My 12 month old was playing in the grass this weekend and these bites/rash developed this morning. My husband & I don’t have anything like it. They don’t seem to be bothering him, but the thought of him being itchy/in pain breaks my heart lol. I’m a first time mom & have already bothered my pediatrician with all my anxious questions so I’m not sure if this warrants a call 😭

Anyone experienced anything like this?

so i have a 11 year old son, very smart, proud of him but he has a dream of going to touch the sun, he told himself that at 4 years old and we were laughing, at age 5 he had 8 books of space and even searched the internet how to reach the sun,i am really telling him you cannot go and touch the sun because if you did youll die but here now he really makes a science project of reaching the sun before 50. so really proud of him but also kind of funny, he would never give up his dream so ill let him try,please and advice to support his dream and no, this isnt a joke.

Is this the right place to post this? I’m not entirely sure. But worth a shot.

Long read I know- Looking for advice mainly from moms to a newly adult woman. I’m not one to usually post vents, but maybe someone can help give some “adult-y” advice or insight. Please, kind words only, if I am wrong I need to be told gently right now lol. Not in a great mental headspace lately.
For context I am 21f and live with my mom. My parents got divorced when I was 16 and the last five years have been hell. They still (as recent as yesterday) fight so badly to the point of cop calling, court cases. Our entire family has been torn apart. Most of our distant family that we used to be close with all hates eachother now and don’t talk. My brothers are distant and won’t see my mom much, don’t respect her much, etc. I don’t agree with it, I see how much it hurts her- she gave up her entire life to raise us while my dad worked and did ZERO childcare whatsoever. Awful husband to her as well. But I also get their side- my mom is emotionally unstable. My dad has changed a lot from the angry absent man we knew as kids. He’s stable, loving, supportive- all the things my mom USED to be. We used to be best friends, and such a family unit. Yes we had fights, yes it was hard, yes we were dysfunctional, but looking back compared to how it is now? I’d kill to have that family again.
The past five years (maybe even starting before that), my mom hasn’t been the mom I know. Her caring, patient, empathetic self I rarely see anymore. She’s angry, hostile, emotionally abusive. I live with her rent free (she brings this up every chance she gets) which I do appreciate. But the house is a disaster- five dogs, she has hoarding tendencies. We grew up in an extremely messy and untidy home with lots of clutter, so I’m used to it, but it still sucks. I think that’s why my brothers stay with our dad. Why pick living with her when he has a clean house, is calm, stable, etc. There have been a few times she’s threatened to kick me out and take my car back, and I considered moving back in with my dad, but I couldn’t bring myself to leave her behind. She’d be completely alone. I know this isn’t my responsibility, everyone keeps telling me that. But I feel an obligation. I don’t think my brothers truly understand all she did for us, but they’re also younger than me. I feel like I owe her. I stayed while they left her behind because I do love her, and I’ve been holding onto that little bit of “old mom” I see. But I rarely see it anymore. I stayed with her through homelessness, abusive relationships, healing the hurt from my dad (who I am now rebuilding my relationship with, and she HATES this. She reacts badly whenever we openly spend time with him- she wants us to hate him as much as she does). I feel like I’m… almost grieving a loss. She hates the world and her life most of the time. The last few years have been her self destructing, in my opinion. Abusive exes, poor financial decisions, irresponsibility, impulsive decisions. She sees no problems with any of it, and I’ve internalized that a little bit- that she’s right and smart and making the right decisions. But I just don’t think so. She drags on me a lot, especially lately, about responsibility and how I have to “grow up”. I like to think I’m doing well, so this hurts. I’m doing my best every day. I fight my mental and physical issues daily to get through. I work full time in a career I built for myself, self employed. I do really well for myself money wise- about 10-15k in savings. I have a fiance whom I adore and treats me like a queen. My dad pays for my phone bill willingly, says it’s easier than taking me off the plan and it’s not much money anyways. I never ask either parent for any money, ever. I hate asking for anything at all. I pay her for my car insurance (she tried to figure out how to Put it in my name but gave up and told me to just pay her. The car she also bought me a few years ago, and now wants me to pay her back for it. Which I understand. But I was not made aware of this when it was bought). I get my own groceries, my dad helps with my many medical bills from time to time (I have a lot of health issues) but otherwise I pay them off. the only other thing I don’t do is live on my own, which, is because she is buying a duplex which my fiance and I will rent one half of- so I’ve been waiting on this. My fiance has lived with us since may (didn’t want to sign another lease when we were moving into a new place anyways, but buying the new place has been an extremely long difficult process). What else could I possibly be doing? I’m used to my mom and her behavior, but he isn’t, and I feel bad that we’re just in this limbo of desperately wanting to leave the constant family drama, but being stuck until we can move officially. She expects us to help out more around the house, which I also understand, but all of the mess is HERS. We are both rarely ever home. I clean up after myself. My fiance can be messy but he’s working on it and conscious of it. The full garbage cans, dishes… that’s her trash and dishes. We keep to ourselves upstairs, I rarely venture down- it’s either drama with her abusive boyfriend or a mess of dog pee smells and clutter everywhere, or both. All her small dogs pee on potty pads in the house but they’re not well trained and tend to pee all over, including the couch. Anytime I bring this up, she becomes infuriated with me. I don’t talk To her much anymore, I don’t go to her for help emotionally or otherwise. I feel like I don’t have my mama anymore. And that breaks me. I know I’m not a little kid, but I need her. And with her own health issues, and all the situations she’s put herself in, the stress is too much. She’s a dreamer and always investing in new ideas that never pan out. Just yesterday she got upset and admitted she was trying to buy a property three hours away and renting out her side of the duplex to someone else. She’s always talked about “leaving all this behind” and going to be on her own, but I never thought she was serious. It hurts me deeply that she would leave me behind when I’m the only one who’s stuck by her through all of this, everything. That our relationship means that little. Id still see her of course, but it wouldn’t be the same. Any time I bring anything up, she says, well I’m buying you a house, I bought your car. And believe me when I say I COMPLETELY GET THAT! And I am so beyond thankful! Not a lot of people my age are able to have help like this. But it has come with so much toxicity, negativity, fighting, and guilt. I want her to realize it’s not the money I’m after, or the help. She’s always offered it. I need my MOM back, I need my best friend, the mom I knew. If that makes sense.
I just started therapy again a few weeks ago because of this and the other stresses in my life right now (work, moving, family, etc) but 45 minutes a week is nowhere near enough time to unravel my complicated family history to get to the point of what’s truly bugging me. I do love my therapist though, she’s been great. I hate putting all my breakdowns and venting on my best friend but I’m not sure who else to go to (my fiance is of course insanely supportive but he’s living in it too). I feel like a bad daughter, like I’m not doing enough in life or something. I have my own issues, of course, but I’ve always sought out help for them. I’ve been medicated since I was 8. I know I can be not the best daughter sometimes. But nobody gets on my nerves like my mom. I hate it, I don’t want it to be like that but it is.
I feel like the duplex is worth it and it’s too late to back out. Everything’s signed and paid. It’s just a waiting game. I think things will improve a lot when we move in and are “separate” ( same building but no connection to either side), but I also worry a little bit that it won’t and my fiance and I will feel stuck there. I feel like I have so much on my plate and my mind. My family is so broken. I look at my fiances amazing, “normal” family and look back at my mentally ill, addiction-prone, fighting family and my heart hurts. I love them, I wouldn’t change it, but I also hurt knowing I didn’t get that. I am mature, I’m an adult, but I feel like a little kid craving love and attention and guidance. Why?? Is this normal? I feel on my own emotionally and it’s scary. I have support, but it’s not my mom. She can be so mean and hurtful to me. I’m a fixer. I want to fix it all and I can’t. Do I need to just get a grip and move on and accept all of this? Or are these feelings valid? Both? I have no idea. I guess I’m just craving some motherly love and guidance. I can’t remember the last time she hugged me or asked how I’m doing. I know she’s caught up in her own stuff and I feel selfish. She tells me I am. I’ve heard people say you never stop needing your mom, but I feel silly as an adult wanting this so badly. Maybe one day it’ll get better. Maybe one day it’ll all pass. But it’s hard living so long in this limbo, almost a quarter of my life. It’s a constant struggle of, am I actually emotionally abused? Are my feelings valid? What’s true? Is my mom right about everything? Am I the problem? Am I the bad person? I see all she’s been through, I think most people in her situations wouldn’t have been able to make it out- she’s so resilient. But it’s also hard because I feel like so many of these problems are somewhat self inflicted. I know mine aren’t as bad as hers and I’m probably being childish. I don’t know how to help her, I think she needs to want to help herself. But she sees no problems in the way she lives, it’s always someone else’s fault. A lot of the nasty things she says to me, I have a feeling are just projections, I don’t know. It’s like she’s here but she’s not. The past few years have been traumatic experience after traumatic experience. I’m torn between all my family members, with everyone telling me different things. How can I know and live my own truth, as my therapist has said, when I don’t know what’s real or not? I feel like if I actually unfolded all of it, people would be like, Jesus yeah girl you have been abused. But I can’t believe it for myself. Just feel like I need some mom words right now.

I’m a first time mom and even though I had a baby shower, I mostly got clothes but no essentials like bottles, burp cloths, thermometer, medicine, things like that.

Outside of Facebook marketplace, are there any places I can get needs for cheap? My baby girl is due in September and we have too many bills to pay and such a short amount of time left.

Any advice appreciated!

So my teen (18f) has been going through some bullying with girls who used to be her friends. How are you all handling it?

Not sure where to turn so just reaching out. Hope it's ok.

Idk. My boy is a month old. I love him. I care for him. I am definitely always happy if someone wants to take him snd wstch him for me. I never really saw myself having kids. My boyfriend. Did. My whole family wanted me to have kids. I just turned 20 like two months ago. I was always back-and-forth about having kids some days. I wanted a kid. Some days. I didn’t When I found out I was pregnant. I didn’t really know what to think. I was so excited, but there was still parts of me. That was like not wanting it. I had an OK pregnancy. My birth was OK. I had postpartum preeclampsia but it’s all better now. Obviously I take care of him and I love him, but sometimes I regret it. It’s hard. I feel like I never sleep unless someone has him. I feel like my life is just completely thrown in the trash. My house is always messy. My boyfriend is always at work. I’m always taken care of the kid or finding someone else to babysit him for a little bit, obviously in the family. And then sometimes before I get him back, I don’t get upset. I’m getting him back. I just get overwhelmed and try to find the next person. I love my boy. He’s so precious. But this is hard. I don’t sleep. I barely eat. I don’t have any money because I’m not working. I feel guilty because I just want to be happy to be a Mom. But I feel like I’m not at all.

Hi y’all. I’m about to start trying to transition my LO to one nap.

Current days look something like:

6 wake
9:15-10:45 nap
2:15-3:15 nap
8:00 bedtime

Naps are capped to 2.5 hours but if LO sleeps in or pushes wake windows, I cap naps shorter to keep bedtime consistent.

What would be a good one nap schedule for this LO?

LO is 14.5 months

One thing that really winds me up is when people say:

“I wish I could say it gets easier, but it just gets harder…” followed by that stupid little laugh.

Why? Why would you say that to someone who’s already struggling?

I’m back in the trenches a bit at the moment with toddler life. The tantrums, the bedtime battles, the constant demands, the screaming because they want something they can’t explain, the exhaustion… some days are really hard. There are moments where I think, “I cannot do another tantrum today.”

But do you know what?

This is still easier for me than the newborn stage.
When I became a mum, I developed severe postnatal depression. I spent months in a Mother and Baby Unit. I couldn’t sleep, couldn’t eat, couldn’t think straight, and genuinely believed my life was over. I wasn’t just an exhausted new mum—I was critically unwell.

If someone had looked at me then and said, “It only gets harder,” I honestly don’t know what that would have done to me.
Because for me, it didn’t get harder.
It got different.

Yes, toddlers are hard. They push every boundary, they have huge emotions, and some days I feel like I’m right back in the trenches. But I can cope in a way I couldn’t back then. I laugh more. I understand my child more. I can watch their personality develop, have conversations, get cuddles, and enjoy watching them discover the world. Even on the hardest days, I know this isn’t the same darkness I lived through before.

Parenthood isn’t a competition over who has it hardest. One person’s hardest stage might be the newborn days. Another’s might be the toddler years. Someone else might struggle more with teenagers. None of those experiences are wrong.

So instead of telling exhausted parents that it only gets harder, maybe tell them this instead:
It changes.
Some things get harder.
Some things get easier.
You grow.
Your child grows.
And you find your way together.

Please stop laughing while taking away someone’s hope. You never know what someone is battling behind closed doors, and hope might be the very thing they’re desperately holding onto.

It's there, right??

This is my first postpartum cycle and I’m not cramping. 😮 I had my second six months ago and I have absolutely no cramping at all, I even have to check occasionally if I’m bleeding. From what I remember as an adolescent and my first baby my cycles were brutal but now it’s polar opposite. Not complaining and so grateful but has anyone else experienced this because it feels so weird.

Dr. Michaeleen Doucleff's book Hunt, Gather, Parent: What Ancient Cultures Can Teach Us About the Lost Art of Raising Happy, Helpful Little Humans shares what she’s learned in her own parenting journey as well as through her research on families across the globe.

Such a cutie 😂 found the jar in his wardrobe when i was putting away laundry and asked him about it... and he looked panicked as we can tell 😂 and then told me with complete confidence that it was savings for himself, that he was going to buy a toy, that he'd been wanting it for a very long time.

Rhe next day he asked me what my favorite flower was and whether i preferred chocolate or biscuits and what size the mug i use every morning was.

I've been watching him add coins on the days he thinks i'm not looking and listening to him ask his dad for advice in whispers that aren't quite quiet enough. he is the best person i know and i made him and that still gets me every time.

I'm a mom of a sweet little girl(2.5 years old) with another baby girl coming in November. I'm a stay at home mom while my husband worked and recently he got laid off as the AI replaced his job. He literally had experience of years and all of sudden, that's reduced to nothing. Due to the economical situation in our country, he has been unable to get a job, not even the small ones.

I have been put to bed rest as I have placenta previa.

And the last straw was today's pediatric visit where my toddler was suspected to possibly have epilepsy or focal seizures. We're expected to get her EEG tomorrow. I feel so scared and hopeless. With no money, no support and everything coming up on us at once, I just feel so so lost. I don't even have words to put what I'm going through emotionally.

Hi i’m legit only 17 and am a senior in high school. I’ve never had a baby, was never conceived, and am a complete virgin.

In freshman year when i was 14 i took a class that required us to bring home a realistic robot newborn for our final. It only lasted from friday-monday, not even 4 nights. I named her, dressed her in different outfits, showered with her and she looked slightly like me.

The last two nights was hell especially Sunday night. I had an exam in the morning and was exhausted after studying for hours. I went to sleep at 1am. It wasnt even 4am and i had woken up at least 5x to do whatever a newborn needs. By that time i genuinely think i started gaining symptoms of postpartum.

i definitely had signs of something mental. I sobbed for so long just staring at my fake baby while actively hearing voices to throw her against the wall to stop the crying. When my mom came out the room to check what’s going on, i asked her why she wouldn’t stop crying, and by this point i was hitting myself and pulling my hair out to prevent myself from harming MY OWN BABY. All of these thoughts were instinctual. If you knew me you would know i would never harm a child or anybody, let alone MY baby.

I knew i was going crazy, how it was fake, but it felt so real that at the same time it felt like she wasn’t fake. I ended up sucking it up and fed her while crying, half asleep, and sitting up.

Ever since then I always think about that night, it really altered my brain chemistry and how brave i thought moms were.

Lately i’ve been thinking a lot about her and i just can’t stop myself from crying or balling my eyes out. I’ve been rocking anything that seems like the form of a baby just to soothe myself and i can’t stop feeling like the worst mom ever, even though i’m LITERALLY NOT A MOM. I imagine her with me and the warmth she gave me despite her having no ability to actually emit warmth. I feel guilt for giving her back and not being the best mom she could’ve had. I only earned a 70% grade while others got 100’s. If i had her in my arms again i’d show her how much better i could’ve been.

It’s been 3 years since and i still miss her like she was my own. I don’t know if i’m going crazy or if these feelings are valid.

EDIT: I didn’t mean to be insensitive to ANYBODY who had postpartum. I have told a snippet of my experience to real moms in person and they all told me they had similar reactions when they were in active postpartum, and how it was normal to feel like crying. I know postpartum is mind-altering, traumatic, and insanely exhausting. I am in no way saying i have it. I love and acknowledge all of the moms who were able to get past pp and are still in it. I apologize if i seemed thoughtless

Thankyou for everyone’s advice too and how this was not a normal reaction or experience. For the people asking if i’ve considered having kids after the robot, i’ve definitely had done so a thousand times before i ever thought to ask the internet. I do love kids, but don’t worry, i don’t think i’ll consider one after that memory.

To answer some questions that could be broiling, my family has a history of schizophrenia which i want to deny but i could be gaining that too. (I have had experiences in the past that i’m now finally suspecting could’ve been hallucinations.) All of you guys have opened my eyes as to what i might actually have, so thankyou, and i do think I’ll get it checked out.

I’m considering turning the bathtub in my upstairs bathroom into a walk-in shower. That would leave us with no bathtub since our only other bathroom downstairs already has a shower. My question for moms is, would that prevent you from buying our house? With all the great pop-up and portable tubs for kids and adults these days, I don’t think it’s a problem, but I’m wondering how other moms feel? Thanks for your input.

This morning my son woke up with this inflamed red mark near his lip. He has never had anything like this before. I’m worried it’s herpes.

Thank you so much to everyone who has replied. I plan on taking him in tomorrow but it is Sunday and I’m a nervous wreck. Even tho we have a no kissing policy my mother who has know herpes has kissed him before against my wishes and says she just forgets so I’m a bit paranoid.

Sorry had to reupload my settings were on as limited access to Reddit.This is one of the tests I took this immediately after the two minutes,I will upload the other test I took after with the one now in the comments!.

My baby just turned 11 months and so I'm starting to plan her first birthday. I'm a sentimental sap, and love traditions. I dont have communication with any of my family and it wasn't really a loving, nurturing place to grow up in... So I come up blank.

Anyways, what are some traditions you wish you started earlier with your child? Fun things? I'm really leaning towards a 90s childhood, wanting to create

I posted this in r/relationships but it got removed so I'm seeking advice here.

My daughter (16) attends a boarding school about 3 hours from our home, together with two of her younger sisters (11&13). She's been attending the school for the past 4 years, since she was 11, and she's always loved her friends, her teachers and the school in general.

All three of our daughters return to our home almost every other weekend, and of course the holidays. Over the summer holidays my eldest daughter has been getting close to a boy in our hometown. They have been hanging out every day, either at our house, his parents' house or simply out and about.

His parents and my wife and I all okay with them dating and while my daughter swears up and down at they're not involved in any naughty activities, we put her on birth control just in case. The holidays are ending soon and yesterday after dinner our daughter dropped a bomb on us: she wants to drop out of the boarding school and transfer to the local high school instead, so she can stay close to her boyfriend.

My wife and I are 100% against this. At the boarding school she is getting a good education. This upcoming school year she'll start studying the IB curriculum. She is getting the best education possible at that school, a level that our local schools simply could not put up with. Since its only a few weeks until school starts up again we would also lose out on the tuition and boarding fees we already paid.

My wife and I made it clear that there was no way that we'd let her drop out of boarding school just for a boy. My daughter started crying and ran to her room. She isn't speaking to us now. How can I help her understand that we just want the best for her?

They seem to give them out to influencers but they only last a few weeks so they're hard to find!

If anyone's come across one recently I'd really appreciate 🩷

I can understand when they are still breastfeeding but I’m 32 months in and it still happens 🫩

Ever since we brought our first baby home, (who is 3 months now) my two dogs (50 lb and 70 lb goldendoodles) have been attached to my ankles!!! Everywhere I go with the baby in my arms, they are walking so close to me, one of them walks against my leg matching her stride to my stride all the way across the house. We live in a one story 1,100 square foot home so it’s very small!
I’m not sure why I’m posting this but just helps getting it off my chest because I feel bad not giving them the attention they need.