing shoulders or being extra, extra close to her while they are playing. He constantly trying to be hugging her or kissing on her even when she tells him no. While they were laying in bed watching tv a few days ago, he just constantly kept trying to move his body as close to hers as possible while they were both laying on the same pillow.In the past I’ve chalked this up to them just being close and him just being overly affectionate. But over the past few weeks there have been some major red flags that I feel I must address.First off, I’ve caught him kissing her feet many, many times. And if she is holding her baby doll, he’ll kiss hers too. I’ve seen him and explained to him how that’s not right and how weird it is but it still continues.The other two are more extreme IMO. Most days, I am not there with my wife and the kids while she is watching him because I work during the day. But I happened to have last Friday off, and while they were watching TV I told them I would be right back and I had to use the bathroom. I was gone for a couple minutes, and when I came back I seen him basically t-bagging my daughter. She was laying on the pillow and he was standing over top of her with his junk in her face making a thrusting motion while she was yelling no. This immediately set me off and pushed him off her and explained in a very firm - yet calm as I could be way, that that was unacceptable and disgusting to do to any girl, especially one that is in your family. Yet a few hours later I caught him doing the exact same thing.The other incident which I wasn’t there to witness, (and my wife didn’t even tell me this, I overheard her telling her mom) was that she caught my daughters cousin “humping” her. I imagine my daughter was laying on her stomach and he came up from behind her and did it. I will admit I didn’t witness this, but I did hear my wife say that she caught him jumping our daughter.My wife and her Mom kind of laughed it off as if it was no big deal and he was just doing it not knowing what he was doing was bad. But the way that I see it, is that a 4 year old boy shouldn’t be having those kinds of thoughts or urges or whatever you want to call it. Every time I try and talk to my wife about it, she gets super defensive and try’s to downplay the whole situation.All of these incidents combined with the fact that he is always super touchy with her in the first place just gives me some bad vibes. Yet this is a touchy subject and I’m not really sure what to say about it or how to address it or how to make my wife see the severity of it.On top of all that, I should add that he also is quite mean to her and other kids. He is constantly pushing kids down, stealing their toys from them, hitting them, taunting them to make them more upset and saying mean things to them. And this is with any child, not just kids within our family. We took them to a chuck-e-cheese knock off place on Friday and multiple times I saw him push other kids out of the way or take what they are playing with or just but in on what they are doing with their own parents.I’d like to know if I’m overreacting or if anyone else has any kinds of similar stories or advice they would share. I would really appreciate it.TL;DRMy 2 year old daughter has 4 year old boy cousin who is way to touchy and handsy with her. Recently caught him doing stuff that would be deemed sexual and that was the final straw before I tried to ask for help. Also he is mean to her and other kids more so than most of the other kids in our family.EDIT - I should have mentioned that when I am changing her diaper, he’ll basically try and lay as close to her private areas as possible. Basically he’ll lay on his stomach and get face to face with her privates until I make him move, sometimes forcibly. He’s also said many times how he wants to smell her dirty diaper. Just things that I don’t find normal at all and I feel like most 4 year old don’t do. via /r/Parenting https://ift.tt/2Ft2PT7

So it's true...we really CAN'T have nice things.

We love our son. He's 3 years old, cute, curious, polite and an overall sweet kid. But this weekend...oh my.He broke 2 or 3 things and caused a few messes. Nothing malicious, just general toddler shenanigans. But even for him this was a lot in just a few days. But then we woke up Sunday morning to a wet basement. We frantically searched for the source. Did a pipe break, leak, is it something upstairs, what is happening?!?!Then I look down at the drain in our basement. There's a hose sitting next to it. I know that hose. It's the hose for our water softener. It's supposed to be IN the drain.I get down on my son's level and ask, "Did you touch this hose?""Ya, I took da hose out da draaaaiiin.""Hey buddy, all this water is because of taking that hose out of the drain."He looks around, processes it. Looks at me sorrowfully, "I sowry daddy.""It's okay buddy, let's not do that again okay?""Otay"Where's the shop vac?Edit: for clarity our basement slopes away from the drain for some reason. We've been down there a lot spring cleaning and he's been "helping". Good news though, not much was damaged. via /r/Parenting https://ift.tt/2rbyWCc

Is it "appropriate"

... for me to bring my (3.5 y/o) daughter outside in just a pull up (and sunscreen of course) today?We'd be in our back and side yard, which has a privacy fence. I just don't want her thinking it's always ok to go out in just underwear.We do have nosey neighbors though, who stare straight into our side yard. (I guess I'm just overly paranoid of "what the neighbors will think" because I'm awkward and anxiety-ridden.But also it's like 86° here and since she's getting a bath when we come in, it'd be simpler to not have to undress her. But on the other hand, it just seems awkward to have her topless simply because we are female, and it's been ingrained in my brain that we are to cover our chests in any type of public or semi-public setting.So yeah, this is probably a really dumb question. So let's just ignore my dumbassery for the moment. 😂 via /r/Parenting https://ift.tt/2HBOZ6B

Advice for child terrified of school

There is a child in my daughters school who is 4/5 years old he is absolutely terrified of going to school he screams and cries constantly, my heart goes out to his mother who tries her best to calm the child and get him into school the process takes half an hour minimum Usually ending with the mother emerging from the school in tears, It’s not that the child just doesn’t want to go to school it’s as if he is just completely petrified, I would love to do something that would help them any ideas? via /r/Parenting https://ift.tt/2HJSynz

Baby keeps arching back and stiffening

Our baby boy 10 weeks old arches his back and stiffens then cries and looks like he's in a lot of pain. Anyone else experiencing this? We thought it could be colic or refulx or he's just drinking his milk to fast he does burp and fart a lot. via /r/Parenting https://ift.tt/2raiLW3

Tips for nap time

Ok, so my little boy is nearly 4 months. He’s a relatively good sleeper at night. However for naptimes he’s very cuddly and won’t fall asleep/ sleep for more than 30 minutes unless cuddled. His first nap of the day has been mastered - he’ll actually settle for that in his crib and nap 30 minutes exactly. The rest of the day, he needs to be cuddled to sleep and if I put him down he won’t sleep for long, whereas if I cuddle him he’ll sleep up to 2-3 hours. In no way am I complaining, I love cuddles and I know housework can wait, but I have to return to work in a few months so I need to slowly get him sleeping independently during the day. I HATE controlled crying, we’ve tried it, it doesn’t work and I don’t agree with it.Are there any other tips to try and help him self-settle and/or sleep longer? via /r/Parenting https://ift.tt/2HGk1q6

Weekly - Stories from the week/end - April 30, 2018

This weekly thread is meant as a place to share stories that happened to us as parents over the weekend. Share good, bad, fun, not fun, etc. Also, if you ever wonder who we are, click here to meet the mod team! via /r/Parenting https://ift.tt/2jhdEij

Fathers that had to move away from your young child, how did you cope with the distance?

Hey,I have a 2 years old daughter and I'll have to move to another place that is 2 plane trips distant (5 hours flying total) from where we live.I currently live with her and her mother, but the relationship (with the mother) is over. When I move we'll divorce.I'm very close to my daughter and can't imagine sleeping away from her for too long.Also the thought that I won't be there for her when she needs me is killing me.On the bright side, I'm going away for a dream job so there's that.I'm thinking about starting therapy after I move. I know it has helped me in the past.Thank you all. via /r/Parenting https://ift.tt/2jfKKz7

My kid is the best!!!! Rant.

Does anyone else live in the world of reality with me on how kids are just kids and that ok?I cannot stand listening to people say how great their kid is at every single thing. The smartest, the best, a true legend, best in class, best on the team. Going to be famous! LolI have kids. Do I think they are great? Yes and I love them. BUT I do not feel this urge to tell people how great and amazing they are at every single thing because it’s not true. No child is the best at everything. Why do people do this? Is this really setting your kids up for the real world?It’s getting really hard to listen to. via /r/Parenting https://ift.tt/2HEQ9KD

My value to society as summarised by my daughter

Last night in bed during goodnight cuddles with my 3.5yr old daughter, we had the following conversation... DD: Mummy… Me: Yes, darling? DD: I want to be like you. Me: Aww. That's lovely, sweetheart! Why do you want to be like me? (At this point I'm filled with pride and think she's going to say something along the lines of how she admires me as a strong woman, role model, inspiration, etc, etc) DD: Because you have boobies. Daddy and me only have "nibbles". via /r/Parenting https://ift.tt/2I0gbvn

26 Month Baby Sleeps Great

I thought I’d add a nice story, because everyone seems a bit bummed out. I was away from my family for a few months. When I came back my son would scream for at least an hour before going to sleep. I came back and got a new routine going. Lower the lights, put on his PJs quietly, tell him to climb into bed. Tuck him in, then say Are you ready teddy? And he’ll say Ready. Then I read him this Bible book about Jesus, which I was skeptical about at first, but that book is sleep dynamite. I read quietly for ten minutes. Kiss him good night, turn off the lights and he’s down for the night. Not a peep! Now, does anyone have any suggestions about how to stop him waking up at 6AM? via /r/Parenting https://ift.tt/2vUyPje

Need to get this off my chest...

Son (7 yr) was at his dad's for overnight visit an hour away from our home--his home. I get a call from my child because he is afraid "daddy fell off the stool and wont wake up...there is glass everywhere". I call his best friends (a couple known as aunt and uncle to my son) they go over there and were basically chased out with a shit storm of fuck-yous and how dare yous?.....I reach his father on the phone and he proceeds to scream hysterically at not only me but my son (7 yr old) for calling me because he was afraid. He then starts threatening suicide (has done before but not in front of my kid from what I know) hx of bi-polar dx but wont admit to it. Howver, I NEVER thought he would act like this or become so unable and incompacitated while caring for our child. Lots of past drama....nothing like this. We have no court parenting plans (not for long) 3 k later and just starting..I called 911 at this point 3 times until they told me to stop. Police came and child was brought home safely via my sister in law. Ex was involuntarily committed to the psych ward for the night and then released. They took his guns. One of which was loaded and not on safety but in a holster and within in my child's reach. Police made CPS report now they are doing the full assessment including our home....including my daughter, including his school per my permission. I will never say no to CPS? No one should unless they want a fight and/or have something to hide. We dont. But its still gross.TDLR:Called police on my childs mentally ill and wasted father just to have CPS do their job and as the primary and protective parent I take the brunt of it all. There were signs of his negligence, but i could never prove it and my child always wanted to got to his dad's house for the night or weekend. I had him counseling before this and raised this concern. I know I have nothing to worry about as far as CPS goes but its still stressful as fuck. I now have to arrange and comply with CPS, attorneys, counseling for my child, school stuff, and then just explaining to him that "dad is sick right now". and be the bad guy as far as he is concerned. NONE of this compares to what he is feeling...but that is another post.. via /r/Parenting https://ift.tt/2ji6Zo9

My toddler will “cry it out” for absurd amounts of time.

Currently waiting for my 15 month old to cry it out in the middle of the night. He woke up a little before 2 a.m. and it is now after 4:00 a.m. I am a behavioral therapist and I have tried all other tactics before finally doing “cry it out.” I have never seen this before. It is torture for me and him. I just want to cry. I have seen him cry for 4 hours and never go to sleep. Every time I think its over he starts back up again. via /r/Parenting https://ift.tt/2I1Hi9m

Board game and book recommendations please!

I'm trying to interact more with my kids. We are very much a screen family and the amount of time ALL of us are glued to our screens is becoming concerning. So I'm after some board game recommendations that are "fun for the whole family", there's me, my husband, 11 year old daughter, 6 year old son. I'm also after book recommendations that i can read with my daughter, I've tried to convince her on harry potter but apparently I've raised a monster and she's not interested. Thanks in advance! via /r/Parenting https://ift.tt/2jgv9PN

Need advice- Terrible Twos

My two and a half year old is in a phase of hitting everyone for any and every reason. His toys not working? Runs over and hits. We’re singing songs with him? Runs over and hits us. Trying to figure out the best way to correct the behavior. He doesn’t talk- other than the occasional dada and signing for “all done” and “more” but he definitely understands us when we speak to him.We’ve tried telling him “no” sternly and telling him not to hit, that he needs to be nice. But it’s had zero affect on him. We’ve tried redirection but that really hasn’t seemed to help at all. Time out is also a joke to him. We don’t believe spanking is an option because it would be counterproductive.We’re out of ideas. Anyone gone through something similar and can offer some guidance?TIA via /r/Parenting https://ift.tt/2vYgWAm

Screaming child next door

My next door neighbors have an almost 4 year old little girl who screams at the top of her lungs every single evening around 3-4am. I sleep with my window closed and can hear still her hysterically crying out "nooooooo noooooo" over and over again. Sometimes she says "go away or stop". I'm finding this very distressing not just because it's waking me up but also because I don't understand why she is crying so hysterically and her parents don't or can't comfort her. I also have children and I understand tantrums are a thing but this is nuts. She cries and cries for so very long and at very odd times. At the moment it's almost dark and I can hear her gagging and screaming "nooooo go away" hysterically. This has been going on for months. Im trying to be understanding and keep an open mind that maybe she has something going on but I'm also being woken up every night. What would you do in my situation? I'm kind of hoping it stops soon and don't want to be nosey but also a little worried via /r/Parenting https://ift.tt/2FrZpA0

Three year old's strange behaviour. Poop smearing/rearranging objects/ etc.

My three and a half year old nephew has been behaving really strangely. Once a week or so I wake up to find He's smeared his poop all over his bed and occasionally mine (we share a room). Every night he gets out bed, checks to see if I'm asleep and then proceeds to slowly rearrange any objects on my night stand. I have footage of him doing this that I filmed with a timelapse app. I'm worried he may have been sexually abused by his parents or someone that they left him with. He can barely talk, he's not potty trained and when my mother got custody of him he didn't even know how to use a spoon. We're all at our wits end with him. We've been trying to potty train him for six months but he just doesn't seem to get it. We're moving to a new house(as in we will be the first to live there) next Saturday and can't have this continue to happen. My mother is taking him to a child psychologist to have him tested for any kind of disability. Does anyone have any advice or know some steps I can take in the meantime? via /r/Parenting https://ift.tt/2FvIVqE

Ticks.

I don't know what it is about my kid, but I've pulled two ticks out of his hair yesterday, and just pulled the second one out today. We're averaging one tick per hour of outdoor activity at the moment. Fortunately I've caught them all before they've latched, but at this rate I may miss one.Meanwhile, my personal tick count is zero.I'm going to buzz his head soon, just to make it easier to spot/pull, but this is pretty ridiculous. I've even sprayed all his clothes with Permethrin - shirts, pants, shorts, even socks - but we're still at this tick-average. He even pulled one off on his own the other day.I know a few people with Lyme disease, and it freaks me right the hell out. Lyme isn't the only disease you can get, either. I know I'm more worried than I need to be - he could also get diseases from mosquitoes. Hell, he's got pinworms right now. Still, ticks - I hate ticks, and we're slam-damn in the middle of tick season.It's definitely worth it to closely look through your child's hair, especially before bed, no matter how much/little they were outside. The smaller the kid, the closer they are to where the ticks are, and the less able they are to identify/pull ticks on their own.And it's absolutely a pain, but if you find one latched on, keep it in a baggy/container when you pull it out, and look for signs of infection afterwards. I'm not a doctor, but my understanding is that some infections look like they go away but actually continue undetected for some time.And may God smite every last one of these bastards and liberate the world from their evil little ticky terribleness. via /r/Parenting https://ift.tt/2HYYXP2

Allowing the siblings of the birthday kid to invite their own friends over for a party?

My oldest will be having his birthday party next week. His birthday was a couple of weeks ago but he wanted to wait until we opened to pool to celebrate with friends. He is going paintballing and then inviting a bunch of friends over to hang out after. I will barbeque. My 12 year old asked to invite a couple of friends over because he doesn't hang out with my older son's friends and now my 7 year old is asking if she can invite friends over too. I think that's a lot of people and don't remember inviting people over when my brother had a birthday party and he didn't invite people over for mine. via /r/Parenting https://ift.tt/2HClu4y

Help

I'm a young mom of 4. My oldest is 4 and I have twin 2year olds and a 2 month old. Well my question is why do I get anxious and upset at my husband when he raises his voice or disciplines our kids. He doesn't yell or lay hands on them. For example, my 2 years old acciendly fell on my 2 month old she climbed over the back of the couch and fell on him. My husband of course stood up and said girls I told you don't climb on the couch you hurt your brother picked her up off the couch put her on the ground then comforted my 2 month old. If it was me I would have done the same. He's not doing anything wrong but for some reason when stuff like this happens I want to run to my kids pick them up and yell at my husband. Why? And how do I fix this. I don't let my husband know it bothers me just because he's not doing anything wrong I know it's all me. via /r/Parenting https://ift.tt/2JzB7qb

Resources for a kid who loves Shakespeare?

My 6 year old loves Shakespeare. We got him a Children's Shakespeare book for his birthday back in March. It tells a lot of the plays in a way that is more appropriate for kids and my son has devoured it. He wants more. I have found some kid friendly Shakespeare sites but I was looking for more options. I have considered taking him to local Shakespeare plays when they come around but I'm worried about them being too much for him. What else is out there? via /r/Parenting https://ift.tt/2JBJ3XQ

When my 2yo wakes in the morning, he can happily entertain himself in bed for a good length of time.

What do people think is an acceptable amount of time to leave a toddler to their own devices in an enclosed crib before getting them up? (Video and audio monitor on, obv only talking about those situations when they are not crying/calling out). via /r/Parenting https://ift.tt/2jkCkqp

My mom thinks she is my boss, and is making me feel like shit about myself.

This post may be long, so I appreciate anyone who sticks around to reply. For context I just turned 29, I have 2 children who will be 8 and 10 this summer. I have been with my husband for 11 years, and have not lived with my parents since I turned 18. I'm a stay at home mom, and full time college student majoring in accounting, I am also a licensed cosmetologist. I have a really hard time sticking up for myself, and have pretty low self esteem and always have.First let me say, that my parents are decent parents. We never had much in life but I never hurt for anything either. My parents put their kids first for the most part. There was no abuse in life, but I have always had a rough relationship with my dad as he is kind of an asshole who is impossible to please and makes me feel like shit about myself a lot. Other then that I can't complain much. However, I feel lately that my mom is kind of controlling of me, and also not very supportive.First let me say, she spoils the shit out of my kids. She also babysits for me 2 days a week for about 2 hours until I can get home from college. I appreciate that she is close with my kids, and helps me with them when I need it. But I think she uses this to control me to an extent. I'm very close with my kids, and they are used to me being home 24/7 so they do not ever want me to go anywhere or do anything, and for the most part I don't. However, I do go out with my friends about once every 2-3 months, so about 4-6 times a year. Usually when I go out with friends my kids are are calling and texting me begging me to come home every 15 minutes (when I do go out my husband keeps them, not my mom). The last time I went out was in January to celebrate my best friends birthday. We went out to dinner and then back to her house to play card games. My kids called my mom and "told" on me that I wasn't home, my mom then proceeded to call me in front of my all of my friends and scold me and be little me for not being home when my kids wanted me there. It was really embarrassing, and rude. The last time I hung out with my friends prior to this, was Halloween.So last night, she gets a wild hair up her ass and decides my kids need to go skating for some reason. We just took our kids to sky zone last weekend and it was really expensive so skating wasn't on the list this weekend. When I told her no maybe I'll take them next weekend, she huffed and puffed and decided that she would take them if I wouldn't. Okay, be my guest. My best friend (the one who's birthday was in January) also text me and asked if I wanted to go to dinner and out for drinks afterwards. She just had a baby in March and hasn't done anything since her baby was born, so I was excited to have drinks with her as it's been about a year since she could drink. Since my kids were with my mom I went.This morning my mom called me a berated me for going out last night instead of taking my kids skating (again all her idea), and last night was supposed to be her night since Friday was her birthday (um okay I had no idea that you wanted to do anything last night, I also didn't suggest skating or tell you to take my kids that was all you). She told me I go out all the time and it's ridiculous and blah blah blah. I had to remind her the last time I went out was in January for only a few hours and had to leave because she called me to scold me. So now I am supposed to feel bad because she didn't get her night?She has also been making comments lately that make me feel bad about myself, for instance I have been in college for about 6 years. I realize this is a long time, but I've been raising 2 kids and working a lot of the time I have been going to school too. Graduation is on the horizon and every time I mention how excited I am to finally be done, she just makes comments like "yeah it's about time", "it's taken you long enough", "school is all you know how to do", "we are all good at something you just haven't found what you're good at yet". She dropped out of high school when she was a sophomore, and I don't think she understands how hard college actually is. Accounting is a tough subject, even though I know she wouldn't be able to begin to comprehend it, she doesn't act proud of me at all and downplays my college success thus far.I realize all of this sounds petty but she is really making me feel like shit about myself. As I mentioned I already have low self esteem, so it doesn't help when I feel a little proud of myself and she brings me right back down. I also feel like there are some serious boundary issues. When she tells me what to do, I just do it, but the reality is I'm almost 30 and she is not my boss. She doesn't pay my bills, and she doesn't raise my kids. She relies on me for help with finances a lot because they suck with money (always pay me back but I am bailing them out a lot). She helps me too (not with money) but it's not a take take take situation and I don't understand why she thinks she is my boss?How can I address this and make her realize that I am an adult and she can't tell me what to do. I also don't know how to explain to her that her comments about my achievements are really hurtful, and if she isn't proud of me or doesn't have anything good to say she should really keep it to herself. via /r/Parenting https://ift.tt/2HAQORl

First big sleepover

So we’ve let out oldest of three (who is now 10) have a few 1 person sleepovers here at our house with great success. So for her 10th bday, we decided she could invite a few girls for a sleepover. And because we have had such a high rate of no-shows, we let her invite over ten. All of them except for one showed, and only a couple didn’t spend the whole night! So we have more or less a dozen 10 year old girls going bananas in my house. Parents start picking them up in an hour and I’m counting the minutes haha! We had lots of fun and did awesome activities, plus we got to show off our Nintendo switch which is always a hit. We’re already thinking maybe we don’t need to do big sleepover birthdays again hahaha! But I’m sure our middle and youngest will have something to say about that! Lol via /r/Parenting https://ift.tt/2vWxo3Z

Neighbor kid punched my son for damaging his item.

Today my son who's 12 came home crying because he got into a fight at his friends house. My son has been friends with this kid for a few years. They're also in the same class at school. I'm friendly with his parents as well. They live a few houses down from us.Well today my son went over to his house and the story from my son is they were playing video games and got into an argument over the game. My son says he wasn't playing fair. Eventually my son got really mad and ended up kicking the gaming system off the platform it was on. (I have no idea if it was broken or not) Then the other kid punched my son in the face twice. My son has a pretty big bruise on the side of his face. He didn't fight back at all, he just left after that.Let me add that my son has anger issues that we're working on. He has an explosive temper when he gets overly frustrated but generally he's a good kid.I'm trying to figure out how to handle this correctly as he's never been in any physical altercation and I want this to be the last. Should I call the other mom? Punish my son? Press charges on the kid who hit him? Any advice is appreciated. via /r/Parenting https://ift.tt/2HAi3eN

So proud!

Disclaimer: not a parent but an aunt!I am so proud of my nephew who I will call Nugget for the sake of this post.Nugget is 11 years old and will be going to high school after the summer. For any kid this is a massive step and is scary and exciting and overwhelming. For Nugget, this transition is going to be even more difficult due to his severe ADHD and recently diagnosed Autism. This boy is the light of my life and hasn't got a bad bone in his body but he struggles with social appropriateness, excessive energy and impulsive behaviour.One of the things that he's really found hard despite lots of encouragement is going to the toilet on his own (as in he needs to have someone stand outside the door at home etc, not that he needs physical help to use the toilet) and everytime I take him out somewhere, he insists that he has to use the girls bathrooms rather than the boys because obviously I can't follow him into the boys bathroom. Now he's getting older, this was starting to worry me and the rest of our family because it's not really socially acceptable for a boy of his age or older to continue to do this (it doesn't help that he's also very tall for his age).Anyway! Today me and Nugget went to play mini golf and at the end, we both went to the toilet. It's been a few weeks since I took him out anywhere so I wasn't expecting this when it happened... Nugget walked into the boys bathroom on his own without a word, did his stuff and came back out no hesitation.I was gobsmacked and said "Nugget, you just went in there on your own... I've not seen you do that before!"He said "I'm getting older now, I have to"I gave him a massive hug and told him that I'm so proud of him and that he should be proud of himself... Then gave him another even bigger hug!When I pulled away, he gave me the biggest smile, a kiss on the cheek and then another massive grin and said "yeah, I am!"It's a little thing for so many kids but for him this is massive and I'm just so happy. via /r/Parenting https://ift.tt/2HBv8AE

Concerned about my sons weight loss...

New to reddit, hello all parents! I have a problem at hand and I’m unsure of what to do. My son is 17 almost 18. He’s always been bigger but that’s never mattered to me because I love him with all my heart and if he’s happy that’s all that matters. However, he wasn’t happy and he’s always struggled losing weight. He’d always lose and gain the same 20-30 lbs and get frustrated. I tried my best to prepare healthy meals, take him to the gym 5 times a week when I got off work, even join him sometimes. I never once forced him to do these things but only supported him in wanting to make these changes. He’d always manage to fall off somehow. I noticed months ago he drastically started eating less. When I questioned him he’d make excuses like he just ate before he got home, he was eating at a friends, he had a big lunch at school, or he didn’t feel too well. Of course I didn’t think too much of it initially but the weight just started FALLING off. I could not believe how rapid it came off of him. I had a few moms come to me and ask me if he was sick! He’s been at this for about 6 months. He started at 270 lbs and he’s now around 140 lbs. He doesn’t look like my son anymore. And the worst part is he wants to lose 5-10 more pounds? He’s skinny enough! He’s 5’9 for god sake why would he need to be 130 lbs? How did he even lose so much in 6 months? I didn’t even think that was physically possible without cutting off a leg. That’s too much! I don’t know what to do. I don’t want him to get sick. Any other parents out there dealing with or have dealt with the same thing? Am I wrong for not being okay with the weight loss? via /r/Parenting https://ift.tt/2vW6glB

Moving 1,000 miles away, how do I explain this to my daughter?

My 8 month old daughter, SO and myself are currently living with my mother. My SO and I are having difficulty getting along with my mother, but my daughter absolutely loves her. We love seeing the unique bond my daughter and her grandmother have, but it’s time to move on. We will be moving in January so my daughter will be around 16 months old by then. I’m not sure what to tell her or how she will react to moving away from grandma. We will be moving a good distance away, so visits with her grandma will be very limited to maybe once a year on holidays. I’ve literally never interacted with a baby until I had my daughter so I’m completely new at all of this. Any help is greatly appreciated! via /r/Parenting https://ift.tt/2Km6LJ3

Shrill screaming 10 mos old

Our 10 month old son is constantly screaming a very shrill loud scream. I am not at all worried that something is wrong and assume this is pretty normal, but I have no idea how to start trying to correct it. I would assume it would be for attention, but he does it while we are playing with him and engaging also. He doesn’t seem to understand “no” yet and giving him a lot of attention when he does it would seem to reinforce it. Just wanted to see if anyone had any techniques that worked, or if we just need to wait it out. via /r/Parenting https://ift.tt/2HEbF20

How did having kids affect your hobbies and personal satisfaction?

As a disclaimer, I have always wanted kids. I’ve dreamed about being a mom since I was young. I think I would be a good mom, and I know being a parent requires sacrificing.However, as I’ve gotten older (I’m 29) I’ve seen my friends have kids and how much of their self and prior habits they’ve sacrificed. They love being parents, but some are wistful for days when they didn’t have to worry about being responsible for a human 24/7.My partner and I both have time consuming hobbies. They give us a sense of purpose and a way to unwind from our stressful jobs. Obviously our time spent doing these things will be decreased after kids. I am worried about this, as I feel better mentally when I have time to spend on these things.Has anyone had similar concerns? How did you feel after having kids? Please keep in mind I am not a selfish person, and I would do anything necessary for my future kids. via /r/Parenting https://ift.tt/2FoNi6x

Please teach your children hitting caregivers is NOT okay (or hitting anyone for that matter)

I am a nanny and I take care of two sets of siblings, the first set is two 2 year olds and their 1 month old sister. The second pair is two sisters I babysit, they are a five year old and a 1 year old and today I was two seconds away from telling their mother and father they were doing a shit job as parents and I don't even give a fuck.Note I babysit them 3 days a week for 2 hours/day every single week and I am not allowed to even give these kids a time out or anything.The 5 year old slapped me today IN FRONT OF THE MOTHER. What did she do? nothing... literally nothing. Then she started kicking me IN FRONT OF THE MOTHER. What did the mother do? Nothing. I, of course, told the kid that this is wrong and she's not allowed to kick, hit or overall be mean and insult people and if she continued then I would have to put her in a time out. The mother didn't even bat an eyelash. Basically according to the mom I am only there to play with them and if they are in time outs or they don't feel 'comfortable' with me they won't play anymore. So, I am already writing her my two week's notice. Fuck that.The kid hits me and the only thing I am supposed to do is give ehr another toy. If she throws things at me, at her sister or refuses to clean up... distract her with another toy. Basically she runs the household and if that's okay with her mother and father then great (though I am dying to see her as a teenager) but I am not here to be physically assaulted by a 5 year old who DEFINITELY knows that is wrong and not be allowed to do anythign about it. The 1 year old just does her thing but today she decided that after her sister hit me it was okay to hit me and then laugh...That is my rant. via /r/Parenting https://ift.tt/2HyizK9

My Three Year old just Made Everything Okay

In March I gave my daughter's dad primary custody and I've struggled with it. I see her every other weekend now and this is our third weekend together. She goes home today.So, she tells me she needs to go potty and I take her and stand in front of the sink, looking away, so I can give her some measure of privacy while also being there to help when she is done. I look around and say, "I have a lot of cleaning to do when you go back to daddy's house." And she agrees (cheeky baby) then i said, "you are supposed to go to daddy's house this afternoon but you can go whenever you are ready, just let me know."She reached out and took my hand, kissed it and said, "I love you mommy."I didn't realize I needed that. I catch a lot of shit for making the decision to take a back seat in her life and she just made me realize it was the right decision for her. She is happier than she was before. And I am happier because she is happier.Just wanted to share this little moment with other parents who might understand the impact it had on me. via /r/Parenting https://ift.tt/2FrAqfT

What children's movies feature songs you don't mind being forced to listen to hundreds of times a day?

My son is currently obsessed with Trolls, the movie of which features the Justin Timberlake song Can't Stop the Feeling. Honestly its catchy as hell and I don't mind listening to it everyday. But I hear nightmare stories about parents having to listen to the Frozen soundtrack and I'm afraid to even introduce him to that movie.Moana is another that he enjoys which has great songs. via /r/Parenting https://ift.tt/2JABGzW

The best thing just happened.

November 28 2017, five months ago today, my daughter was born. She is the light in my eyes. She is my sun, my moon, my stars, and everything inbetween. I absolutely adore her, and I could not imagine my life without her. During my pregnancy, I prepared myself for screaming, up all nights, and colic, but I lucked out of all of those. My daughter is such a happy baby, and she sleeps eight to ten hours a night. I'm so lucky I got her.These last few months have been really hard. I'm a single mother, and I struggle to get by on a monthly basis, though it is getting far easier now as it's getting warmer and my electricity bill is not as high.Today in particular was very rough, for reasons I do not wish to elaborate on. I'm sat at home in my apartment, sulking, with my daughter next to me, and I am so close to breaking down.I turn to face my baby, and I sing her the song I sing every night before putting her to bed. She's smiling as I'm singing, as she usually does, and towards the end of the song she starts to make a weird sound.I get a bit worried, as it sounds like she's choking, and just as I'm about to call the doctor (yes I'm overprotective I know), the strange sound turns to laughter.She laughed.She has never laughed before.It was the sweetest sound I have ever heard, and it made me so incredibly happy. I'm tearing up just writing this.My baby laughed for the first time today. I just needed to share that with someone. via /r/Parenting https://ift.tt/2jfFTOt

9 year old is constantly touching herself and it's becoming an issue. what should be done?

I'm asking for my cousin who is worried and unsure of what to do. My niece is 9 years old and my cousin says that she is always touching herself. My cousin taught my niece from a young age that nobody is allowed to touch her down there, that only mommy is allowed to look if something bothers her but nobody else. My niece is intelligent, outgoing, and has shown zero symptoms of being abused in any way. My cousin taught her that it's totally fine and normal to touch yourself down there but that she should do it when she is alone and nobody can see. But she does it all the time. Her hands are just constantly in her pants. My cousin has gotten calls home from school, her dance class, etc. saying that she just chills with her hands in her pants. She already asked if she's having any pain or itchiness and if anybody has asked to look at or touch her privates. All answers are no! Obviously, touching yourself is normal, my cousin and I both know that, but there's a time and place for it. When my cousin asked her why she can't wait until she is alone to do it, she gets upset and just runs away. We don't really know what to do and we don't want my niece feeling like she's doing something "wrong," just that it shouldn't be in front of everybody. We don't want her to feel ashamed or anything. What, if anything, can be done about this? via /r/Parenting https://ift.tt/2HzG4CS

My sister, her kids, and my grief

I'm a father of two, who are the joy of my life. Throughout that journey, so far, my rock and resource has been my sister. She is 12 years my senior, has 7 kids ranging in she from low twenties to 5, and even when we didn't see eye-to-eye, I've always valued her insight, experience, and passion for loving those around her.On Monday, she, her husband, and six of their kids were in a horrific car accident that left two of the kids in critical condition and took both parents' lives (the other four made it out with only minor injuries). I've been at the hospital since then, watching over her babies, just like she would have been, but I'm finding myself increasingly wanting to pick up the phone and call her when I have no idea what to do. Every time, the realization that I can't hurts all over again. It sounds trite, but I've cried myself dry so often this past week that my eyes may hurt for years.Nobody in particular has been assigned ongoing care of the kids yet. She used to joke with me that, if anything happened to her and her husband, I got all the kids, but I don't know how much of that was ribbing and how much was real - we have no idea if she and her husband had wills with provision in them for the kids. The current assumption is that it will be split somehow between myself, our younger sister/her husband, and grandparents, but for now, I'm at my limit just keeping track of two kiddos in the ICU.The church and friends have mobilized effectively, and made sure that we're provided for. There's a GoFundMe that was created to help take care of finances, and I can't even rub my forehead without folks appearing seemingly out of nowhere with ibuprofen for a headache and asking when I slept last.Thing is, I know how to take care of me. I know how to pay for things for kids. The help and support there are invaluable and welcome, but I don't know how to love her kids like she did. I will try, and I will be the best version of me I can be, but I wasn't ready to lose my guide on this journey. I fear I lack the depth of soul my sister possessed that allowed her to so gracefully care for so many as naturally as breathing.I'm not really looking for anything here, just overwhelmed and needed to type some of this out. Apologies if this violates any of the sub rules - I'm a long time lurker, but this is one of my first posts. via /r/Parenting https://ift.tt/2HBqG9b

How can we help our son "grow up"?

Our eldest son is 9 and very immature for his age and its really starting to take a strain on him and us as a family.Just a few things for example. He will not drink unless told to do so, we have been telling him for years and years to "get a drink" and really thought this would be something he would do on his own now.He has no friends in school because he acts so much younger than his class mates, just the other day he was telling me he had a "yoghurt fight" with his younger brother (7), something I wouldn't expect at his age.He takes zero pride in his appearance, doesn't shower (unless told), doesn't do his hair, doesn't care for the clothes he wears, his nails are usually long and dirty (I'm always telling him to come to me when they need cutting, he never does), he doesn't care to "look nice". I'm now noticing other kids his age care for how they look.He can't do anything around the house without guidance or prompting. His job is to take the recycling out yet he will only do it when told even though this as been his "job" for 2 years now.Another school example, we were in the playground at school the other day, a big group of his class mates were stood around chatting to each other but then he was pulling his coat over his knees waddling around laughing to himself.These are just a few examples but there is so much more, we really do try to help and guide him and tell him how and how not to behave and act in certain situations but he just takes zero notice. We are feeling like we are failing him, we want him to have friends, be more independent and care for himself more.Maybe we have gone wrong somewhere or we are comparing him to kids who are too mature for their age but he starts secondary school in just a few years and we fear if he doesn't mature soon its going to be really really hard on him.We had another long talk with him today about who he wants to be and that he needs to help take care of himself more but I feel nothing will come of it. What more can we be doing to help him get there? via /r/Parenting https://ift.tt/2Fn5nSF

Husband wants to do 15 hour day trips with 9 month old...

I don’t know if this is a post more for r/relationships but I wanted the advice/views of other parents...so I’m posting here.A little background: my DH and I have a 9 month old baby and a dog. We used to live in Europe (just the two of us) where doing day trips was pretty reasonable. Fly 1-2 hours and you’re in a different country and you can be home in the evening. We really enjoyed that. We did a few day trips when I was pregnant but I felt it was too much already and even cancelled one because I couldn’t handle it anymore. DH and I talked and agreed that after baby was born it wasn’t ideal and we would have to resort to weekend trips. Bigger expense but totally worth it. I thought we were agreed. We recently moved to the states where doing day trips is just not possible (at least for us). I also should mention I suffer from depression and have been having a very hard time since baby was born. I recognize I have been especially difficult to deal with and have a doctors appt on Tuesday to hopefully get some help.Now to yesterday: my husband is desperate to go somewhere. He works for an airline so we have flight benefits. I’m a bit tired of hearing his frustrations about being “stuck” here. Please know we just moved countries, he has just started a new job and we are in the middle of furnishing our new apartment. I don’t think we have the extra cash to go somewhere and was hoping to start travelling again in June. Yesterday he mentions taking a day trip to Montana and I agreed. The flight is less than two hours, and it sounded like an overall relaxing day. But he gets home and decides he instead wants to go to Laguna Beach which is an almost 3 hour flight from us. He was really excited to go to the beach. I really didn’t care for it. I agreed at first, because I feel bad that he hates being “stuck” here so much. But after realizing what a hectic day it would be for everyone I said no. Waking up at 5 am and going nonstop until at least noon, and not being home until about 10 pm. He was pretty upset and said that I never care about how he feels and it was ridiculous I don’t want to go. That maybe Baby wants to go. She can handle it. I am always too negative and should just let us all have fun.My problems with this trip: -dog will be alone all day. Way too long in my opinion. We don’t know anyone near us to walk him while we are gone. I think it’s really unfair. -this is a long time to be out with a baby. Two flights in 1 day. A lot of overstimulation. Not sure she will nap because she’s not a great napper to begin with. -I can’t handle the stress of a day trip. I know I will be too focused on little things like how baby is handling everything. Is she comfortable, being fed enough, napping enough. I will overthink it all.So now it’s today, we did not go on this trip. My husband is upset saying that he works all week (I’m a SAHM), and I’m always demanding he buy us things. I am always complaining about being stuck at home(1 car right now). I get to buy things for myself but he gets nothing that makes him happy. I make him feel bad because I’m complaining about everything(baby,dog,house). There is obviously a lot more going on here and I am all too aware. My husband feels like I don’t understand how he feels and vise versa.But I’m posting because as a parent, would you take your kid out on a 15 hour+ day trip like this? Am I just not “laid back” enough? I hope that outside views can just help me understand if I don’t have the right point of view here. I am feeling pretty stupid having to post this here. Even dumber after writing it out. But I need perspective and I have nobody else to talk to. Thanks for reading. via /r/Parenting https://ift.tt/2HAqTVW

Her Birthday

On mobile. Sorry about formatting.Yesterday was my daughter's 7th birthday, and not one damned person called to wish her a happy birthday. Not my sister, whom I am close to (or I thought I was). Not my parents, and not my eldest daughter. No one actually gave a fuck. My husband's family is equally fucking useless. They give even less fucks. Oh, I'm sorry, We chose to move away from your shit attitudes. So far away that you didn't even have to pretend that you're going to make an effort. ( Because a 4 hour drive was too far, though they routinely drove 6-8 hours away for anything else) So we moved, 1200 miles away. Piss off Family. For all I care at this point, you don't have to see us ever again. via /r/Parenting https://ift.tt/2vTocNQ

I told my daughter about my past - children are amazing!

I wrote a post a few days ago about how I was apprehensive about telling my daughter (14 yrs old) about my past. I used to be addicted to drugs and alcohol (mostly alcohol), was orphaned from birth and lived on the streets as a kid and went through some physical and sexual abuse. I started drinking heavily and doing drugs when I was 14. Became sober when I was 20 and my ex was pregnant. We were both addicts and unfortunately, she relapsed when our daughter was a baby and took off for a decade.She's now back and as you can imagine, it's something we are finding hard to come to grips with. Since her bio mum's reemergence, my daughter has been very interested about my childhood and the country I come from (Ghana). Because of what happened when I was a kid, I haven't been back to Ghana since I left the country for Germany to study when I was 18. I'll always be Ghanian, but there are too many painful memories from my childhood. Memories I suppressed.As a result, my daughter didn't really know much about Ghana and she became very curious. She complained to her stepmother that she felt like wasn't half Ghanaian because she knew so little about the place, and that her best friend, who is also of multi-national and biracial descent, knew about where her non-German parent came from. I was apprehensive initially, about letting her know, not just because it's something I always kept close to my chest, but also because I feared her reaction. I thought she would see me differently if she knew that I was once an addict. But I finally decided to take the plunge and I'm so glad.My daughter loves playing sports. When playing in a team, she's so passionate - always shouting commands to her teammates. She had athletics training last night (a 100m and 200m specialist - always finishes first on sports day). After training I took her out for some pizza and ice cream. We went for a walk after and we talked. I told her about how I was orphaned, growing up on the streets, being a drug and alcohol addict. I told her there was some abuse, but didn't get into the details. I told her that because of her bio mother and I, she may be genetically predisposed to addiction and that she should be careful when she grows up. But I also told her that if she did fall into dungeons of addiction, to NEVER be afraid to tell me and that I would support her 100%. I emphasized the importance of support - I lost a good friend a few years back to suicide because he hid his addiction from everyone, and when it got real tough, he felt like he had no one to turn to.My daughter told me she was proud of me for getting through all that, and that I shouldn't actually hide my history, because it's something to take inspiration in. All that fear and apprehension was for nothing, really. She reacted very well to it. This morning at breakfast she gave me a hug outta nowhere. When I asked her why she said she was proud of me. Later on she wants me to teach her a few words from my ethnic tribe. English is national language in Ghana but there are many historical tribes with their own language.I gotta say I feel really good right now. Not just for helping my daughter know herself more, but also because it was good to get that off my chest - especially to the greatest gift I have ever received.Just wanted to give an update to those that asked on the last thread. Have a great weekend, all! via /r/Parenting https://ift.tt/2r6aNNt

House guests after birth have crossed the line

My hubby’s sisters have come to stay with us for a few days about ten days after this baby was born. We also have a 18 month old son. They see nothing wrong with staying in our house after the birth and have even been offended in the past when they weren’t able to stay with us on one occasion for a family gathering. So this time I allowed it, trying to give them a chance and not look like the wicked witch. I was lucky enough to have a relatively easy uncomplicated birth.We don’t have a spare room so I’m in the baby’s room, hubby is in DS room and they are in our room. After night one they complained our mattress was Too firm. Hubby slept on a swag And I slept in a single bed.Today they all went to hubbys footy game and took DS along. I packed his lunch, dinner and a jumper and asked them to put it on him when it got dark. She watched me put it in his bag and everything and said ok.It’s now 8.30pm my poor boy is still not home and it’s way past his bedtime. They also took him to kfc for lunch and he had “a handful of chips” (not enough for him regardless of the fact it’s junk food) and I texted them at 6pm to see if he had eaten his dinner which they hadn’t even offered to him yet. And of course at 8.30pm he was not wearing his jumper.I’m so upset about this. Not one of my requests was even attempted and husband thinks I’m just being paranoid and rude but I am struggling to ignore this. We rearranged our house for them to be here so soon after the birth. My poor boy is out quite late (he’s not a good sleeper and will not sleep when our) they said it would be 7.00 when they arrived home which is his bedtime so I thought it would be ok.I know they don’t seem like massive things but this makes me not trust them to watch him ever again because they just ignored me or dare I say it, too thick to take instructions on how to look after my child. And it’s this protectiveness that is making me not accept it but i don’t see myself saying anything but i do not want to speak to them. They stayed with us when DS was born and we lived in a bigger house then and it was still a lot to have them there two days after the birth. So this isn’t the first time.Sorry for rambling. If I said something how do I say it? Or do I not? A big part of me just wants to ignore them til they leave tomorrow, because I don’t know what to say but I can’t act like it didn’t happen. Husband is useless as I’ve tried discussing this with him before, he’s got no balls and I’ll deal with him later. via /r/Parenting https://ift.tt/2JypTCa

My son ate fruit for his breakfast!

Ive had such a great morning and i need to tell someone who'll understand!My 2 1/2 has had lots of problems with his weight gain due to allergies. This meant when we weaned him his doctor wanted him on high calorie food and before i knew it he stopped eating anything healthy and only ate high protein high calorie food.It's been a battle getting him back on 5 a day and often leads to melt downs and refusle to eat every dinner time if something health is on his plate.I had enough when nursery said he hadnt eaten at all because each meal had something healthy contaminating his plate which lead to melt down so he didnt eat anything on his plate at all 3 meals.This morning i made a fruit salad for breakfast. Apples, Grapes, blueberries, stawberries and Bananas.He chewed and spit out and started to lose his temper.I told him he had to swollow the food too but he was having none of it. So i asked him to pull up his shirt. I knocked on his belly and said its empty and he needed to swollow some food quick! He ate a bit of Banana and i pointed to his belly and said "Look theres the Banana!"He laughed and ate another peice. By the end of breakfast he was Stuffing the fruit down and LAUGHING at the same time!!!I kept talking to the fruit in his belly and knocked to see if his belly was full yet (it wasnt 😂) and he kept eating more.Im so proud of us! I didnt get mad at all and he actually ate something without tears and screaming. His laughter has made my whole day. Im one happy and proud mummy! via /r/Parenting https://ift.tt/2HT5LNY

Weekly - Ask parents everything - April 17, 2018

This bi-weekly thread is meant as a place for non-parents and parents to ask questions to the community.Note - Remember that all questions and responses must adhere to our community rules.For daily questions see /r/Askparents via /r/Parenting https://ift.tt/2H84NKa

Please don’t be me...

I got the worst scare of my entire life today. My son was choking and to be honest I’ve never been more terrified. He was turning blue and all I could do was shove my finger down his throat and slap his back. Thankfully the tortilla chip that had been given to him by his older sister, came out and he’s fine. Just a little raspy.So please don’t be me, if I get judged for not knowing infant first aid/CPR then that’s fine, but I didn’t know it and I regret that so much. I’ve been researching when and how I can get it. Please learn it, it’s not a waste. via /r/Parenting https://ift.tt/2Hxw1Oz

At age 12 my son is finally back on the growth chart.

My oldest son has always been small for his age. He fell off the growth chart for height in pre-kindergarten and never hopped back on. We all used to joke that he "didn't exsist" since his height and weight didn't chart. We had to put him through a series of test and evaluations over the years to determine a cause but nothing was ever found. He was simply short and we were fine with that.He had a physical today for fall x-country and we found out that he is back on the charts! He's at the very bottom (51 inches for height, 60 pounds for weight puts him below the 3rd percentile but he's there. I never thought I would be so happy about a meaningless growth chart. Maybe he'll hit 100 pounds on day afterall and won't have to sit on a phone book when he takes drivers ed in a few years. via /r/Parenting https://ift.tt/2Hzim5x

"Last time I checked people with babies still sleep"

My husband and I have a beautiful little daughter who is just over a month old, so sleep is a little (a lot) lacking right now. My younger sister texted me earlier asking how I was and I said I was good, just tired to which she replied "Last time I checked people with babies still sleep" my reply? "LOL"i'll be sure to remind her of this conversation if she ever has a baby :) via /r/Parenting https://ift.tt/2jdDJPu